A New York endodontist has been temporarily barred from practicing after fracturing patients' jaws and leaving files in teeth during root canal procedures, according to a story in the Syracuse Post-Standard.
Deepika Reddy, DDS, who operates East Syracuse Family Dental Arts in Syracuse, has been temporarily barred from practicing endodontics by the New York State Education Department, which licenses dentists.
The professional misconduct and negligence charges involve seven patients who were treated between 2005 and 2010, and include fracturing two patients' jaws and leaving behind broken files during root canal procedures, according to the consent agreement.
One patient who came in for a routine prophylaxis in 2007 had his jaw fractured by Dr. Reddy when she tried to extract a deeply rooted tooth. Another patient's jaw was fractured during an attempted extraction in June 2010, the consent agreement states.
Dr. Reddy left broken files in three patients during root canal procedures. In one case, she drilled through the pupal floor of the tooth and into the mandible, leaving the file in the bone beneath the tooth, according to the agreement.
During one root canal, Dr. Reddy failed to remove decayed tissue, leaving the patient in pain with swelling and infections for two years.
Dr. Reddy was suspended from practicing endodontics until she completes retraining courses, was fined $1,000, and was placed on probation for three years, the agreement states.
The New York State Dental Association has started ethics proceedings against Dr. Reddy, according to spokewoman Sandy DiNoto.
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