
The sedatives and the restraining device used by the dentist caused Nevaeh to become hypoxic.
A family in Houston learned the real meaning of horror after they took their four-year-old daughter to have some teeth capped and removed. The toddler now suffers from brain damage after dentist visit went terribly wrong and it ended in her having severe seizures.
Some children are scared to go to the dentist, and you must convince them in any way you can that everything is going to be okay, and the doctor is only trying to make them feel better and take the pain away.
Well, some dentists may be the human equivalent of the tooth fairy, making the children leave their office with a big smile on their faces and a lollipop in their hand, but Dr. Bethaniel Jefferson sure isn’t one of them.
It all started with four-year-old Nevaeh’s third dentist appointment. Both her parents accompanied her for what should have been a routine operation. The first sign of distress should have been the fact that Dr. Jefferson asked for permission to use a papoose, a medical restrainer used in extreme situations.
In order for the good doctor to work uninterrupted, she restrained the little girl and then proceeded to sedate her five times during the seven hours that she worked on her. Because of the increased stress applied to her fragile body caused by both the amount of sedatives administered and the restraining device, the toddler started having difficulty breathing.
In order to compensate for the lack of oxygen, her heart rates begun to increase. And while a healthy baby her age has a heart rate in between 80 and 120, according to Nevaeh’s chart, hers was 196. Such an increased rate can lead to severe damages to the heart.
But unfortunately, it was not her heart who suffered permanent damage, but her brain. The toddler now suffers from brain damage after dentist visit ends up with her having a severe hypoxia.
Doctors consider that a patient is hypoxic after their oxygen saturations drops below 86. Little Nevaeh’s was 49 percent. That is almost half the minimum amount recommended for a proper brain function. Due to lack of oxygenation, the toddler started experiencing seizures.
Not even then was Dr. Jefferson bothered by the condition of the four-year-old. She informed the parents that she was “shaking” and she proceeded on calling the paramedics. Due to the long period in which the brain was deprived of oxygen, the Nevaeh is now unable to speak or move.
The Clark family already contacted a lawyer and is prepared to sue the doctor that demonstrated such gross negligence when treating a child.
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