A Minneapolis woman is suing her Eden Prairie dentist for malpractice, alleging he performed extensive dental work, including eight crowns, four root canals, and 20 fillings, in one visit.
The civil lawsuit, filed in Hennepin County District Court on Dec. 21, accuses Dr. Kevin Molldrem of Molldrem Family Dentistry of causing significant injuries and emotional distress to Kathleen Wilson.
Wilson seeks over $50,000 in damages, citing negligence in dental care, excessive use of anesthesia, and falsified medical records. Molldrem’s website notes he opened the Eden Prairie office in 2004, with a second location opened later in Lakeville.
The lawsuit alleges that during Wilson’s treatments from July 7 to July 21, 2020, Molldrem negligently failed to establish an appropriate care plan. He is accused of performing an excessive amount of dental work in a single session, administering too much anesthesia, inadequately evaluating Wilson’s bite, and not effectively managing her gingival inflammation and bleeding. The lawsuit also contends that Molldrem falsified records regarding the anesthesia dosage.
Wilson’s attorney, Nathaniel Weimer of the Minneapolis personal injury law firm Tewksbury & Kerfeld, has retained Dr. Avrum Goldstein, a clinical periodontist and implant surgeon, on behalf of Wilson to review her medical records.
Goldstein, who describes himself online as an expert witness in dentistry, periodontics, and dental implants with over 40 years of experience, concluded in his Nov. 14 report that Molldrem’s attempt to restore all of Wilson’s teeth in one visit was a severe breach of the standard of care.
“Trying to fill every hole in every tooth in her mouth in one visit is not only the antithesis of what was indicated, it is not humanly possible to achieve in an effective or constructive manner,” he stated.
Goldstein added that “it is inconceivable that Dr. Molldrem could have done four root canals properly and still had time to do 20 restorations and eight crowns in 5½ hours.”
This approach, Goldstein stated, was not only impractical but also failed to address the underlying causes of Wilson’s dental issues, potentially leading to further complications.
“The need to go through multiple visits of extensive and expensive restorative dentistry, only to need it all replaced, will have profound economic and emotional consequences,” Goldstein wrote.
A voicemail message seeking comment was left for Molldrem on Friday morning. As of 6 p.m. Friday, a response had yet to be received.
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