Florida 10 year (1999-2011) Florida Medicaid Expenditures for using child restraint (D9920) in Florida.

10 year (1999-2011) Florida Medicaid Expenditures for using child restraint (D9920) in Florida. In 2007 and 2008 the reimbursement was listed as "By Report" indicating there was specific requirement were necessary. In 2009, "By Report" was removed from the fee schedule.

Looks like children was lucky if they saw the dentist in 2008.

Clearly there were no requirements between 1999-2003.

Nearly $2 million dollars paid to dentist to restrain children in 2003! The reimbursement rate was $24 in 2003, you do the math!

There is a huge decrease between 2003-2004. Numbers certainly tell the story don't they?!

(I have these reports if needed including 2007-2012 fee schedules)

Florida reimbursement schedules can be found here

Another patient of Dr. Howard S Schneider recalls being restrained

Another patient of Dr. Howard S Schneider recalls being restrained.  Yet some of “experts”  have testified children do not remember. ( I have to wonder if Dr. Schneider went to the Eddie DeRose School of Papoose Board training at some point.)

New Papoose Board Consent Tactics Surface

Today I've received two separate reports from concerned parents that indicate FORBA-Small Smiles have changed it's tactics in obtaining consent to strap children down in papoose boards.  There reports are from two separate states. 

(Boy, the Papoose board sure is an important tool for these places aren't they)

Evidently they aren't having the parent or guardian pre-consent to the use of these devices anymore.  (They are calling them "protective wraps", isn't that sweet!)

From the two reports I've gotten just this morning, they are still separating the parents from the children, taking the children back for fillings, sealants, crowns whatever, then returning to to the parents saying:

"because he was wiggling and screaming and said that he was a danger to himself and the doctors"

It makes it seem that they are in the middle of a procedure and it's imperative they sign this consent so that they can finish the procedure.

Whatever the real reason, it's clear they have changed their tactics but still pushing on tying up children at any cost.

Now, FORBA, you want to make another statement about how you are improving things?  That is just pure BS!

Dr. Steven Adair Is Small Smiles New Cheif Dental Officer-Ya Gotta Love it!

See how smart these people are:

They hired the one doctor who wrote an article for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentist on how papoose boards need to be modified for use in dental practice.

(chew on that in a minute...)

Small Smiles hired a Papoose Board Expert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Click Here

Doesn't sound like they plan on doing away with tied kinds down now does it?!

What surprises me is that someone with Dr. Adair's credentials would going up with such a child abusing company as FORBA/Small Smiles. If he thinks he's going to ride in on his white horse and "clean things" up that certainly will not happen. The DeRose's have been doing this since for darn near 20 years, they are set in their ways. Plus I'd say within the next year, this place will be in even worse shape in the eyes of the public, and that's all that really counts isn't it?

Funny how I just posted his article yesterday. Then I see where someone on my site had searched Dr. Adair, so I followed that link and low and behold there was this........... click here.

At the link above is a press release where Dr. Tara Schafer was appointed as the Medical College of Georgia's interim chair by the School of Dentistry Dean, Connie Drisko, a position previously held by Dr. Steven Adair.  

Paula Hinely -  2008 March 20

Dr. Tara Schafer, associate professor in the Medical College of Georgia Department of Pediatric Dentistry and an MCG alumna, has been appointed as the department’s interim chair by School of Dentistry Dean Connie Drisko.

“Dr. Schafer is a highly skilled pediatric dentist,” Dr. Drisko says. “I am certain her leadership and forward thinking will continue to advance the department in its mission of providing quality training for students and residents while maintaining a focus on patient- and family-centered care.”

Dr. Steven Adair, the department’s chair since 1990, has reduced his work commitment in the school to assume the position of chief dental officer for FORBA, Inc., the parent company of Small Smiles Dental Clinics, which treats underserved children.

God works in mysterious ways!

Small Smiles Again Under Fire in Albany, NY 4-1-08

Attn: State Investigators
If there is a Small Smiles Clinic in your state and you are not investigating them, you should be. There is a clear connection between Medicaid Dental Clinics, Small Smiles and Kool Smiles. At the end of this article you will see exactly what the connection is.


Two Employees Speaks out about Small Smiles Office in Albany New York.

Video May Be Disturbing

Part 1 of Investigation:

CBS Channle 6 WRGB New Albany, New York, April 1, 2008

Picture a young child strapped into a dental chair, unable to move his arms or legs.
As the cold, metal instruments invade his trembling mouth, the boy's heart begins to race: 200 beats per minute. 225. 250.
Now, he's sweating, throwing-up and urinating his pants - frantically scanning the room full of masked faces for some sign the pain will come to an end.
But it does not. The dentist keeps on working
"That's Small Smiles," said Nicole, a former assistant at the Colonie children's dentistry clinic. "Don't bring your kids there."
Speaking on condition of anonymity, former employees Nicole and Holly detailed a list of allegations against the clinic and its lead dentist, Dr. Maziar Izadi. They include:
-Rushing through procedures, even when children are vomiting and urinating

-Allowing children's heart rates to go dangerously past 200 beats per minute

-Performing unnecessary procedures, such as placing crowns on baby teeth that are about to fall-out

-Needlessly placing children under a papoose board, a device that immobilizes their arms and legs

-Discouraging parents from sitting with their children during procedures

-Failing to properly sterilize instruments


"They were constantly pushing production," Holly said. "I think they do it so they can make a fast buck."
Holly and Nicole allege staff members, notably Dr. Izadi, earn lucrative bonuses for achieving certain production numbers - a claim the company denies.
Dr. Izadi did not return CBS 6 phone calls, and ran to his car when approached by CBS 6 reporter Steve Flamisch and photographer Chris Cornell in the Small Smiles parking lot.
A receptionist forwarded our call to Small Smiles corporate spokesman Don Meyer, who said that a review of 40 charts found that all procedures were "necessary and proper." He acknowledged, however, that the doctor who performed the review is a Small Smiles employee, and not an independent expert.

To be fair, Small Smiles did take swift action when informed of allegations that several employees may be using crack cocaine and marijuana, allegedly during their lunch breaks.

A corporate team promptly flew-in from Colorado and drug tested the entire staff. Meyer confirmed there were terminations, but he would not say how many - nor would he say whether anyone had been tested at the time of their hiring. Former employees allege no one is tested.
A government source confirmed that state officials are looking into the list of allegations against Small Smiles.
The company's clinics have also been the subject of news investigations in Denver, Rochester, and Washington D.C.

According to reports, FORBA, LLC began in Pueblo, CO, then was taken over by Sanus, a holding company in Nashville, TN, but a large portion of it's firm would continue to operate out of Pueblo, CO.

Hmmm.. Isn't that where Michael DeRose, DDS, owner of a 3 million dollar home, who was fined $10 million dollars this week lives? Well, yes it is as a matter of fact.

Now isn't William A. Mueller, DDS an old buddy of Michael DeRose's? Well, yes he is, they co-owned several clinics together back in the day. Including Smile High Dental Clinic in Colorado.

Isn't William A. Mueller associated with FORBA, LLC from it's conceptions? Well, yes he surely is. see here . and here And look, a one Edward DeRose in with FORBA. This Eddy could be related to Michael DeRose, well I bet he is don't you?

And look here! See how many founders of Kool Smiles are formerly associated with Smile High Dental Clinics out of Colorado. Looks like at least two. Dr. Tu Tran and Dr. Tim Pham.

And look here. FORBA says he operates 42 clinics and has 750,000 patients a year.

And here is where we find ourselves at Arcapita, Inc. Arcapita Bank. Where it acquired FORBA for 435 million dollars.


I found this at topix:

I work for Kool Smiles, a sister corporation of Small Smiles and all I can say is that their "philosophy" is awfully confusing. They say that they do not NOT allow parents to go back with their children during treatment, yet when we had people from our corporate office visiting us one week, we were reprimanded endlessly for having parents in the back office and they even went so far as to have additional training for employees to learn how to "handle" those parents who want to accompany their child. We also have a consent form somewhere in a packet of forms that every parent is required to fill out every six months, that allows us to use restraint techniques, voice control, and hand-over-mouth on their children - if they are anything like me, they probably don't really read all of the forms they are signing and have no idea of what is really going on with their children in the back office. I can also tell you that it is not just done in the event of an emergency - it's usually done on smaller children who are afraid, and is used to control the child for long periods of time to complete the most dental work possible in the time alloted. I have only witnessed a couple of instances where it was actually beneficial for both the dental team and the patient. The majority of the time the child is terrified, screaming, crying, spitting, and choking thru the entire procedure, while the doctor and the assistant speaks to them in an angry tone, then is sent back out to their parent soaking wet with sweat and exhausted from the ordeal they just went thru. This whole practice is not only traumatic for the patient and upsetting to the parent, but nerve-racking for the dental auxiliary working on the child, which often results in poor quality dentistry. Not to mention the dentisit's they hire are usually fresh out of dental school and are not experienced enough to handle the fast-pace and large patient load demanded of them. I enjoy working with children and I love working with the under-served community because they really need the help and have little other options, but now that I'm starting to see and feel the other side of corporate dentistry, I'm really disappointed - even disgusted at times.

Awe. The Internet is a wonderful thing!

update 3/1/2010

Dr. Maziar Izadi is now practicing what he calls dentistry at Allcare in New York.  Wonder why they hired him, he's a terrible dentist according to all reports.  

Small Smiles Albany New York Investigation Part 2 4-1-08

CBS Channel 6 WRGB New Albany, New York

Small Smiles Investigation Part 2
4-08

Nine Dentist Suffer Consequenses of Abusing and Traumatizing Children

Charlotte Observer story

A VERY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE FOR THE CHILDREN'

Medicaid dentists disciplined

Probation, reprimands were given before $10 million settlement

KAREN GARLOCH AND GARY L. WRIGHT

kgarloch@charlotteobserver.comgwright@charlotteobserver.com

Christy Dillbeck holds the stainless steel caps and teeth of her son Brandon. Brandon at the age of 4 had 16 teeth drilled out and capped with stainless steel in a scam by local dentists. (original story aired July 2003)

Nine dentists have been disciplined in connection with a Medicaid fraud case alleging they performed or billed for unnecessary dental work on poor children in North Carolina.

Patients as young as 4 years old had multiple teeth pulled and root canals performed during single appointments at Medicaid Dental Center clinics in Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Asheville and Raleigh, according to state documents.

At least two children received 16 pulpotomies, also known as "baby root canals," and 16 steel crowns during the same visit.

"It was a very traumatic experience for the children and their parents," said attorney Darren Dawson of Greenville, N.C., who represents some of the families involved.

"These were children who were 4, 5 and 6 who were told by their moms and dads that they were going to visit with trusted professionals. Suddenly, they're in there for three hours and coming out with a mouth full of steel."

In a settlement announced Wednesday, Medicaid Dental Center, a privately owned chain of N.C. dental clinics, agreed to pay $10 million to the government to resolve allegations that it performed and billed for unnecessary dental work on kids.

Clinic owners and dentists Letitia (Tish)Ballance. DDS of the Charlotte area and Michael DeRose,DDS of Pueblo, Colo., are also serving three years' probation, starting in 2005, by the N.C. Board of Dental Examiners.

The seven other dentists who worked for the clinics received written reprimands in 2005 that will remain permanently in their N.C. files and with the National Practitioner Data Bank.

"It's something that will follow them in any state where they try to practice," said Bobby White, executive director of the dental board.

White said the seven dentists received lighter discipline than the clinic owners because they were inexperienced and essentially following orders. Ballance and DeRose "were the bosses, making decisions and sending it down the line -- `You will do things this way,' " White said. "The board saw that as a mitigating factor."

The seven include three from Charlotte -- Drs. John Lyons, Jeffrey Zieziula and Erron Brady. Others are Drs. Lori Petree and Christopher Ballinger of Winston-Salem, Dr. Heather Berkheimer of Southern Pines and Dr. Michelle Wilkerson of Raleigh, according to the dental board.

None of the seven could be reached for comment Thursday. Several continue to work for Medicaid Dental Center, in the Charlotte office, now called Smile Starters, and elsewhere. Ballinger and Brady now work in private practice.

According to the board's reprimands, Lyons and Ballinger saw patients initially and developed diagnosis and treatment plans. The remaining five dentists performed the treatment. The board accused all seven of doing their work "without adequate diagnostic documentation."

The dental work was done between 2001 and 2003 and involved the children's baby teeth.

Since 2005, the dental board has made unannounced inspections of Medicaid Dental Center, and found the clinics substantially in compliance with its standards.

Spokeswomen for the U.S. attorney in Charlotte and the N.C. attorney general on Thursday would not disclose how many children they allege received unnecessary dental work, how many dentists were involved, or why the government settled for $10 million instead of bringing criminal charges.

Federal and state laws do not explicitly make it illegal for dentists to perform unnecessary work. Such claims are typically left to malpractice lawsuits in civil court. There are laws making it a crime to commit Medicaid and health care fraud in billings.

The settlement agreement doesn't prohibit prosecutors from bringing criminal charges. But when civil settlements are reached, sources said, it suggests prosecutors are not planning to pursue criminal charges.

16 `baby root canals'

One of the children treated in Charlotte was Brandon Dillbeck, then 4.His mother, Christy Dillbeck of Charlotte, said her son had 16 "baby root canals," and 16 stainless steel crowns placed on his teeth during one visit.

"He has nightmares to this day of people holding him down," the 24-year-old mother said. "He had blood all over his shirt. He was covered with sweat. He looked like he was in a trance. He was crying."

Dillbeck said she had taken her son to the dentist to have his teeth cleaned. She was 19 at the time and unemployed, and she took Brandon to Medicaid Dental Center because the office accepted Medicaid.

Dillbeck said she didn't give the dentist permission to perform the baby root canals or place the crowns on her son's teeth.

"What mother in her right mind would give permission to do that to their child all at one time?" she said. "A mother would have to be crazy to let someone do that to their child.

"He had beautiful teeth before. He came out of there, and they were all metal. He was embarrassed for years about how he looked. He wouldn't smile."

Brandon, now 9, has lost his baby teeth and the steel crowns, but his mom worries he may still suffer long-term problems.

Dawson, the Greenville lawyer, said Thursday he represents the families of five children, including Brandon, who received the questionable dental work. Four were patients at a Charlotte clinic, he said.

Dawson and his colleague Harry Albritton are in preliminary negotiations with attorneys for Medicaid Dental Center and the dentists, seeking to reach a monetary settlement rather than go to court.

'Black eye' to profession

The Medicaid Dental Center case gives a "black eye" to the profession, said Dr. Alec Parker, who heads the N.C. Dental Society, the state's professional organization for dentists.

"It's really just hard to understand how (dentists) could justify that," Parker said. "We put our trust in our health care providers, and we expect them to do what's best for the patient."

Part of the problem, Parker said, is that private dentists don't accept many Medicaid patients because the state-federal insurance program for the poor and disabled doesn't provide adequate reimbursement. Dentists also shun Medicaid because it means extra paperwork and frequently missed appointments because patients don't have transportation.

That leaves patients few choices for dental care and pushes dentists who do accept Medicaid to treat large numbers of patients. "When reimbursement rates are as low as they are, it makes it difficult to make ends meet," Parker said. "They feel like they have to overbill and overtreat to make a go of it."

Still, Parker said, if the Medicaid Dental Center dentists knew that what they were doing was wrong, and did it repeatedly, they should be facing "more than just a reprimand."

"People who are trying to take advantage of the system need to know that somebody's watching."

Checking out your dentist

• Ask friends and family for recommendations. Insurance companies and managed care plans usually have a panel of dentists.

• After obtaining names, check to make sure they are properly licensed and have clear records.

• N.C. dentists are licensed and disciplined by the N.C. Board of Dental Examiners: www.ncdentalboard.org; 919-678-8223.

• S.C. dentists are licensed and disciplined by the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation: www.llr.state.sc.us; 803-896-4300.

• Ask about costs and why procedures are necessary and if there are alternatives.

Remember the names of these dentists, they have been involved in Fraudulent Medicaid Billing and Performing Unnecessary Dental Procedures on Children, likely strapping them down in restraints for hours at a time in a papoose board, traumatizing children and abusing them, all for the love of money and greed!

BEWARE of These Dentists:

Dr. Michael DeRose

Dr. Letitia Ballance

Dr. John Lyons

Dr. Jeffery Zieziula

Dr. Erron Brady

Dr. Lori Petree

Dr. Christopher Ballinger

Dr. Heather Berkheimer

Dr. Michelle Wilkerson

Medicaid Dental Center aka Smile Starters Pays $10 Million For Medicaid Fraud

by: Mark Boone

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The owners of a chain of dental clinics, with offices in Charlotte, will pay more than $10 million in response to a federal investigation into alleged Medicaid fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Wednesday.

The owners of the company formerly known as Medicaid Dental Center did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, said attorney James Wyatt.

As first reported in a WCNC investigation, some parents complained they took their children to the Medicaid Dental Centers on Freedom Drive and N. Tryon Street for what they believed to be routine visits.

The Charlotte offices are now operating under the name ‘Smile Starters.’

Wyatt said the clinics are under new management.

Christy Dillbeck, a west Charlotte mother, said she was asked to wait in the lobby of a Medicaid Dental Center as a dentist placed her then-four-year-old son on a papoose board, a device used to restrain children.

The dentist then drilled into 16 of her son’s baby teeth and installed steel caps, without her knowledge, she said.

“That’s a lot, a lot of work,” Dillbeck said. “And to imagine all of the children that had to go through what my son went through, it breaks my heart to even think of it.”

At least six other families contacted WCNC with similar allegations.

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, U.S. Attorney Gretchen Shappert said Medicaid Dental Center performed “baby root canals,” which were not medically necessary.

The procedures were performed between 2001 and 2003, Shappert said.

“The dentists subjected their child patients to invasive and sometimes painful procedures, often for the sake of obtaining money from the North Carolina Medicaid program,” said Jeffrey Bucholtz, an N.C. Assistant Attorney General.

Dentists Letitia Ballance and Michael DeRose are named in the government settlement as co-owners of the Medicaid Dental Center.

Wyatt, who has represented Ballance and DeRose in both federal and state inquiries, said they are no longer working as dentists in Charlotte and are in the process of selling their North Carolina dental practice.

Federal authorities said Medicaid Dental Center and its owners will reimburse the government at least $5 million for the allegedly false claims and another $5 million in fines.

A portion of the settlement amount will be distributed to the N.C. Education Fund.

None of the settlement money will go to the parents of the children who underwent the treatment, said attorney Darren Dawson, who represents five families which are considering a lawsuit against the company formerly known as Medicaid Dental Center.

Wyatt says the clinics are under "New Management".

This blogger wants to know exactly "who" or "what company" is doing all this new management?

An educated guess would say FORBA, but this blogger has not confirmed this at all. But it is clear that Dr. Michael DeRose sold (so he says) to FORBA, and it is clearly reported that Dr. William A. Mueller, Dr. DeRoses' cohort, is associated with FORBA Dental Management, more on this below.

This same type of practice by the DeRose's and Medicaid Dental Centers and the various other names that were used, was in play as far back as 2004 in Colorado. see here.

According to various reports the DeRose's sold their interest in the Colorado dental clinics to FORBA Dental Management in 2006. Either the DeRose's and Forba are in cahoots together or Dr. Micheal DeRose and his clan just moved to another state and opened the same type of Medicaid Scam dental clinics in North Carolina.

Dr. William A. Mueller, at least at one time was in with Dr. Michael DeRose and we know that Dr. William A. Mueller and FORBA are in bed together, see here.

It's clear there is a connection between all of these dental chains. As reported in this blog in a prior post, Dr. Michael DeRose owned and operated one clinic that went under the name, Smile High in Denver that was part of the entire dental clinic chained owned by Mueller and DeRose.

From documents at the Kansas Dental Board, Dr. Michael DeRose, DDS had been sanctioned in North Carolina in December 2005.

In Sept. 2006, the Kansas Dental Board took action to enforce the North Carolina Order and another hearing is set for December 2008 to see that all conditions of his probation are met. North Carolina ordered him to show and demonstrate the use of a papoose board prior to strapping any child in one.

We also know Dr. Mueller in prior years had been sanctioned by the Tennessee Dental Board, yet in the end we find him in bed with FORBA headquarted in Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. William A. Mueller has also been sanctioned by Oklahoma's State Dental Board. See here.

This blogger also discovered that Dr. Tu Tran, is one of the founders of Kool Smiles as reported on Kool Smiles website. see here, was the lead dentist at.... are you ready..... Smile High Dental Clinic in Denver, co-owned by Dr. Michael DeRose and Dr. William A.Mueller.

By the way, Dr. William A. Mueller it is reported here that:

Dr. Mueller was charged with gross malpractice for over-using papoose boards on children in his clinic in Memphis Tennessee.


But the Tennessee Dental Board dropped those charges against him.


However, the board voted to reprimand Mueller for false and misleading advertising in his clinic there.

When googling Dr. William A. Meuller, DMD or DDS you will find several listed, but the two that stood out to me was "Chief Of Dentistry" at the Children's Hospital in Denver, and another address at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis. There is also a review of some children toothbrushes called Kindertools, where a one Dr. William A. Mueller, DDS reviewed the product and listed himself as being: Chief of Dentistry, University Of Colorado Health Science Center. see here.

There is a clear connection between all of these Dental Clinic's.


Dr. Michael DeRose, Dr. William A. Mueller, Dr. Tu Tran - Smile High Dental Clinic


Dr. Tu Tran goes to - Kool Smiles
Dr. William Mueller - FORBA - Small Smiles
Dr. Michael DeRose - Medicaid Dental Center

One would think that Drs. DeRose and Mueller would have learned their lesson about abusing children and the medicaid system since they actually were named in connection with the death of 4 year old Jonathan Barrera in Arizona at one of their co-owned dental clinics.

The Dental Clinics and Dr. Michael DeRose were being investigated as to their practices in treating children and all the vast amount of money they were raking in as far back and 2003. see here.

Here is what Medicaid Dental Center had to say in 2003.

All of this is right on the heals of FORBA Small Smiles questionable practices in Kansas.

Dr. Michael DeRose and Letitia Ballance also have clinics under the name of Carolina Dental Center.

FORBA - Small Smiles Closing Dentist Office

Newburgh, NY

Six months after a dental office opened in Newburgh to treat the region's most vulnerable, it will close. Small Smiles Dentistry of Newburgh had barely gotten started. The practice treated patients in a blank-faced office complex southwest of Delano-Hitch Park and specialized in treating Medicaid patients 20 years old and younger.

Employees learned the center would close when one of their corporate bosses showed up last week to deliver the news. Staffers knew too few patients had come through the doors, but they had hoped for more time.

Of the 70 Small Smiles offices across the country, Newburgh's will be the first to shut down.

Hopefully they will start to fall like Dominoes! There is always hope!

Small Smiles-FORBA-DeRose Update From Roberta Baskin, WJLA TV

More Damning Evidence Keep Pouring In to I-Team Investigation.

Don't forget, even though this local investigation mentions Small Smiles, they go under the Name Smile Starters Smile High, Medicaid Dental Centers, FORBA, DeRose Children's Dental Center, Small Smiles Center/Clinic of Pueblo, and others. And if you read below in my previous post, more of these Dental Offices catering to children are jumping on this same bandwagon! Beware!

February 28, 2008

Roberta Baskin, of WJLA TV, broke and continues to follow the Small Smiles Dental Abuse and Fraud Investigation. Here is the transcript of Roberta’s latest installment.

ANCHOR:

RESTRAINING CHILDREN, PERFORMING UNNECESSARY TREATMENTS, HIRING UNLICENSED XRAY TECHNICIANS... THESE ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF THE SUB-STANDARD DENTAL CARE OUR I-TEAM FOUND AT THE SMALL SMILES CLINICS IN THE WASHINGTON DC AREA, AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE'VE BEEN TELLING YOU HOW THE CHAIN OF CLINICS PLACES PROFIT OVER COMPASSIONATE CARE FOR MEDICAID CHILDREN. NOW ROBERTA BASKIN AND THE I-TEAM HAVE UNCOVERED MORE.... ROBERTA?

ROBERTA BASKIN:

SOME OF YOU WHO SAW OUR EARLIER REPORTS HAVE COME FORWARD WITH NEW EVIDENCE OF THE SMALL SMILES SCHEME TO BILL THE TAXPAYER-SUPPORTED MEDICAID PROGRAM FOR WORK THAT WASN'T NEEDED - OR WASN'T EVEN DONE.

STORY: Six year old Kayla Mason brushes her teeth day and night.



She's never had any cavities. That's why her mother, LaTasha Mason, was dismayed when dentists at Small Smiles in Oxon Hills said they found THREE.

LaTasha Mason-"I was like, oh my goodness, I was surprised, I really was. And they were like, well, the lady that called me back, she was like, well that's nothing compared to what we usually see."

She then had Kayla examined by a different dentist.

Mason-" And she gets up to leave and I'm like , well, what about the cavities?"

Turns out, there weren't any.

Mason-"I was really astonished, to say the least."

Mason is upset Small Smiles planned to drill into her daughter's teeth for no other reason than to profit from it.

Mason- "It's, it's just sickening." "(that's) the only thing I can think of, why they would want to drill in these baby's mouths, is for money."

Particularly upsetting is her feeling that Small Smiles lied to her.

Mason- "One maybe, that could have been an honest mistake. But three? Absolutely not. Three is not a mistake, I'm sorry."

And when this family went to Small Smiles for a check-up, dentists saw four girls - and apparently 24 cavities.

Cheryl -" I felt like a bad mother." Cheryl assumed her children hadn't been brushing.

Roberta -"Were you in trouble?"

Rachelle -"Yes"

Cheryl -"I told them all of their teeth were going to fall out if they don't listen to me and brush their teeth. I called them "yuck mouths."

Roberta -"Yuck mouths?

Cheryl-"Yuck mouths."
Most of the work was completed, except on Rachel, who was told to come back for several more fillings. In the meantime, Rachel's mom heard about our Small Smiles investigation, and switched to Dr. Robert Camps.

Dr. Robert Camps - "I'm glad it wasn't done, because it shouldn't have been done. Roberta -"Four fillings that she would have gotten on teeth that are perfectly fine."

Dr. Camps -"Correct."

And that's not all. When Dr. Camps examined Rachel and her sister Rebecca, he realized - Small Smiles didn't DO all the work they charged for.

Rebecca's chart shows 8 cavities filled…but that's not what she remembered. "I didn't see any drill or hear any drill.

Roberta -Did they numb you?

Rebecca -"I didn't feel a numbing (or anything)."

And Dr. Robert Camps didn't see the work either. "these are not fillings." "I feel like they did more like a sealant, (where they didn't really drill into the tooth)." To be sure, Dr. Camp took x-rays.

Plea from I-Team, asking the public to keep the stories coming I, please help I-Team help the children. You are the eyes and ears! click here

ABC 7, WJLA TV is in the Washington, DC area, so all of our law makers watch this news.

Report by phone at 703-236-9559

WARNING: Head Start Programs To Offer Dental Care

WARNING TO PARENTS OF CHILDREN ENROLLED IN HEAD START PROGRAMS.

• READ CONSENT FORMS CAREFULLY PRIOR TO ALLOWING ANY TREATMENT OF YOUR CHILD IN THE NEW HEAD START DENTAL PROGRAM.

• MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT CONSENTING TO HAVING YOUR CHILD TIED UP/STRAPPED DOWN IN A RESTRAINT OF ANY KIND.

AAPD teams up with Head Start
New program will help secure dental homes for at-risk children Posted Feb. 20, 2008

By Stacie Crozier

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and Head Start are teaming up to help establish dental homes for young children enrolled in Head Start.
The AAPD Head Start Dental Home Initiative will be publicly announced Feb. 28 with a press conference in Washington. The initiative will create a national network of dentists to provide dental homes for Head Start and Early Head Start children, said Dr. John S. Rutkauskas, AAPD executive director.
"AAPD and Head Start are partnering at the national, regional, state and local levels to develop a national network of dentists to link Head Start children with dental homes," said Dr. Rutkauskas. "Dental homes mean that children's oral health care is delivered by dentists to children through an ongoing relationship that is comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated and family-centered." Read the full story here.

Former Dentist With Small Smiles Confesses

WARNING: Video at the end of this report may be very disturbing.

2-15-2008
(Rochester, N.Y.) - Last December, 13WHAM showed a disturbing video tape of children strapped in restraints undergoing multiple root canals while their parents were kept out of the room.

Now, the man who once ran the Irondequoit Small Smiles Branch is speaking out for the first time.

He was jailed for fraud. In a follow-up to our 13 WHAM News investigation, he told Jane Flasch that some of the procedures that so traumatized children weren't even necessary.

Rochester's Small Smiles dental office opened with a promise to serve children who don't get regular dental care. Clinic director, Dr. David Gardner, was hauled into a Monroe County court 14 months later.

Gardner pleaded guilty to grand larceny and left Rochester for prison. Now, he wants to come clean about what he says was going on behind closed doors on Ridge Road in Irondequoit.

"Taxpayer dollars are being wasted because they're paying for treatment that's not getting done, treatment that doesn't need to be done, and children aren't being treated like children," Gardner said.

Ashley Sones was a patient during that time. Nine of her teeth were extracted. Another dentist reviewed Ashley's x-rays.

He confirmed that at least two of her teeth could have been saved. But, her file did not contain enough information about the rest.

She never did get partial she was promised; it was denied.

Some very young Small Smiles patients had metal caps, crowns, and root canals. Dentists dispute whether root canals and crowns are the best treatment option for young patients.

However, Gardner said he was under pressure from the corporation to make $1 million every year.

"The biggest thing you can do is those baby root canals and crowns because it’s $220 that Medicaid does not question. It’s just $220, $220, $220," Gardner said.

The Rochester office would not allow cameras inside.

Gardner said they routinely used another controversial technique to restrain children. On an attached video taken at a Small Smiles in Maryland, you can see a small child strapped to a papoose board which holds his body and arms immobile.

Gardner said papoose boards were encouraged in order to complete four or more root canals at a time. Even though it made kids frightened and stressed.

"Stressed out enough to wet their pants, sweat completely through their clothes, be all wet," Gardner said. He said he was told, “Clean them up as best you can before you give them to mom and dad."

Ashley Sones said both she and her younger brother Wesley were physically held down.

"My heart was racing,” she said. “It felt like blood was rushing through my body."

Their mother never even knew. It was Small Smiles policy not to allow parents to be with their children.

"I trusted them,” said Ashley’s mother Wendy. “That's their job."

Since our reports first aired in December, Small Smiles changed its policies. It now allows parents to be present with their children for procedures.

While it still uses papoose boards, the policy is clearly posted and parents can refuse. As for Gardner, the company characterized him as someone with an ax to grind.

Gardner confessed to billing Medicaid for work he did not do.

Investigators say Small Smiles cooperated in the investigation against Gardner and repaid nearly half a million dollars.

Gardner has surrendered his medical license and now sells RVs in Indianapolis.

He says he was pressured into the Small Smiles way of doing business with the understanding that if he were caught, he would be taken care of.

"I've lost my career, I've lost my livelihood," he said.

A member of the Pediatric Dentistry Program at SUNY Buffalo conducted an independent review of the Small Smiles Rochester office last month.

He concluded that restraints, crowns, and other procedures are being used in the proper manner.

Nevertheless, we were not allowed to see a copy of the review documents.

The reviewer spent only half a day at the clinic and did not interview parents. Criminal investigations are underway in several states including New York.

Small Smiles is the name of the clinics in the Rochester NY area, however they also go under different names including Kool Smiles, all managed my FORBA, LLC out of Nashville, TN a subsidiary of Arcapita Bank based in the Middle East.

See this dentists Plea Agreement, Read about his bonus paid to him from Small Smiles, and more here






Since the report aired, Small Smiles has changed its policies, now allowing parents to accompany their children during procedures. Small Smiles cooperated with authorities, repaid close to half a million dollars.

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Wake Pediatric Dentistry-Johnson City, NC

If you live in Johnson City, NC and have children who have an upcoming appointment at Wake Pediatric Dentistry, you might save your child a life of torment if you take a few minutes and check out this discussion.

Shocking and Sickening!
There are a few compliments on the dental practice, some from it's own employees, however the complaints are very very upsetting. Don't miss the first page of this discussion, nor the last one even if you don't read one word in between.

Here are a couple of reviews of Wake Pediatric Dentistry from 2006, they weren't so good either.

Like I've been trying to point out with the blog, it's not just Small Smiles, Kool Smiles and other dental care chain traumatizing our children for a buck.

There are recounts after recounts of different dentist in this area using these barbaric type of behavioral management techniques.

Here are just a few dentists names listed as Bad Apples in this particular discussion group:
Dr. Horowitz
Dr. Parrish
Dr.Swarr office in Raleigh