A Jacksonville dentist is being investigated for alleged malpractice and has voluntarily relinquished his license following allegations that he was running "a house of horrors," according to a recent lawsuit.
Last November, when Sarah Phillips took her 2-year-old son, Mason, to the dentist following a fall from his bike, she hoped the dentist could repair the two broken teeth Mason sustained in the tumble. Instead, Mason emerged from the doctor's office, not only missing the two cracked teeth, but two additional teeth besides.
In a follow-up visit, Mason sustained bruises around his neck and was handed over to his mother with gauze encasing his lower teeth, despite the fact he was scheduled to have work done on his upper dentition. According to his mother, the dentist failed to consult her on the extractions or the work on his lower teeth.
Mason is not the only child to receive questionable treatment from Dr. Howard Schneider. The Jacksonville-based dentist has a history of malpractice and patients by the score are coming forward, filing lawsuits and picketing outside the doctor's office.
Not only were the extractions performed without consent, they were also performed without anesthetic, according to statements by parents. Several parents have also claimed their children emerged with unexplained bruises and so far, more than 60 former patients have joined the lawsuit.
"What appeared from the outside to be an unremarkable pediatric dentistry practice, on the inside was a house of horrors ... where the most defenseless members of our society, indigent children ... are regularly assaulted," plaintiff's attorney Gust Sarris wrote in the complaint.
Dr. Schneider is the only pediatric dentist in the Jacksonville area that accepts Medicaid. Many of his patients come from underprivileged homes and lack private insurance, so their options are limited. Yet, Schneider has billed the government nearly $4 million in Medicaid reimbursements between 2010 and 2014, according to local news sources.
Aside from questionable treatment, the lawsuit also claims Schneider was emotionally abusive, as well. According to plaintiffs, he would dress in scary costumes and make threatening statements to the children, claiming he would harm their mothers if they told what happened in his office.
This is not the first time Dr. Schneider has faced malpractice lawsuits. Two previous suits were dismissed after mediation. One involved a cash settlement.
The Department of Health is working on an emergency order to shut his office down.
