Honolulu, HI — 23-year old mother of two, Kristen Tavares, went into a Hilo, Hawaii-based dental office to get all four wisdom teeth removed, and somehow during the operation she went into cardiac arrest and slipped into a coma. The dentist has no idea what happened, and Tavares was reportedly flown to a hospital, but remains unresponsive and is still on a breathing machine. Her father commented, “We did find out they did do a CT scan. The brain right now is a little swollen. It’s a lot of stress on everybody right now.”The dentist, Dr. John Stover, does a lot of procedures – everything from cosmetic to plastic surgery in addition to oral surgery. His medical and dental licenses are currently in good standing. But according to Hawaii News Now, a local TV station, he has had four previous complaints with the state of Hawaii since 2010. Two complaints for “failure to comply with laws governing professional conduct” were resolved without enough evidence. Two other complaints from 2012 and 2013 are still ongoing. He has also been sued for medical malpractice, but that case was dismissed.
The web site also reports that on his medical license he is allowed to use full anesthesia. Since oral surgery, including wisdom teeth extraction, is considered a medical procedure he would be allowed to use full anesthesia if necessary.
A 17-year old girl who had her wisdom teeth removed by Dr. Stover right before Kristen Tavares, commented, “I just saw them stick something in my arm and I don’t remember what happened after that. It’s a scary thought because, to know that I went through the same procedure as she did, that it could have been me that couldn’t have woken up, it’s just really freaky.”
Meanwhile, the Tavares family says that they are more focused on recovery rather than blame. “Right now all we are doing is praying and hoping for the best,” her father added.
The family says it’s a “waiting game” on her recovery. They have no idea what happened or what to expect.