A Minnesota dentist is suing for malpractice after he allegedly “disfigured” a patient by performing more than 30 procedures in a single visit.
The civil suit, filed in Hennepin County, Minnesota last week, alleges that Dr. Kevin Moldrem’s Molldrem Family Dentistry performed four root canals, 20 fillings and eight crowns on Kathleen Wilson in one office visit in July 2020.
Wilson accuses Molldrem of causing her significant injuries, along with providing an unsafe dose of anesthesia and falsifying medical records to cover it up, the Star Tribune reported.
The lawsuit alleges that the dentist “performed this work improperly,” resulting in pain and suffering, as well as emotional distress and disfigurement.
“It is inconceivable that Dr. Moldrem could have prepared and placed 8 crowns under these conditions in the time allotted, not to mention the extra 20 restorations“, wrote Dr. Avrum Goldstein, a Florida dentist and expert witness brought by Wilson’s attorney, in an affidavit, USA Today reports.
Goldstein also wrote that Molldrem’s course of action to treat Wilson’s “rare condition” of having cavities in nearly all of her teeth was not the appropriate treatment.
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“She required a slow, thoughtful, careful and measured response to her illness,” he said in his report. “Trying to fill every hole in every tooth in her mouth in one visit is not only the opposite of what was indicated, but it is not humanly possible to accomplish in an efficient or constructive manner.”
Wilson’s records show that Molldrem said he administered eight tubes of dental anesthetic, known as carpules. But Goldstein found the first dose to be only eight cloves and administered 15 carpels throughout the five-and-a-half-hour visit.
Wilson went to a different dental office for an evaluation that showed recurrent cavities and other damage. For several months in 2022, she underwent treatment at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry “to repair and replace many of her restorations in an effort to stabilize her mouth,” Goldstein said.
If all of Wilson’s teeth end up having to be removed and replaced with implants, Goldstein said “all the work that was done and all the expenses associated with it would be for nothing.”
Wilson is seeking at least $50,000 in damages.
Moldrem and his attorney, Nathaniel Weimer, did not respond to requests for comment.
— With files from The Associated Press
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