Las Vegas dentist set girl’s mouth on fire, lawsuit alleges
A Las Vegas dentist set a 5-year-old girl’s mouth on fire while she underwent a routine dental procedure, a lawsuit filed this week alleges.
About a year ago, the Las Vegas girl’s parents took the child to Just For Kids Dentistry & Orthodontics to have multiple crowns placed on her teeth.
When the dentist, Deep Karan Dhillon, used a tool known as a diamond bur to smooth the girl’s teeth while she was under anesthetics, it emitted a spark that “caused the throat pack in (the girl’s) mouth to ignite and produce a fire” that lasted one or two seconds, according to the lawsuit filed by attorneys Alison Brasier and Daven Cameron.
Dhillon, who is named in the suit as the owner of Just For Kids, said Friday that he was not aware of the lawsuit and declined to comment.
The girl was rushed to University Medical Center, where she was hospitalized for four days with burns to her palate and lower lip, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint alleges that the girl suffered burns to her epiglottis, throat, tongue, mouth, lips “and other surrounding areas,” according to the complaint. Some of the injuries “may be permanent and disabling,” it said.
She returned to the hospital about a week later for nine days after continued suffering from the burn and hearing problems, the lawsuit alleges.
“It is my opinion that Just 4 Kids breached the standard of care by failing to adequately protect the airway, and committing a series of acts which set up a truly ‘incendiary’ situation,” Donald Testa, a California oral and maxillofacial surgeon, wrote in an affidavit filed along with the suit.
The suit, which seeks more than $15,000 in damages, also alleges that Dhillon “fell below the minimally acceptable standard of dental care,” which resulted in “disabilities, disfigurement, pain and suffering, future surgical procedures, and loss of enjoyment of life.”
Dhillon has no record of disciplinary action against him, according to Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners records.
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Arthur Kane contributed to this report.
