The Smile Center–San Antonio Settlement Reached

December 10, 2015 By Patrick Danner

The last of the one-time Smile Center dentists accused in lawsuits of performing “unnecessary” or “excessive” treatments on minors that were then billed to Medicaid have settled the cases. Four dentists this week reached confidential settlements with some 100 patients who had filed medical malpractice claims in Bexar County. “Since 2011, we have filed several lawsuits on behalf of more than 250 children against the Smile Center or former dentists of the Smile Center,” San Antonio attorney Thomas Crosley said. “With this court approval of these last five lawsuits against former Smile Center dentists, we now bring to a close these tragic cases.” He added the cases were settled “to the mutual satisfaction of all parties concerned.” The Smile Center gained notoriety four years ago when WOAI-TV aired a series of stories on the chain of six dental offices. Some of the stories included parents who complained about dental procedures that allegedly left their children in pain.

Read the rest of the story here 

Read one of the Lawsuits here.

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The Smile Center—San Antonio—Settles Malpractice Lawsuit Involving 253 Patients

As the San Antonio Express-News reported December 3, 2013, Dr. Stephen Simpton, owner and operator of  The Smile Center, with 6 clinics in the San Antonio, TX area settled the malpractice lawsuit involving 253 patients. Details still about the dollar amount of the settlement have not been released.

Shorty after the law suit was filed in 2011, Dr. Stephen Simpton filed a defamation lawsuit against the law firm representing the parents of the children, as well as the television station and reporter, Brian Collister. 

Protecting First Amendment rights in Texas, District Judge David Berchelmann’s ruling in July 2012, threw out the lawsuit against the attorney representing the parents, and ordered Simpton’s Smile Center to pay $108,000 in attorney fees and sanctions.  The following month Dr. Simpton was sanctioned for his attempt to silence WOAI-TV, and ordered to pay $70,000.

Simpton further tried to escape the spot light on his misdeeds, having his attorney, Mr. Jon Michael Smith, send “Cease and Desist” letters to anyone else who reported about the abuse taking place in his dental clinics, including Flap’s Dental Blog and this one.  This one actually received two, after the first one didn’t seem to phase me.

Are Dentists Drilling For Dollars?–Inside Edition Video Shocking Report of November 2013

Aired November 13, 2013

This  “metal mouth” epidemic has been reported since as early as 2003—if not before.  WJLA-TV did a shocking report in November 2007. 

It is 2013 and no one in government or governing agencies have bothered to stop it. 

Why?

I want some answers!

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Here is the contract information for the attorney mentioned in the above report.

Tom Crosley, Esq.
877-535-4529
information@crosleylaw.com

San Antonio Location
755 East Mulberry Ave
Suite 250
San Antonio, TX 78212
210-354-4500

Houston Location
4203 Montrose Blvd.
Suite 150
Houston, Texas 77006
281-661-4250

Rio Grand Valley Location
323 West Cano St
Suite 200
Edinburg, Texas 78539
956-314-0561

Inside Edition puts spotlight on Happy Valley Pediatric Dentistry and The Smile Center

I’m sure Dr. Simpton of The Smile Center is popping a cork over this Inside Edition piece.  I’ve been a “victim” of Simpton’s cover-up, his attorney sent me a cease and desist letter, a year or two ago.  Why you ask?  Because I reposted a story or two out of Texas. I’ll be watching my mail for yet another one!

 

Airdate: 11/13/2013  Are Some Dentists Drilling For Dollars?

Going to the dentist is a scary proposition for many people. But imagine what it must be like for a child who goes to the dentist and comes out with a mouthful of metal crowns that may have been unnecessary.

When she was just four-years-old, Savannah’s mother Alicea White says she took her daughter to the Happy Valley Pediatric Dentistry in Phoenix, AZ for a routine appointment.

But Alicea says instead of just filing four cavities on Savannah, dentist Dr. Karan Nett turned Savannah’s mouth into a smile of steel.  

“I was completely shocked,” said Alicea. “All that silver in her mouth. I was like, ‘Oh my God, what happened?’”

Alicea says every single tooth in Savannah's mouth was crowned with metal!

People compared her new smile to the James Bond villain, Jaws.

Alicea said, “It broke my heart. I was in tears right along with her.”

Alicea believes Dr. Nett was just drilling for dollars; doing unnecessary and excessive work to jack up the bill.

INSIDE EDITION’s Lisa Guerrero tried to speak with her outside her clinic.

“I'd like to talk to you about a little girl whose mouth you filled with metal? Would you like to look at these pictures and explain these pictures?” Guerrero asked Dr. Nett as she walked to her car.

Dr. Nett did not respond to Guerrero but has denied any wrongdoing, saying the work was necessary due to Savannah's significant tooth decay.

It turns out that metal mouth cases like Savannah's are not rare.

One look at Maya Anderson's mouth and you can see why she falls to pieces reliving her traumatic trip to this dental chain in San Antonio, Texas called the Smile Center.

“I had 24 teeth worked on. All I have is like five teeth left. I’m sorry. He ground down my teeth so small they were like little stubs.”

The dentist who worked on Maya's teeth for eight hours is Dr. Mark Hong, and Maya's isn't the only patient who claims he drilled for dollars. 

On just five children, parents allege that Dr. Hong performed over 30 baby root canals and crowned over 50 teeth.

The Smile Center in San Antonio, Texas Under Investigation

WOAI TV

Published: 9/07 4:05 pm

Updated: 9/08 10:04 am


The Smile Center Investigation
Posted on 09/08/2011 by bcollister
A criminal investigation is underway into a chain of dental clinics here in San Antonio that targets children on Medicaid.  This comes after I uncovered complaints of poor treatment at The Smile Center.
The Texas Attorney General now confirms it has launched criminal and civil investigations into The Smile Center.
The Attorney General’s office wants to know if the clinics defrauded Medicaid by billing for dental work that did not need to be done.  I’ve been reporting since February about complaints from parents who say the clinics did unnecessary and shoddy work on their children.
These parents were unhappy with dental work done on their children and paid with millions of your tax dollars through Medicaid.
A representative from the Attorney General’s office confirms it’s Medicaid fraud control unit has 180 bankers boxes of records taken from The Smile Center locations here in San Antonio.  The agency’s civil Medicaid department has also filed a complaint in civil court against the business. But we don’t know what’s in that complaint because it’s sealed.

Parents preparing to sue The Smile Center–San Antonio, TX

WOAI TV
Published 3/16/2011 6:08PM
Updated 3/17/2011  8:01AM

 

SAN ANTONIO - More than 70 parents are preparing to sue a local company of dental clinics called The Smile Center.  A News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters investigation unleashed a flood of complaints by parents who say their children got poor dental treatment at the San Antonio clinics.  The San Antonio clinics have made millions on work paid for by Medicaid.
Tom Crosley runs the firm that is preparing to file suit. “In the last few weeks we've been approached by the families of 60 or 70 children to investigate whether their kids were victims of unnecessary dental work, shoddy dental work, excess dental treatment," said Crosley.
The Smile Center handed out letters to potential new patients that state the allegations are gross misrepresentation of the facts. The Smile Center also claims they are saddened and shocked that we would report this story without telling their side of the story.

Families Plan to Sue The Smile Center Dental–San Antonio Texas

 
March 16, 2011

Reported by: Brian Collister
Email: BrianCollister@woaitv.com

SAN ANTONIO - More than 70 parents are preparing to sue a local company of dental clinics called The Smile Center.  A News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters investigation unleashed a flood of complaints by parents who say their children got poor dental treatment at the San Antonio clinics.  The San Antonio clinics have made millions on work paid for by Medicaid.
Tom Crosley runs the firm that is preparing to file suit. “In the last few weeks we've been approached by the families of 60 or 70 children to investigate whether their kids were victims of unnecessary dental work, shoddy dental work, excess dental treatment," said Crosley.
The Smile Center handed out letters to potential new patients that state the allegations are gross misrepresentation of the facts. The Smile Center also claims they are saddened and shocked that we would report this story without telling their side of the story.
  See shocking video report here

The Smile Center Family Dentistry - San Antonio, Texas

WOAI TV Report

Published: 2/21 1:31 pm

Updated: 2/23 4:39 pm

update – February 21, 2011

If you or your child suffered at the hands of Dr. Stephen Simpton and The Smile Center contact the Crosley Law firm for a free case review.
For more information on the case click here.

Initial Report - February 7, 2011

 

Investigative Report by WOAI's Brian Collister - BrianCollister@woaitv.com

February 14, 2011

The Smile Center, another dental mill left to run amok, with no one checking, no dental board oversight, and evidently no one giving a damn.  Why has no one questioned this dental mill?  Where are the social workers in this, are they not noticing an increased amount of children with their mouths crammed full of stainless steel crowns. 

The report says the dentist who did this no longer work there, ok, where the hell did they go.  Let's get some names so the public can be warned.  But no, that won't happen, and these, like the thousands of dentists employed by these Medicaid dental mills will just move down the road to the next mill and continue with the substandard treatment they have been trained, coerced and baited with bonuses to deliver.  

The Smile Center's statement, Stephen Simpton, DDS