A quick look at the news photo of the child's mouth clearly shows that the teeth extracted were unquestionably baby teeth (deciduous).The teeth were absolutely not "permanent adult teeth". I can say that with 100% certainty. Extractions of adult teeth look completely different. (Easy to google images of each, if interested.)
The condition of the areas also clearly show that the edges of the teeth extracted were very superficial to the surface of the gums, and the depth and shape of the area clearly shows that the root was completely resorbed. That means the tooth was ready to fall out. It's very, very easy to tell that these were baby teeth that were completely ready to come out. The bleeding was very minimal, the clots are tiny, the "sockets" (not really sockets at all) are level with the other gum tissue, and the "socket" area is essentially not swollen at all. I sincerely doubt that the child's "face" was swollen from the procedure (mother's words)-- it isn't in the picture, nor are the gums at all traumatized or swollen. (Maybe his eyes were swollen from crying for a long time?) As I said before, it's likely the teeth were "hinged" already, or nearly out after the instrumentation with cleaning, or had food under them, etc.
There is no local anesthetic/ "novocaine",or sedation needed for these kind of extractions in normal children, nor would any be given in an office environment for such superficial teeth extractions. All that is needed is a gloved hand with a piece of gauze-- almost exactly the same procedure parents and kids use at home to remove baby teeth. I would bet that this is exactly what was done by the dentist.
So I really wish people would stop saying the dentist did something "wrong" in the course of the procedure, or that "pain medication should have been used", or that the teeth removed were permanent teeth, or implying that the dentist was predatory for money, or incompetent.
As part of my job, I have worked for many years periodically providing general anesthesia for dental procedures for severely mentally disabled children, adults, and elderly with dementia and Alzheimers. Medicaid/ medicare will approve an outpatient surgery procedure about once every few years for these kids and adults-- and after the sometimes hours long dental procedures in the OR, other providers come in (while the patient is still anesthetized) and we also do colonoscopies, PAP smears, and almost any other "routine" procedures they may need that they are too fearful, or unable to cooperate with, in an office environment.
As I said in other posts, there are *potential issues* with informed consent, and parental notifications. I am not convinced that the mother's story is entirely accurate. I am not convinced the school or the dentist did anything wrong, at this point. I'd like to know more about the bus/ walker situation, when that decision was made, who knew, and if they tried to reach a parent before, during,or after the procedure, and when. Beyond that, I'm convinced the child had an extremely minimal procedure to pluck out resorbed-root baby teeth, and the dentist did nothing "wrong."
ETA: BTW, the dentist and dental crew almost certainly gave the child his teeth to take home, and probably in a "special" container, along with stickers, etc. Dentists simply don't routinely discard children's teeth without special consent to do so, because baby teeth have such special meaning in our culture. (And in a remote location like a school they would have to appropriately dispose of the teeth as bio waste-- and they're not going to be eager to carry that back to their clinic.)
Many elementary classes have "lost tooth" bulletin boards to celebrate that milestone of growing up. That the mother did not parade the returned teeth in front of the cameras is very, very telling. Because the condition of the teeth will clearly tell what was done, and that they were baby teeth with resorbed roots. It's more dramatic to make the child open his mouth for the media cameras, because "if it bleeds, it leads". Reporter never asked to see the teeth, and mom never volunteered the teeth.
This is a really incompetent story-- poorly told, poorly reported, poorly investigated, IMO.
. You know, back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth. :biggrin: LOL.
