Q&A on the News

Q: Finley Boyle, the Hawaiian 3-year-old who suffered cardiac arrest and later died, was reported to have required six fillings and four root canals. Why would a 3-year-old require root canals on baby teeth that will fall out? What has become of the dentist and the practice?

—Steve Zweighaft, Norcross

A: A cavity in baby teeth or trauma can "necessitate a root canal, or nerve removal of a baby tooth," Dr. R. David Bradberry, a pediatric dentist in Marietta, told Q&A on the News in an email. Decay is the most common reason for a partial nerve removal (pulpotomy) or complete removal (pulpectomy). Decay can lead to infection, which, "if not dealt with, can lead to infection in the bone surrounding the tooth and become abscessed, causing significant pain and swelling, loss of school days and more," Bradberry wrote. "The decision between removal and root canal involves several factors, including (the) child's age and medical history, value and restorability of each involved tooth, and evaluation of alternatives." Baby teeth hold space for permanent teeth to fill and "aid in a child's ability to eat, development of speech and overall growth of the face. If one or more are lost early, then the others may shift, preventing the permanent teeth from erupting into their natural space, causing a crooked smile," he wrote. State authorities are investigating dentist Lilly Geyer and her practice, Island Dentistry for Children, in Kailua, Hawaii, is closed. Boyle died earlier this month after she suffered brain damage and never regained consciousness after being sedated for a procedure on Dec. 3.