NY dentist reopens shuttered Small Smiles clinic

A Small Smiles dental clinic in Syracuse, NY, that was shut down when the chain filed bankruptcy earlier this year has been reopened by a local dentist, Michael Wilson, DDS, owner of Wilson Dental, the Post-Standard reported.

The Small Smiles chain, owned by Church Street Health Management, has had a history of legal problems -- many involving Medicaid fraud -- that forced it to file for bankruptcy and prompted additional federal scrutiny.

The Syracuse clinic had been sued in 2011 by 10 families who claimed that, in some cases, their children received root canals, extractions, and other procedures while restrained and without sedation or general anesthesia. After the clinic closed, Dr. Wilson said he noticed a dramatic increase of young patients at his Binghamton clinic.

The need for expanded services became clear when no appointments were available for three months, a consequence of being one of the few area dentists who accepts Medicaid, he told the Post-Standard. Some patients drove as far as 70 miles to his practice, the article noted.

However, Dr. Wilson was wary of the Small Smiles clinic and wanted a fresh start, the article explained. He accepted none of their patient records and did not hire any former employees when he decided to open his second practice in the clinic's 6,000-sq-ft facility. Currently, it operates with a pediatric dentist, an oral surgeon, and a pediatric anesthesiologist, and receives referrals from some 20 general dentists and clinics.