A local dentist is facing a negligence lawsuit tied to the death of a patient who underwent a dental implant just days before she died.
In the summer of 2022, 82-year-old Fredericka Bailey was driven from the Houston area to Dallas for dental-implant surgery. Within days of the operation, Bailey died after developing a blood clot that made its way to her lungs, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Bailey suffered from end-stage kidney disease and sickle cell disease. As a result, she was receiving dialysis four times per week at the time the dentist approved the procedure, per the lawsuit.
It was also alleged that the company responsible for Bailey’s procedure, Frontline Dental Implant Specialists, Inc., or G4 by Golpa, maintains a policy that discourages dentists from obtaining medical clearance. In Bailey’s case, it was alleged that the dentist in question, Andrew Kelsey, did not consult with any specialists regarding Bailey’s condition. As part of the legal action, damages of over $1 million are being sought for Bailey’s estate.
“Had they told her, ‘Mrs. Bailey, I’m sorry. You’re not a candidate,’ then she would have accepted that. She would have had to,” Bailey’s daughter, Jacqueline Kinloch, told The Dallas Morning News.
An attorney with the law firm Bellinger & Suberg, which is representing Kelsey, said the firm will “vigorously” defend against the accusations.
According to the Bailey family’s attorney, Jonathan Wharton, the company hired Kelsey despite “knowing that he routinely fails to follow the minimum standard of care.”
The lawsuit says Bailey’s death led to disciplinary action by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. Kelsey was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine, undertake eight hours of training, and complete an assessment. Kelsey was also alleged to have been disciplined by the state dental board in 2019 for failing to obtain medical clearance from a patient’s primary care provider before invasive surgery.
Last month, The Dallas Express reported on another local dental incident in which Luis España claims a practice located in Marble Falls left his wife with brain damage after administering too much fentanyl while she was under anesthesia.
