A three-year-old girl from Brentwood in San Ramon, California has died over the weekend after undergoing a dental procedure that used anesthesia, her father, Homam Rady, said in a statement.
The toddler, named Marvelena Rady, reportedly went with her father at a California dentist's office identified as Dentabliss for normal dental work at around 7:00 A.M. The two dentists, one is a licensed anesthesiologists, administered the drug and did the dental work.
People reported that Homam said they got an assessment done before the procedure pushed through. The dentists reportedly told them that there were a couple things to work on such as cavities, crowns, and extractions that is why anesthesia was used. He continued, "We knew she was going under [anesthesia] but we relied on the professional opinion."
Homam also revealed that the procedure was scheduled to end at 9:30 A.M. but it took an extra hour to finish. He and his wife then became suspicious that something was wrong. At around 10 A.M., the dentists assured that everything was find but 30 minutes after, paramedics were called and they rushed into the room where Marvelena was.
Shortly thereafter, Marvelena was rushed to San Ramon Regional Medical Center. She was pronounced dead minutes after arriving. The official cause of death will be released after 90 to 100 days, the Contra Costa County coroner's office said.
The Dental Board of California is said to be conducting an investigation on the death of the three-year-old. However, it would take months to come up with a conclusion. Also, the dentists have no records of any citation or enforcement actions against them in the past.
Homam believes there was something wrong with the process and they will wait for the medical reports in order to understand what happened. Homam said that his daughter was a playful child and loved spending time with her older sister, nine-year-old Juliviana. Moments before the death of the toddler, Homam shared that she was crying as they were putting the mask over her face. He and his wife gave her a kiss and a hug not knowing it was the last time they would be seeing her alive.
The death of Marvelena came months after a 14-month-pold baby named Daisy Lynn Torres died after being placed under anesthesia for a dental crown procedure. The family of Marvelana will be holding a memorial service for her on Thursday in Hayward, California.
Many parents and other supporters are asking for a political action regarding these deaths. A bill is now on its way to California's legislatures that will require dentists to inform parents about the dangers of anesthesia.
