“A Family’s Distress: Toddler Leaves Dentist with 18 Silver Caps in Mouth”
A Maurepas family is left with countless questions and distress after their toddler left the dentist’s office with a mouth full of metal. According to the family, they did not consent to the procedure and were given no warning about what was to happen.
Kimberly Bennett, who is known to her grandson as Grammy, spoke to 2 On Your Side and expressed her concern over what happened to her two-year-old grandson, Michael. “We’re horrified. We don’t know what to do at this point,” she said.
The family visited Dr. Bryan Frichter at New Orleans Children’s Hospital to get four cavities filled, but what happened next was not what they expected. Michael’s mother and Bennett were not allowed in the dental room with Michael, who was sedated for the procedure. The dentist found a few more cavities during the procedure and contacted Michael’s mother to ask if they should be filled.
“The dentist told us that those were going to be filled with an opaque tooth-matching, you know, being front teeth,” said Bennett.
Michael’s mother agreed to a “couple” more fillings, thinking her son would be getting six cavities filled. However, when Michael left the dentist’s office, he had 18 silver caps covering his teeth. The family has no idea why the procedure went the way it did and why their toddler has 18 out of 20 teeth fully encased in silver.
Bennett believes that Michael, who is a Medicaid patient, may have been taken advantage of. “I almost feel like it’s a padding of the bill, that they were looking to get as much work done as possible,” she said.
The family is also worried about how the caps will impact Michael’s jaw and speech development. “My grandson is going to have silver teeth all throughout his mouth, including the front of his mouth as he goes to school, as he grows up,” said Bennett.
The family has tried to contact the dentist and the hospital, but no one will speak with them. The dental office attempted to contact the family for Michael’s follow-up visit, but they have not heard back.
LCMC Children’s Hospital has reached out to the dental office and asked them to contact the family to address their concerns.
“We have a lot of concerns and a lot of questions. Someone has some explaining to do,” said Bennett. The family wants the best for Michael and hopes to get some answers soon.
