A Washington State disciplinary board has fined a Lynnwood dentist $10,000, suspended his license at least through the end of the year and ordered him to take 41 hours of continuing education courses. The case involved a patient treated between June 2004 and November 2006 who needed nine dental implants. In its order, the commission found that the dentist failed to adequately examine, assess, evaluate, diagnose or develop a treatment plan for the patient. He did not adequately check out the patient`s complaints of severe pain during eight follow up visits after the surgery. One of implants had either been installed in or had migrated into the patient`s sinus cavity, the commission found. No X-rays were taken for six months following the surgery, according to the disciplinary board. The dentist also prescribed more than 3,148 tablets of two narcotics for pain, Oxycodone and Percocet, during a 29-month period ending in November 2006. The commission said that he did not document the reasons for prescribing the high levels of narcotics, calling it extremely excessive. The commission officially suspended his license for seven years. However, the suspension could be put on hold after Jan. 1 if he meets the continuing education, mentoring and other requirements specified in the order. The dentist`s attorney has requested reconsideration of one part of the order, which prevents him from doing surgical implant procedures.

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