MIAMI – Parents are encouraged to stay on top of their children's oral health with regular dental visits but in some cases, a trip to the dentist can be terrifying and even dangerous when kids are forcibly restrained.
"They went to the room and put me on the table and then tied me up and tied my hands, tied my legs and my head down," said 7-year old Chloe Tobias.
Chloe described how her wrists were tied, and how she felt.
"One hundred percent scared," she said.
The visit to what her parents thought was a child-friendly dentist started as a basic check-up, then her father was told she would need fillings.
"They had us come in and sign some paperwork, it was all digital on a computer, there was probably 15 to 20 different boxes we had to initial. We went through it within seconds, it was really quick, just initial, initial, initial, not really an explanation of what we were doing," Joseph Tobias said.
Tobias wasn't allowed in the room and had no idea the dentist would be restraining Chloe using a device called a papoose.
"It's a temporary restraining device that restrains the upper and lower extremities," explained Miami dentist Rita Dargham.
Tobias knew nothing about it.
"It wasn't until everything was done and I got it out of my daughter," he said. "She was in tears, she was shaking, she was really, really scared. She said ‘they tied me down, they held me down with their hands.' She went into fear mode, which I think any child would that's being tied to a table," Tobias said.
According to Dargham, who did not treat Chloe, the use of a papoose should be extremely limited.
"In extreme cases, it does help restrain a child in order to prevent harm to himself or herself as well as the practitioner involved," she said.
Dargham said parents should always be allowed in the room when a child is being treated and should take their child for a consultation before any treatment is performed.
"So that the parents and everyone involved knows what a papoose is and whether it's indicated for this particular patient.
The parents of 4-year old Neveah Hall said she suffered a massive seizure that left with severe brain damage after being restrained in a papoose.
"From now on, I'll be asking the dentist if they use a papoose board or if they support that in any way and she'll never go back in a room by herself again," said her mother Clarissa Clark. "I can't let her go through that again."
To protect your child, remember to always read all disclosures before you sign or initial anything, whether electronically or on paper.
Make sure you know exactly what procedures are going to be performed, ask specifically if the dentist plans to use a papoose, and be in the room with your child whether restraints are used or not.
