It’s very common to get an anaesthetic shot at the dentist for more serious procedures, but at this dental clinic, one kid actually passed away because of it.
Recently, a 4-year-old boy named Dung Ly shockingly died after he was given two doses of anaesthesia and stopped breathing. This incident happened at a dental clinic called Youthful Tooth in Oakland, California, as reported by NextShark.
Source: GoFundMe
At the time, Ly’s mother was in the waiting room and was wondering why her son’s procedure was taking so long. According to ABC7 News, Ly’s parents recently immigrated to the Bay Area from Vietnam. A family friend known as Jimmy Tran who helps translate for Ly’s parents was quoted as saying,
“They didn’t give her any update until she questioned them and then the next thing she knew, the ambulance arrived.”
The ambulance subsequently took Ly to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Unfortunately, Ly was pronounced dead the next day on 25th April due to lack of oxygen in his brain, as written by Ly’s cousin in a GoFundMe page by titled “Bring Peace to Ly Tri Dung”.
The page also mentioned that Ly suffered from liver malfunction because there was no oxygen in the rest of his body and that blood came out from his nose and mouth, a sight that terrified the entire family.
Source: GoFundMe
On the day of Ly’s dental procedure, his mum was reportedly concerned about the cold her son was trying to get over. Tran explained, “He’s still a little bit coughing and she did ask the dentist, the doctor, is it okay to have it done or we can reschedule another day? And he said, no that’s fine.”
As of now, Youthful Tooth is currently being investigated by The Dental Board of California over Ly’s death. It was reported that there are two licensed dentists registered at this clinic. The Board said,
“If a violation is found, DBC contacts the Attorney General’s Office and pursues license discipline. If nothing is found, the case is closed.”
The following Monday, Ly’s family held a funeral service for him. At the time of writing, the GoFundMe page has reached over USD$10,000 (approx. RM41,800).
Our condolences go out to Ly’s family and we hope that they stay strong during this difficult time. RIP Ly. 🙁
Also read: Man Treats His Toothache with brake Fluid and It Worsens into a Severe Infection
