A Minnesota woman who said she received four root canals, eight dental crowns and 20 fillings in a single dental office visit is suing him for negligence, claiming he caused her disfigurement.
The patient, Kathleen Wilson, of Hennepin County, Minn., filed a lawsuit Dec. 21 in U.S. District Court against Dr. Kevin Molldrem of Molldrem Family Dentistry in Eden Prairie, Minn., during the July 2020 visit that she said caused her significant injuries, reported last week by The Star Tribune.
Ms. Wilson said in the legal complaint that she lost income because of the dental work and that she had endured “pain and suffering, embarrassment, emotional distress and disfigurement” as a result. It is unclear from the lawsuit what Ms. Wilson’s occupation is.
A lawyer for Ms. Wilson did not return an inquiry for further comment. Dr. Moldrem, who is listed as being represented in the case, according to the complaint, did not respond to a request for comment.
On his website, Dr. Moldrem said it opened His practice in Eden Prairie, Minn., “to provide the kind of dental care to others that I would want for my own family.”
According to the lawsuit, Ms. Wilson received dental care from Dr. Molldrem from July 7 to July 21, 2020.
During one of these visits, Dr. Moldrem completed 8 crowns, four root canals and 20 restorations, “improperly performing this work,” according to the complaint.
Ms Wilson also alleged that the dentist had administered “amounts of anesthetic far in excess of the recommended dose” and had falsified medical records about the amount of anesthetic given to her.
“This negligent work caused proximately significant injuries” to Ms. Wilson, the lawsuit said, noting that the dentist failed “to create a plan of care that would effectively address tooth decay and tooth decay.”
Ms. Wilson’s legal team hired Dr. Avrum Goldstein, a dentist in Naples, Fla., to review her dental work and provide an expert opinion in a nine-page affidavit filed in November.
His report found various breaches of duty by Dr Moldrem, such as attempting to restore all of her teeth in one visit. Almost all of Ms Wilson’s teeth had decay or erosion, his report said.
“Restoring all of her teeth does nothing to address her susceptibility to her disease, the possibility that it will continue, and the possibility that her teeth will be lost,” Dr. Goldstein wrote.
He added that completing a lot of dental work “in a single visit is impossible to achieve if each of these procedures is done correctly.”
After her last visit with Dr. Molldrem in July 2020, Ms. Wilson went several times to another dental practice, Lake Minnetonka Dental in Wayzata, Minn., to receive treatment for missing tooth restorations and recurrent tooth decay, Dr. Goldstein wrote in his report.
Ms. Wilson also received treatment at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry from May to September 2022 to repair and replace restorations “in an effort to stabilize her mouth,” the report said.
Ms. Wilson is seeking more than $50,000 in damages, according to the suit.
The American Dental Association declined to comment on the case.
“The American Dental Association is aware of the recent news reports and is unable to comment as the association does not have all the specific details and facts of the case,” Corinne Racine, a spokeswoman for the organization, said in an emailed statement. “Dentists should use their best professional judgment in all treatment decisions. Patient safety and comfort is paramount.”
Amanda Holpuch contributed to the report.
