- Kathleen Wilson underwent extensive dental surgery in 2020 that she says disfigured her.
- Her dentist tried to treat the decay that had spread to her mouth in one visit.
- The operation lasted 5.5 hours and Wilson received nearly double the dose of anesthesia, an expert wrote.
A Minnesota woman is suing her dentist after she received four root canals, eight dental crowns and 20 fillings in a single visit that she says left her disfigured.
Kathleen Wilson filed the lawsuit last week in Hennepin County District Court, accusing Dr. Kevin Molldrem of Molldrem Family Dentistry in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, that he provided negligent treatment in July 2020 that caused significant injuries to Wilson, along with providing an unsafe dose of anesthesia. and falsifying medical records to cover up, according to court documents.
Moldrem and his attorney, Nathaniel Weimer, did not immediately return requests for comment from The Associated Press on Thursday.
According to The Star Tribune, which first reported the case, Wilson’s legal team retained Dr. Avrum Goldstein, a dentist in Florida, to provide an expertise and review Wilson’s medical records from Molldrem and subsequent providers. Goldstein’s November 14 report found several breaches of the duty of care.
Goldstein said in the report that Molldrem made the correct diagnosis but provided poor quality treatment.
“Dr. Moldrem was confronted with a young woman who not only had extensive caries, but erosion and dissolution of her teeth,” Goldstein wrote.
Some of the problems were compounded by the fact that Wilson had a habit of eating sweets and irritable bowel syndrome, throwing up one to two times a week, which can damage tooth enamel.
Wilson had cavities “on almost every tooth in her mouth, which is pretty rare,” Goldestein wrote.
Moldrem’s attempt to restore all of Wilson’s teeth in one visit didn’t help address her susceptibility to disease or the potential for tooth loss, she said.
“Katie needed a slow, careful, careful and measured response to her illness. 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 achieve in a effective or constructive way,” Goldstein said, adding that it is “unthinkable” to deal with 28 teeth in 5 ½ hours.
One challenge of a long appointment is maintaining adequate anesthesia, Goldstein said. The maximum dose is 490 mg — but Molldrem administered 960 mg to Wilson, he wrote.
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 carpels and administered 15 carpels throughout the 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 expense associated with it would be pointless.”
In addition to the medical costs, Wilson said she suffered pain, embarrassment, disfigurement and distress. He is seeking at least $50,000 in damages.
According to his website, Molldrem opened his private practice in June 2004 “to provide others with the kind of dental care that I would want for my own family.” Its second office is in Lakeville, Minnesota.
