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.
