Pishum Penashue, right, said her son Owen is having nightmares about his experience with a dental procedure at Janeway in St, John’s (Submitted by Pishum Penashue)
An Innu mother has spoken of a grueling experience with a dentist at Janeway Children’s Hospital in St John’s which she says left her three-year-old son “traumatised”.
Pishum Penashue, who lives in Sheshatshiu, told Labrador Morning that the “rushed” dental procedure left her son screaming in pain and the dentist ignored her pleas to stop.
Penashue brought his son, Owen, to place eight teeth in Janeway. She said the dentist gave her son funny gas before giving him needles to numb his teeth. The dentist then began to drill the lower teeth.
“Then Owen jumped up and felt the pain,” Penashue said. “He said ‘ouch!'” to the dentist, but he wouldn’t stop. Then I told him to stop.”
Penashue said the dentist paused and told her Owen wasn’t really in pain.
“He said, ‘a lot of kids go through this, they’re scared and just the texture or the vibrations scare them,'” she said.
Penashue said the dentist was reinstated and her friend had to help hold Owen.
“The dentist held my son’s head down, forced his mouth open with a piece of metal,” she said.
“heartbreaking”
Penashue said she believes the mask used to administer the laughing gas was not properly placed on her son’s face. She said she asked if Owen could be sedated, but the dentist said a new one should be scheduled an hour in the operating room.
She said her son’s gums were bleeding.
“The dentist kept trying to put the silver caps on her teeth and just kept tearing them back and then trying to glue them back on,” she said.
In a statement provided to CBC News, Eastern Health said it could not comment on specific patient details, but said treatment options and techniques for pediatric patients are designed to “ensure safety and well-being.”
“We appreciate the concerns that have been raised in this situation and are committed to taking all necessary actions to ensure the provision of safe and quality patient care.” We welcome feedback on the care and services we provide,” the statement said.
Janeway Children’s Health and Rehabilitation Center treats patients from across the province. (Paul Daly/CBC)
According to Eastern Health, parents and guardians provide consent for any child under the age of 16 and are encouraged to discuss treatment options with their health care provider.
“Dentists at Janeway collaborate with parents/guardians and, when appropriate, the child to find a balanced and individualized treatment approach that takes into account the child’s cognitive age, level of maturity, urgency of care, family wishes and degree of of treatment that is necessary,” the statement said.
Penashue said her son’s treatment was “wrong.”
“It was really heartbreaking for me to watch him go through that. I just wish I had stopped it when I had the chance,” she said.
‘Is this normal?’
Penashue said the dentist also appeared to be in a rush to complete the procedure.
“He told me ‘everyone has to come down in 10 minutes,'” she said. “I really wish they would be more caring.”
In a statement, the Newfoundland and Labrador Dental Association also said it could not comment on specific details about individual patients, but said “behavioral guidance decisions” are tailored to the individual child and situation.
“The NLDA believes that all dentists practicing in Newfoundland and Labrador, including our pediatric dental specialists at Janeway, do everything they can to minimize any patient concerns or fears while in the dental chair,” it said in the statement.
Penashu said afterward that her son had nightmares about the encounter.
“He woke up screaming and crying,” she said.
Penashue’s father and Owen’s grandfather, Paul Rich, said he knew something was wrong when his daughter called after the meeting.
“Is this normal procedure? Is it normal for a three-year-old child to be treated like this?” he asked.
Rich wants to see more health services, such as dentistry, closer to home.
“I’m very upset and very hurt, whether it’s the Innu or the Inuit or anybody here from Labrador who has gone through similar experiences when we have to get our people out there and treat them.”
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