JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News spoke with a pediatric dentist about caring for young patients following allegations from parents that Dr. Howard Schneider hurt their children.
Dr. Michael Switkes with River City Pediatric Dentistry has no affiliation with Schneider but has been practicing dentistry in Jacksonville since 1981 and wanted to clear up any questions for parents.
Switkes showed Action News what's called a papoose board.
It's a medical stabilization board meant to limit the person's movement and he said it is commonly used on child patients.
"It's not as a punishment," Switkes said. It's threefold. One to protect the patient, protect the dentist and accomplish what needs to be done."
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Several parents told Action News they were concerned Schneider was mistreating their children.
One mother said her daughter fell face down on the floor after she was left alone on a papoose board.
Switkes said he can't speak to what happens in Schneider's office, but said his own patients would not be left alone restrained and unattended.
"A child is never left in the room unattended," Switkes said.
Some parents of Schneider's patients said they were not allowed to go in to the patient room with their children.
Switkes said he does prefer when parents wait out in the waiting room but said if a parent insisted on staying with their child, he would not deny them access.
Switkes said communication is key.
"Keep them informed constantly with how things are doing, especially the anxious parents," Switkes said.
Action News also asked Switkes if it's common to see children with marks on their face after undergoing a dental procedure.
"I would have to say no in general," Switkes said. "There are certain marks that could appear on a face when we do operative dentistry. We use a rubber dam. It's a sort of mask and sometimes when you're doing the work, the frame of the dam will rest against the child's face. It will create a mark."