Dentist Allegedly Sets Girl’s Mouth On Fire During Routine Procedure, Family Seeks Compensation

A Las Vegas dentist allegedly started a fire inside a 5-year-old girl’s mouth during a dental crowning procedure. It happened when the doctor was using a dental tool called diamond bur.

The unidentified girl’s father, Howard Kane, filed a malpractice lawsuit against Dr. Deep Karan Dhillon, the owner of Just For Kids Dentistry & Orthodontics clinics in Las Vegas, in the state district court last week.

Kane took his daughter to the clinic in January 2019 as she needed multiple crowns placed on her teeth. The dentist used the diamond bur to prep her teeth after putting her under general anesthesia. Dr. Dhillon placed a cotton throat pack inside the girl’s mouth and used the diamond bur, which caused a spark that lasted for one or two seconds​, according to the lawsuit. The fire resulted in serious injuries.

The girl was taken to University Medical Center where she was treated for burns to her epiglottis, throat, tongue, lips and surrounding areas for four days. Some of the injuries were deemed “permanent and disabling.”

The family is seeking $15,000 as compensation. Alison Brasier, the attorney representing the girl, blasted the doctor for not taking “proper precautions,” and causing the hazard.

"We want to raise awareness for parents and also to raise accountability, not only with this dentist, but others, so that this can be prevented from happening to another child," he told NBC News.

Dental experts said the incident is alarming albeit a rare one. "This procedure is performed thousands of times by pediatric dentists, and I've never heard of this or known for this to have ever happened before," Jonathan Shenkin, a spokesman for the American Dental Association, said.

He advised the parents to always ask what steps the dentist is taking to ensure the safety of their children.

"It sounds like a freak accident, to say the least," Shenkin added. "Some sort of series of freak incidences occurred that allowed this to happen."

Kevin Donly, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, said this incident is "unheard of" in his 33 years of practice. A report has been sent to the organization’s safety committee.