Sean Brown
A Florida mother took her little girl to the dentist’s
office last week, and when the doctor looked inside of her mouth, he
couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Without hesitation, he immediately
called authorities to report what he had found.
Panama City resident Catlyn Haley brought her 4-year-old
daughter to the dentist last week to have her teeth, which were in
extremely poor condition, looked at by a professional, reported the Panama City News-Herald.
But when the little girl sat down in the chair to be examined, the
dentist was shocked at how horrible of a condition her teeth were in,
and he immediately reported Haley to Child Protective Services.
On Thursday, 21-year-old Haley was arrested by Bay County
Sheriffs for child neglect after repeatedly ignoring warnings from
dentists that her daughter needed vital work done in her mouth to fix
her “rotting, blackened teeth.” In fact, the poor child’s mouth was so
rough, that she reportedly had trouble with even the most basic
preventative care to stop them from getting worse.
“As of today’s date, the child has not been seen by a
dentist after (Haley) has been advised by multiple medical professionals
and advised to seek immediate medical attention,” officers reported.
“…The child stated that she does not brush her top teeth because it
hurts when she does.”
Apparently, the suffering child had needed oral surgery to
correct cavities and other issues for over a year-and-a-half, but Haley
ignored the recommendation from a dentist at Plus Smiles Children’s
Dentistry. After her mouth had been neglected for so long, her four top
teeth in the front had rotted to the point where they were just
blackened nubs.
In March 2014, a medical provider with the Department of
Children and Families reported that “the child needed dental care
immediately” after the child had developed “terrible dentition” and
“severe cavities.” Their findings were confirmed by a separate provider
in July, and Haley was again advised to seek immediate medical attention
for her daughter, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The case is still being investigated, but Haley reportedly
told authorities that she couldn’t afford the dental care for her
daughter. Unfortunately, officials said that’s not a valid excuse for
getting her the care she needed. But Haley’s arrest has sparked a debate
over the actual meaning of child neglect, which apparently can refer to
numerous actions from a parent.
“A lot of people think that it’s leaving children unattended
and not providing supervision of children who are quite young. Really,
neglect can be in many forms, it can be medical neglect where you have a
child who has a significant medical need, or dental need that goes
unattended,” said Lori Allen, Executive Director at Gulf Coast
Children’s Advocacy Center, according to Channel 7 News.
I’m not entirely sure what to think about this one, although
I do wonder why the child wasn’t taught how to properly care for her
teeth. If I’m not mistaken, Medicaid covers dental work for children
under 18. Normally I’m not a fan of the government interfering with
parents trying to raise their kids, but in cases of neglect, I don’t see
any other option, and this seems like a pretty cut and dry case of
neglect to me.
Haley should have taught her daughter how to brush her
teeth, then ensured she did so as required. But even if that wasn’t
entirely possible, it seems like there’s a way to have the work covered
by the state, especially if she’s in a low income household. Either way,
I hope the little girl finally gets the medical attention she
desperately needs.
[H/T: IJReview]
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