Dentist's license yanked for negligence

A dentist in North Carolina who was accused of providing negligent dental care, including placing implants that pierced a patient's sinus cavity, for nearly two decades had his license revoked, effective May 1, according to an order from the state dental board.

Dr. Andrew Kelly. Image courtesy of Dental Center of the Carolinas.

Dr. Andrew Kelly was barred from operating Dental Center of the Carolinas in Winston-Salem and Greensboro, NC, after the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners determined he committed malpractice, kept incomplete patient records, and inaccurate logs of medications. Additionally, he reportedly sedated nine patients without an active license and lied to patients, according to the order.

"Attempts at remediating past violations while under probation, and even an active suspension, were unsuccessful in preventing further violations and thereby failed to adequately protect the public," the order states.

Since 2015, Kelly was negligent in many ways, including failing to conduct presedation patient assessments, conducting extractions that resulted in nerve injury and parenthesis, failing to refer patients to specialists, failing to monitor sedation, and keep accurate records.

Most recently, several patients came forward accusing Kelly of malpractice.

In one instance, Kelly allegedly incorrectly placed implants, piercing the sinus cavity of a female patient. The patient continued to see the dentist for three years before she obtained a second opinion.

Another clinician informed her that the trauma from the implant procedure left her with little to no bone, forcing her to wear dentures. Also, Kelly never refunded her, according to the order.

Additionally, Kelly incorrectly placed a prosthetic for another patient. Though the patient complained of prothesis pain, chipping, and not fitting correctly for years, Kelly reportedly told him everything was healing and looked fine. Another clinician informed this patient that the prosthesis was not correct for this man's bite, according to the order.

"Respondent's misconduct and violations, along with his lengthy and extensive disciplinary history involve such serious, numerous violations of the Dental Practice Act that revocation of his dental license and permit is the only discipline or disciplinary measure sufficient to protect the public," according to the dental board order.

According to the Dental Center of the Caronlina's website, "Since arriving in North Carolina Dr. Kelly has served as a Deputy Examiner for the North Carolina Sate Board of Dental Examiners." It goes on to state that "Dr. Kelly has served as an examiner for the American Board of Oral Implantology and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry."