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http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=4655238.
When is it enough?
I am amazed the state regulatory agencies don't seem to care.
(10/12/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - A grieving family is demanding answers because their two-year-old girl died after a routine visit to her dentist. Yesenia Valles died last Saturday, following a morning visit to her dentist.
The medical examiner has not yet ruled on a cause of death, and her father is growing anxious to find out what killed her. This tragic death happened just four days ago. But Eyewitness News has learned that both the Houston Police Department and the state dental board have opened investigations. The little girl's father, though, remains frustrated over a lack of answers.
On the same day David Valles laid his little girl to rest, this Houston father finds himself angry -- not knowing exactly how his baby daughter unexpectedly died.
"You the man, you got your daughter... Somebody got responsibility for that," Valles said.
Yesenia Valles, 2, died, according to a police report, after a visit to a dental clinic in southwest Houston. The little girl was there being treated for cavities. Her mother was in the waiting room during what was supposed to be a routine visit.
David Valles said, "She heard the kid's crying about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, everything's quiet."
According to Houston police, the report indicates the dentist used a drug called Carbocaine. It's a short-acting, local anesthetic commonly used to treat patients by numbing the affected area. Shortly after administering the drug, the report indicates the doctor noticed something was wrong.
The girl was unconscious and he tried to revive her. Yesenia would later be pronounced dead at the hospital. Her cause of death is still unknown.
The dentist said, "I understand the parents and everything. I feel awful about the whole thing for everyone. I feel horrible."
Eyewitness News is not identifying the dentist because he has not been charged with a crime. When we spoke with him he would not talk specifically about what happened in his office the day Yesenia died. But he did tell us he felt he did nothing wrong.
We asked, "Do you feel that a mistake was made, anything you could have done differently?"
"No, I never treated the patient, period," the dentist answered. "But every patient comes in, and we'll be as thorough as we can."
The state board of dental examiners has launched a full-scale investigation into the death. Houston police are also still investigating. Yesenia's father says he won't rest until he gets answers.
"The life is too short," Valles said. "I got to live."
We checked the dentist's license. In 2004, he was given a warning by the state for failing to make, keep and maintain adequate records. He was ordered to complete a continuing education course and complete a jurisprudence exam. He has not had any other actions taken against him since then.
When is it enough?
I am amazed the state regulatory agencies don't seem to care.
(10/12/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - A grieving family is demanding answers because their two-year-old girl died after a routine visit to her dentist. Yesenia Valles died last Saturday, following a morning visit to her dentist.
The medical examiner has not yet ruled on a cause of death, and her father is growing anxious to find out what killed her. This tragic death happened just four days ago. But Eyewitness News has learned that both the Houston Police Department and the state dental board have opened investigations. The little girl's father, though, remains frustrated over a lack of answers.
On the same day David Valles laid his little girl to rest, this Houston father finds himself angry -- not knowing exactly how his baby daughter unexpectedly died.
"You the man, you got your daughter... Somebody got responsibility for that," Valles said.
Yesenia Valles, 2, died, according to a police report, after a visit to a dental clinic in southwest Houston. The little girl was there being treated for cavities. Her mother was in the waiting room during what was supposed to be a routine visit.
David Valles said, "She heard the kid's crying about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, everything's quiet."
According to Houston police, the report indicates the dentist used a drug called Carbocaine. It's a short-acting, local anesthetic commonly used to treat patients by numbing the affected area. Shortly after administering the drug, the report indicates the doctor noticed something was wrong.
The girl was unconscious and he tried to revive her. Yesenia would later be pronounced dead at the hospital. Her cause of death is still unknown.
The dentist said, "I understand the parents and everything. I feel awful about the whole thing for everyone. I feel horrible."
Eyewitness News is not identifying the dentist because he has not been charged with a crime. When we spoke with him he would not talk specifically about what happened in his office the day Yesenia died. But he did tell us he felt he did nothing wrong.
We asked, "Do you feel that a mistake was made, anything you could have done differently?"
"No, I never treated the patient, period," the dentist answered. "But every patient comes in, and we'll be as thorough as we can."
The state board of dental examiners has launched a full-scale investigation into the death. Houston police are also still investigating. Yesenia's father says he won't rest until he gets answers.
"The life is too short," Valles said. "I got to live."
We checked the dentist's license. In 2004, he was given a warning by the state for failing to make, keep and maintain adequate records. He was ordered to complete a continuing education course and complete a jurisprudence exam. He has not had any other actions taken against him since then.
