Dentist charged with inadequate care to be monitored
By Rachel Pritchett
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
EAST BREMERTON, Washington — Dentist Seok W. Nichols, charged by a state panel for faulty work on two patients, has reached a settlement that will allow him to continue his practice with oversight.
Dr. Nichols runs Agape Dental Care, a Christian-themed practice in the Fred Meyer shopping plaza on Highway 303. He received his credential to practice in Washington in 2005.
The agreed order between the dentist and Dental Quality Assurance Commission, dated Feb. 1, requires Nichols’ work as a dentist to be monitored for two years. He must allow a state Department of Health investigator to conduct 10 unannounced office reviews. The commission is part of the Department of Health.
The dentist must pay a $15,000 fine to the commission, along with another $5,784 for his part in the cost of bringing the charges against him.
Nichols must complete continuing education and pay back two patients whose work on them was detailed in the charges.
In the case of one patient in 2008, the commission charged that Nichols found decay in six teeth, but X-rays indicated decay in another seven teeth that he missed.
And between 2008 and 2010, Nichols saw another patient many times, extracting teeth, placing crowns and installing a partial denture. The crowns failed repeatedly and the denture didn’t fit well.
Nichols’ records and treatment of both patients showed “a lack of understanding of dental diagnosis, treatment and terminology,” the charges stated.
An office staff person said he was not available for comment Tuesday.
This Agape group is HIGHLY suspicious group of folks, that’s for sure. In South Carolina they are buying up urgent care centers and putting the previous owner doctors under employment contracts. (we know how this works) They have their hands in everything from dental care to funeral care, including senior living and pharmacies.
They are to senior living what Heartland Dental and Dental One Partners are to dental care. They swoop in, fire the long time office employees, replace them with their own stooges. While they operate under the guise of “faith-based”, it’s odd to me they carry out their employment interviews in the local nightclubs.
