UPDATE: Feb. 12, 2019 — An Indiana dental office filed a complaint against a former patient who it says wrongly accused a dentist at its office of removing all of his teeth without his authorization in 2016.
Dr. Aaron Strickland and White River Dental in Columbus filed the complaint in federal district court in April of that year after producing a consent form, signed by Donny Grigsby, that authorized the removal of his teeth the month prior.
A judge approved Strickland’s request to publicly discuss the procedure with the media the following September, court documents obtained by HuffPost show.
Strickland, later speaking to Indianapolis station Fox 59, defended his office’s practice and said that Grigsby and his wife, Amanda, not only lied about not giving consent, but Grigsby failed to mention his complete medical history before the procedure, which caused medical complications.
“Donny had multiple large cavities in almost every tooth. The cavities were so extensive that they were into the nerves of multiple teeth,” Strickland told the station, calling their story “malicious” and its effects “devastating.”
The fabricated story that Grigsby spilled to the press led to an immediate loss of business, negative online reviews and even the loss of an employee who cited the negative media attention for quitting, the complaint argues.
PREVIOUSLY:
It’s the stuff of nightmares.
An Indiana man says a dental appointment to remove four wisdom teeth left him covered in blood, in a coma, and missing all of his teeth.
“He had been put into a medically induced coma and he was lying there crying,” Donny Grigsby’s wife, Amanda, told WRTV. “This menace needs to be stopped.”
Grigsby, 36, was under the knife for five and a half hours during the March procedure at Columbus’ White River Dental, his wife said.
When she went to check on him she said she called for an ambulance after finding him covered in blood.
Asking what happened, she said the doctor told her that they removed all of his teeth because they were afraid that an infection from an abscessed tooth would spread.
Back home and using an oxygen tank because of blood clots triggered by the surgery, Grigsby expressed the emotional suffering he has experienced.
"I'm so ashamed because I have no teeth now, I woke up with no clothes on. I'm scared," he said. "I just want to get teeth in my head and go on."
In a statement, White River Dental cited patient-doctor confidentiality laws, which prevent them from publicly commenting on Grigsby's case without his written approval.
They added that each of their patients have their treatment explained to them before procedures take place, and that in addition they sign consent forms.
"I, as well as all of our well trained staff, strive in every situation to make sure the patient and/or legal guardian understands all issues that may arise prior to accepting the treatment plan, as well as making sure they understand our due diligence in securing positive final results,” Dr. Aaron Strickland said in the statement.
Grigsby and his wife said they plan to file a malpractice suit against the office.
