GREENSBORO, N.C. — When most people think of a scary dentist, they think tools, and drills. But a warning from the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners can be scary too.
In a recent consent order, the board restricted Greensboro oral surgeon Doctor Scott Jensen from giving anesthesia to his patients after it says he administered anesthesia and the patient went into respiratory distress. That led them to open the patient's airway, which ended with the patient's tongue being cut and a hospital stay.
The decision isn't final and doesn't affect his license - so Dr. Jensen can still practice, but someone else in his practice must administer anesthesia.
But 2 Wants to Know found this isn't his first reprimand. In fact, Dr. Jensen has been disciplined or reprimanded by the state seven times, and even lost his license for five years.
To help you make sure you know the background of your doctor before your next dental visit, we found the resources for you.
You can see if your dentist has any outstanding disciplinary actions online. On the state dental board's website you'll click on the "license verification" tab. Type your dentists' name and you can see if they're in good standing, on probation, or have any disciplinary actions. Hopefully that helps you pick the right dentist.
But what happens if you have an issue at the office? What kinds of problems do you report - and how?
First, what to complain about. The state dental examiners board investigates health-related complaints or dental work issues. They do not investigate fee problems, personality or behavior conflicts, or appointment problems. For those kinds of issues, you'd need to contact the Better Business Bureau.
If you do need to complain about your dentists' work, they only accept complaints in writing. Download the complaint form by clicking here and mail it in with any relevant paperwork.
The board can't force a dentist to refund any money, but they can reprimand them, put them on probation or revoke or suspend their license.