A Dental Nightmare In Numbers 4, 8, And 20

Full disclosure, I do not like dentists. There are many reasons for that, which I won’t get into, except to mention that when I was six years old my estranged sister gave me an airplane spin face first into our front porch. Yes, that could be one of the main reasons, but there are others.

Last week, Kathleen Wilson filed a malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Kevin Molldrem and Molldrem Family Dentistry in Hennepin County, Minnesota District Court. Why? Well, Wilson alleges according to the complaint she filed, that Molldrem’s “negligent work” has caused her “significant injuries.”

During a visit in July 2020, Molldrem performed … wait for it, … four root canals, eight crowns and 20 fillings, … in one visit.  Like me, you’re probably thinking, how is that even possible? I mean after all, how much anesthesia would it take to perform all of that work? As it turns out that is another problem, Molldrem administered 960 mg of anesthesia to Wilson, but the maximum dosage is 490 mg.

The Star Tribune reported that Wilson’s team retained Dr. Avrum Goldstein, a Florida dentist, to provide an expert opinion on the treatment Wilson received under Molldrem. Goldstein apparently found a number of duty-of-care breaches during the review.

The anesthetic that’s used in dentistry is measured in carpules. Dental carpules are small cylindrical glass tubes containing dental anesthetics which are screwed onto dental syringes.

According to Wilson’s records, Molldrem said he administered eight tubes of anesthetic. However, Goldstein discovered that the first dose alone contained eight carpules, and Molldrem administered a total of 15 carpules throughout Wilson’s visit. Molldrem is also accused of falsifying records to hide what he had done. In his report the amount of anesthesia Molldrem used on Wilson was “grossly exceeding what would be considered safe.”

In the report, Goldstein acknowledged Molldrem’s diagnosis that “virtually every tooth” inside Wilson’s mouth had decay was correct. However, Molledrem’s treatment for Wilson was wrong.

According to Goldstein, “Katie required a slow, thoughtful, careful and measured response to her disease and trying to fill every hole in every tooth in her mouth in one visit was not humanely possible to achieve.”

According to Goldstein, over a period of several months in 2022, Wilson received treatment at the University of Minnesota Dental School, “for repair and replacement of many of her restorations in an attempt to stabilize her mouth.” That said, Wilson is still not out of the woods. Despite all of the work that she has had done on her teeth, there is still a possibility that she may have to have all of them removed.

Beside all of the medical costs involved, Wilson is also seeking $50,000 in damages for disfigurement, embarrassment, and pain as a result of Molldrem’s negligence. That sounds like a bargain to me. In my opinion, Wilson should be asking for much more. Just the thought of having all that work done in one visit is a nightmare in itself. Then learning that she had been over medicated and that the doctor lied to cover his tracks adds another layer. Then she suffered through other doctors trying to repair the damage that was done and now she is living with the uncertainty of having all of her teeth removed anyway.

No, I’d be asking for a lot more. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and brush my teeth.