A dentist accused of child abuse is making headlines this week. According to the Canada Journal , Dr. Howard Schneider from Florida is under fire after several people say he abused children in his dentist chair . Last week, almost 100 parents attended a town hall meeting after protests outside the doctor’s office the weeks before.
“It was horrible. Him putting his hand over the children’s mouth(s), yelling at them, getting close to their ear, telling them they better shut up,” said a former employee. “He didn’t like for you to be nurturing and make them feel at ease. He wanted you to be rough. He would get angry when you would try to calm them down.”
The dentist accused of child abuse was secretly filmed by at least one parent, who was forced to sit by and watch her child scream in discomfort (see this footage in the video above, but be warned that it is disturbing).
According to CNN, a woman and her daughter had a traumatic experience at the hands of Dr. Schneider. The little girl went in for a procedure, and three hours later, she had to be rushed to the hospital. The doctor had pulled seven of the child’s teeth out (you can see this in the video above as well). The young girl told her mother that the dentist hit her and choked her — and that caused her mom to call the police.
However, the case didn’t get very far.
The mother decided to post photos of her daughter on Facebook, and as the pictures started circulating, other parents started doing the same thing, all having one thing in common: a previous appointment with Dr. Schneider.
Dr. Schneider has responded to the claims.
“I’m pissed off. I’m a good dentist. I do nothing wrong. I give these kids the best treatment,” he said.
The dentist accused of child abuse has been making money off his alleged malpractice. Since he is mainly paid by Medicaid, the work that he does is covered, warranted or not. Reports indicate that he has collected nearly $4 million over the past five years — much of that money is believed to have come from unnecessary procedures such as tooth extraction.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr , John Harrell , the Department of Children and Families Northeast Region Communications Director, released a statement regarding the accusations, and he explains why the department is not investigating Dr. Schneider.
“The Florida Department of Children and Families does have the legal authority to investigate abuse and neglect of children by parents, caregivers such as relatives, and teachers or school personnel. The law does not give DCF the authority to investigate allegations involving doctors or dentists. We would encourage parents to contact law enforcement or the appropriate regulatory agencies if they have concerns regarding their children in these settings.”
Dozens of families have filed lawsuits against Dr. Schneider, and many are hoping that he loses his license so that he can no longer hurt children in his chair.
[Photo via YouTube]