Do you think neglecting to fix your childs teeth is a form of abuse?

Question

I work in a dental office and part of my job is to review treatment plans that we have given to patients, that have not yet been completed and to try to contact them to encourage them to get started on their dental work. I am amazed at all the treatment plans that I am coming across that are for children. Some of these kids have 7-8 large cavities and there parents haven't brought them back in to have the work done. I am hoping that the parents simply took the kids somewhere else to do the work, mabye somewhere cheaper. But one child's treatment plan that I came across was for a child who I actually remembered. The mom brought her in and said that the child had been living with her father, who had neglected her teeth. The child was only about 9 and had a huge cavity in an adult molar, and it was abcessed, and had numerous other cavities in her mouth. My dentist felt bad for the child, and offered to do the rootcanal for free. The mother never made an appointment for the child.

I remember that the mom had her pregnant teenage daughter with her, and everytime I offered her an appointment time, the teenager would say "That's too close to my delivery date. She can't do it that day." She even said that her sister should just get the tooth pulled, like she would do. This wasn't a case of a mother not being able to afford the treatment. We were going to do it for free. How much better can you get?

I just don't understand how a parent can let their kids teeth get that bad, and not do anything about it. My boss has actually told me that he is well within his rights to call CPS if he feels a parent is neglecting their childs dental care, but he hasn't done so. Do you think this is neglect?

Answer 1

As a mom, of course it concerns me that children do not get the proper health treatment that they need. I'm probably too overprotective, taking my children to the doctor and dentist over almost everything. However, I have been on the other side of this situation. When my second child was three (and it took forever for me to find a dentist that would take him at 3), he had multiple cavities (top back teeth and between his two front teeth). I felt completely horrible as a parent, but I knew that he brushed constantly (that was one of his favorite things to do) and I didn't give him pop or candy. But as soon as the dentist saw this, he asked me if he drank a lot of juice. And yes, he drank juice all day long. I had thought it was healthy, so I gave him all he wanted. It wasn't until then that I realized they were only supposed to have 4 oz. a day (he was drinking 20 times as much)....and that was causing his tooth decay. He did get caps on his baby teeth, and now his teeth are much better.

I think the main fault is that parents are not educated enough on dental care. When the dentists gave me a pamplet on tooth care, I was suprised at some of the suggestion for healthy teeth. So just don't blame all parents...before you know the stories behind them. I believe most parents are good and take care of their children. But, I do believe that once a parent discovers a problem, then they should have it took care.

I do commend you on caring so much, along with the dentist. And I think you really need to follow-up with the parent of the 9 yr old, and try to get through to her on how much her daughter needs this took care of.

Answer 2

My dad let my teeth get bad. I am now 21 and I have over 13,000 in dental work to due on my own and I was 18 when I first wanted to the dentist and I did take care of my teeth it was a medication that missed up my teeth when I was young and now I have to pay for being sick as a child. I have had alot of work done like 8,000 worth and no where near done. I have a baby girl 10 months and she has 2 dental insurance and 2 medical insurance from me and her dad I make sure she i will be taken care of. 6 teeth and she has 2 dental insurance companies. It is a form of abuse to answer your question. looking at my teeth you would not even know they where just about all bad. a shame.

Answer 3

If the parents can afford it, but still don't get the childs teeth fixed.....yes I think that is neglect.

There should be affordable dental care provided by good dentist. It is very expensive to pay out of pocket, I know I'm doing it with my 5 children as well as myself and my husband.

Answer 4

It is a terrible situation.Sometimes people just don't have a dental plan and even preventitive dental care is out of their reach.Many people ,who are the working poor, cannot afford to meet all their daily needs. For some kids the only dental care they get is the visual check from the nurse at school.It is not the time to lecture on having more children than you can raise. sometimes finacial situations change and your world is upside down.I think it is wonderful that your employer was going to do the procedure for free. I'm not sure if social services offer such coverage for emergancy dental care,but even so,I imagine their is an income cap on that option.Teeth should last a lifetime. Do all dentists offer affordable payment plans based on the patients income? If not that may provide an incentive to follow through on the plan of care.

Answer 5

Personally yes, I do think it is neglect and it should be reported. A tooth like that would be causing pain, and no child should have to go through that. It should not be up to the teenage daughter to say that the child cannot have it done, obviously being pregnant she does not have the best of judgement either, and it worries me that she is brining a child into this world. What happens if something goes wrong with her childs teeth, is she just going to pull them.

Answer 6

yes but the sad thing is the the denist is very expensive and most plans don't have dental anymore you have to buy additional dental insurance and even with that you can come out of pocket a lot of money and if you are poor it may be to much. I am glad my mom followed up on our denist and we were good about dental care. I only had one cavity by the time i was 17 and now i have had two more. Most people i know have had 5 or 6 by the time they are my age and one root canal

Answer 7

I understand where you're coming from. I'm in medicine and we often encounter the same issues.

With that said, there are times when I may not have one of my kids' dental issues addressed. Our six year old had a cavity in one of her baby teeth and it was already loose. The dentist wanted to fill it! It fell out three days later. I felt that was a completely unnecessary procedure. We also have a new pediatric dentist who I have a lot more faith in.

Answer 8

It is neglect if the mother has the ability to pay or insurance but not every one has that. Medicaid is a joke when it comes to dental work - if you are poor good luck getting any kind of care from a dentist. You have to seek out a clinic and hope you can find one. Good luck. Been needing to see a dentist for several years - but dont have the money or the insurance to go.

Answer 9

Yes and no. If you are talking cosmetic issues, no. If you are talking cavities and abcesses, yes. An abcessed tooth can cause serious damage to the human body if left untreated. My best friend's husband is a litigating attorney and he had a case of a mentally disabled woman who kept complaining about a tooth. The home she lived in did not take her for care. The tooth abcessed and the infection (on an upper molar) moved to the brain. She ended up having a partial lobotomy performed! Sounds too terrible to be true but it is.

Answer 10

There's a difference between neglect and abuse, but both are hurtful/harmful to any relationship.