Please Read if Your Kids Are Patients of Kids Teeth, LLC

[Anonymous]

First of all I believe we should always trust our instincts and gut reactions. If it feels wrong - then it probably is wrong. Always err on the side of caution. That said who wouldn't put your trust in your dentist - esp. if you are not in the field yourself. I believe anyone with suspicions should file a complaint if you suspect wrong-doing. It needs to go on record and in three months when he is practicing again perhaps if everyone with suspicions had their cases looked into (and indeed found wrong-doing) those three-months would be re-evaluated.

I was almost teary-eyed reading the earlier post - I really feel for what you are going through - just thinking about having had put my child through something painful is hard enough - let alone something painful for no reason. It is so Unconscionable - that man should never be allowed to practice again!

[Anonymous]

Please folks- lets remember one thing this Dentist has been put under the microscope, the board agreed on a 3 month suspension. Thats nothing! he did nothing wrong except overtreat what he believed to be cavities. My biggest disgust is that a mother would paste a photgraph of a child on the news, why did she have to do that? that more horrific to me than what the dentist did. I would never EVER EVER put my daughters face all over the news to "get back" at someone. I feel for that precious girl.

[Anonymous]

This is real simple: Parents who still trust Dr. Alalouf have not experienced a suspicious event with him. Every parent who still remains loyal to that practice would change their mind if it had happened to them.

We left the Kids Teeth practice a while ago because he was impossible to trust after one suspicious exam: He scheduled expensive treatment for a large number of
cavities. The severity of his diagnosis was inconsistent with any exam we had before, and any exam we've had since. When we asked questions, Alalouf's far-reaching explanations were hard to believe. When I discussed his explanations at two other dental practices, I sadly concluded that we had probably been misled and mistreated. (No, the other dentists were not competitors.) This realization was painful since my experience with Alalouf was wonderful up to that point.

When my husband read the news headline last month, he guessed correctly that it was a report about Alalouf.
Loyal patients of Kids Teeth: You are only critical of these negative reports because it didn't happen to you. For reasons that will never be public, Dr. Alalouf only exploited his position with some patients. Most children were probably treated OK; lucky for them.

It's foolish to minimize the crime because the happy patients outweigh the number of complaints. Good news: Kids Teeth will probably be a more ethical practice after the investigation and suspension.

[Anonymous]

our daughter underwent dental work with dr. A last summer under general anesthesia, at the age of 2. it was the worst day of my life, but thank god, we all got through it.

ironically, dr. A was actually the 4th pediatric dentist we consulted for her problems -- and they all agreed that she had several cavities that could only be fixed in the OR.

some of these dentists, however, diagnosed only 2 or 3 cavities, while dr. A "found" at least 8 during the surgery. at the time, we trusted his judgment (he said he took x-rays), even more so because we had been referred to him by a number of top-notch health care providers! i had done months of research to find the best possible care for our daughter.

needless to say, we are disgusted by this news, and terrified that dr. A may have done more work on our child than was necessary. having read the dental board consent order in its entirety, i can see that we need to have our child's x-rays (if they exist, and if we obtain them) re-evaluated. it goes without saying that we're changing practices.

for those parents who continue to trust dr. A, i have only one thing to say: if you have not put your child's life into this man's hands in the operating room, you have no idea what some of us are experiencing right now as parents.

[Anonymous]

I've read short-sighted comments from parents who still trust Dr. Alalouf, or even praise him. I've also read comments that attempt to shift the focus away from the reports (e.g., one parent complained about the mother who held a photo of her daughter during the Alalouf TV broadcast (Drilling for the Truth). That comment actually remarked that holding the photo was worse than malpractice. But it is very irresponsible to minimize or deny what happened at Kids Teeth.

Yes, that dentist has many strengths. Friends and professionals feel loyalty toward him. But clearly, there is a problem that's probably more extensive than just the few REPORTED cases.

Are there parents out there who have not reported suspicious exams and procedures at Kids Teeth? Maybe they just moved on, don't want any trouble, or switched to a new dentist? Does anyone know if it's easy to obtain xrays and files from a dental practice after you've left?

[Anonymous]

Come on everyone, enough is enough. Either find another dentist for your children or stick with this practice. Or better yet, defer to another listserv and bash someone else. This has gone on for a month now and it's time to move on!

[Anonymous]

Another N. Potomac/Rockville pediatric dentist did this to our child. Upon a second opinion, there were none found.

[Anonymous]

To those who agree with this 5/21 message:

"....enough is enough. Either find another dentist...or stick with this practice. Or better yet, defer to another listserv and bash someone else...it's time to move on!"

That is a ridiculously flawed and insensitive remark. I've read very legitimate and reasonable concerns here recently. For those concerned parents who are just now learning about the Alalouf reports, the process has just started. Likewise, anyone in a clinical position would encourage some of these parents to continue the research and stay tuned in.

I don't like bashing either, but most of this is not bashing. Most participants focus on gathering info, sharing experiences, and getting feedback. The critical writer who wants to silence these parents and "move on" sounds more angry than the parents who are actually implicated here.

What is motivating the critical writer who wants to see this discussion stop? Of course it will slow down at some point... but it's wrong to tell people in this forum to leave.

[Anonymous]

My guess is that the repsonses that are positive, etc. are Dr. A's friends and family. They have every right to be loyal.
Personally I know Dr. A. and his family - but I will never take my kid there again - I just can't trust him

[Anonymous]

there are a number of supporters of Dr. A, they are not just friends and family (however from the amount of supporters there are, it is truly remarkable) but there are a group of us, just patients that are his biggest advocates. I do agree that either people are going to leave his practice or stay and nothing on this forum will sway a person. For every complaint there are a zillion compliments, this just got big because he is so popular. I personally dont care if this goes on for months or years, it will get old and nothing can be said that hasnt been said a month ago. As one of his true supporters I say to Dr. A, your practice is HUGE and if you lose even half of your practice you are still better off than most-keep your head up and know we dont feel as though you did anything wrong.

[Anonymous]

Sadly, I agree. I'm disappointed and frustrated with people who invalidate the parents or minimize Alalouf's poor practice.

[Anonymous]

To the message:

"...we dont feel as though you did anything wrong."

That much denial is so severe that it's irresponsible!

[Anonymous]

just like your opinion is your opinion, our opinion is ours, it cant be wrong...again, Dr. A we dont feel as though you did anything wrong. We cant wait until you come back.

[Anonymous]

"... our opinion is ours, it cant be wrong...again, Dr. A we dont feel as though you did anything wrong. We cant wait until you come back."

Sounds like you had good treatment there and also have some agenda. You are lucky. But try to be more resposible to the parents who were exploited in the documented (and undocumented) reports of malpractice there. Advise: Read the report. Be informed.

[Anonymous]

Read the report
Be informed.
Be HONEST.