4-Year-Old Girl Suffers Severe Brain Damage During Dentist Visit, According To Documents

dentist dentist visit Navaeh Hall Courissa Clark Diamond Dentistry Dr. Bethaniel Jefferson Texas Board of Dental Examiners Jim Moriarty

By Daniel , Parent Herald Mar 13, 03:40 am

Many kids do not like going the dentist because of their fear that something bad is going to happen to them in the clinic. Most of the time, their fears are unfounded. But once in a while, a dentist visit can go really bad.

That is exactly what happened to 4-year-old girl Navaeh Hall during a dentist visit for her tooth decay, her mother Courissa Clark told ABC News. The once healthy girl suffered severe brain during her dentist visit to Dr. Bethaniel Jefferson's clinic called "Diamond Dentistry" in Houston, Texas.

Posted by Peas In Their Pods on Friday, March 11, 2016

"She can't talk or walk or do anything she used to do," Clark explained to ABC News. "She even had to get surgery just to get a feeding tube into her stomach." For these reasons, the Texas Board of Dental Examiners has issued a temporary suspension on Dr. Jefferson's practice while investigations are ongoing.

The horrible incident began when Navaeh experienced seizures after being sedated by Jefferson. Jefferson tried to treat the girl's seizures by giving her a Halcion oral medication instead of calling emergency services. Emergency services were only contacted several hours after the incident which allegedly caused the brain injury on the girl.

Posted by Peas In Their Pods on Friday, March 11, 2016

Apparently, the Texas Board of Dental Examiners has already reprimanded Jefferson twice in the past. He was reprimanded in 2012 for "falling below the minimum standard of care in the sedation of a minor" and falling below the "minimum standard of care" and inadequate patient's records back in 2005.

The victim's lawyer, Jim Moriarty, informed ABC News of their plans to file a lawsuit against Jefferson. Moriarty has previously succeeded in getting a $39 million settlement with a previous dental case, according to NY Daily News.

The girl also suffered vision problems after the dentist visit and is currently going through many hours of daily physical, occupational and speech therapy. "This is our baby, so we just have to accept and live with what we have," Clark told ABC News.