Sharon O'Steen, Florida Dentist, Allegedly Used Laughing Gas In Front Of Patients

By VICTOR A. PATTON - vpatton@mercedsun-star.com

Sharon O'Steen, Florida Dentist, Allegedly Used Laughing Gas In Front Of Patients 

The Huffington Post  |  By Alexis Kleinman Posted: 11/02/2012 12:12 pm EDT Updated: 11/05/2012 8:10 am EST

Going to the dentist ranks among Americans's greatest fears, and many swear by nitrous oxide -- you know, laughing gas -- to get through the procedures. Now imagine if the tables turned.

That's right. Dentist Sharon O'Steen of DeBary, Florida, has been accused of inhaling laughing gas in front of patients before performing procedures on them. In a no-brainer move, Florida health officials have suspended O'Steen's license.

Dental malpractice is considered highly difficult to prove, though patients have been awarded millions of dollars in dental malpractice suits in the past.

Take Aspen Dental, a large corporate-dental chain in Denver that was sued a few weeks ago for allegedly overcharging patients, performing unnecessary treatments and forcing patients who could not afford dental treatments into debt.

Another story of dental malpractice shocked Floridians in 2010, when Tampa dentist Ralph Eichstaedt allegedly left a drill bit embedded in a patient's jaw. After months of nosebleeds and sinus infections, the patient finally discovered the bit.