JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a Southside pediatric dentist came under fire from parents who said he harmed their children, another dentist spoke about the practices that some of these parents said the dentist was using.
One dentist said some of these practices may not be common but they're not unheard of, however, there was one thing that critics of Dr. Howard S. Schneider claim he does that she said would be totally unacceptable.
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Parents came forward with hard to see images of children with bruised and swollen lips and one child who was strapped down but the question remains as to whether or not this is normal in pediatric dentistry.
"It makes me sad, it's kind of giving pediatric industry a negative vibe and truthfully most dentists that specialize in pediatric dentistry do it for the love of the children," pediatric dentist Dr. Staci Suggs said.
WATCH: Raw interview of Dr. Schneider
Suggs, a pediatric dentist in Arlington, looked at some of the patient pictures and said that bruising and cuts can happen if a child bites their lip or cheek.
"Directly afterward, I've never had that after a procedure. Sometimes when kids go home because they're numb, we always remind parent this is new experience for them, so we want to always remind so they're not biting their cheeks," Suggs said.
When it came to strapping down a child she said that's not unheard of but, they do it only when a child is sedated and with what they call a rainbow blanket.
They say it's for the safety of the child, however she has heard of some dentists who use it for behavior problems.
"It's not unheard of, but once again, you have to do what's comfortable for you," said Suggs.
Suggs said that one allegation that concerns her is about parents saying Schneider performed procedures without consulting them, without getting their consent to operate. She said that's totally unacceptable.
"It is very unusual because in order to do any procedure you have to have, parents have to give you informed consent. It has to be documented informed consent," Suggs said.
As far as the claims that Schneider wouldn't allow parents inside for a procedure, she said that some dentists do that, but not all.
News4Jax also reached out to a national pediatric dentistry board based in Chicago who said they have never received a complaint about Schneider.