Mum’s shock at ‘extreme’ plan for daughter’s teeth

Jul 2 2008 by Madeleine Brindley, South Wales Echo

AN eight-year-old girl was told that she needed to have 14 of her 18 teeth removed after suffering an abscess.

The extreme treatment was proposed by staff at Cardiff’s dental hospital after Ellie Blower was referred by her dentist.

But her angry mum Chris stopped the “treatment”, which would have left Ellie with just her four top and bottom front teeth.

It would also have permanently stripped her of four adult teeth.

Ellie, of Oakleafe Drive, in Pontprennau, now faces having just two teeth removed by her original dentist, after undergoing treatment for the abscess.

Mum Chris, 44, a school receptionist, said: “They would have butchered her – the attitude of the dental school was absolutely appalling.

“I felt as if she was an animal and I was a cruel mum for allowing Ellie to drink squash and eat chocolate.

“If you go to the US and have to have a tooth extracted its a serious event because they only do that in extreme cases.”

Ellie’s dental problems started last Thursday when she went to her local dental practice in Cardiff after developing an abscess.

She was referred to the dental hospital, at the University Hospital of Wales, because she would need to have a tooth removed under general anaesthetic.

But after being assessed at the hospital Mrs Blower was shocked to learn that Ellie, who has had no previous dental problems, would have to have 14 of her teeth removed.

She said: “We were so distressed. They don’t treat – they will only remove anything that is less than perfect and they were going to remove her whole mouth of teeth.

“Ellie was booked in for the next day and if I hadn’t have gone back to my dentist that day, who said this happens all the time, Ellie would have had all her teeth removed.

“I am really not happy at the thought that other children could suffer like this.

“Ellie is absolutely petrified now and it’s taken a lot of persuasion for her dentist to get her to have just two teeth removed.”

Ellie is now taking a course of antibiotics for the abscess and, after a lot of coaxing from her original dentist, she will later have two baby teeth removed.

Jonathon Davies, director of operations at Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, said: “We are sorry to hear of Mrs Blower’s concerns about the treatment recommended for Ellie Blower.

“Unfortunately, we are unable to respond about individual patients through the media.

“However we would like to invite Mrs Blower to contact us directly so that we can discuss her concerns.”

madeleine.brindley@mediawales.co.uk