14-month-old Texas girl dies following dental visit
AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is investigating the death of a baby girl who died after receiving dental treatment at Austin Children’s Dentistry in Northwest Austin Tuesday.
The Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office says 14-month-old Daisy Lynn Torres was taken to the North Austin Medical Center following a procedure at the dental office. Austin-Travis County EMS confirms they transported a baby girl from the dental office to the hospital around 7 a.m. The ME’s Office says the baby died five hours later. The child’s cause of death is still being determined pending the outcome of an autopsy, which is being done Wednesday.
A family friend started a fundraising site for the child’s mother. In the post, she says the child’s visit was for a cavity filling.
“She was a happy, healthy baby. She was full of life. She went to the dentist and never came home,” says Jessica Castaneda, Daisy Lynn’s aunt. “We have questions. We want to know what happened.”
Sarah Marshall, a spokesperson for Austin Children’s Dentistry, says the child’s death is “a tragedy” and indicated the girl’s visit was for a standard procedure. “[Austin Children’s Dentistry] has been in business for 40 years and these are the types of procedures that they handle all the time,” explains Marshall. Marshall says a doctor and anesthesiologist were in the room at the time of the procedure.
Janice Hernandez was in the waiting room of the dental office when paramedics took Daisy Lynn out. She tells KXAN her daughter was about to go in for a procedure that required sedation as well. “You immediately as a parent put yourself in those shoes. You don’t want to think about it but it’s possible. It can happen to anybody’s kid,” says Janice Hernandez.
The company’s website shows six doctors on staff, none of which have any disciplinary actions filed against them with the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners. Austin Children’s Dentistry operates five locations in Travis and Williamson County.
The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners says a dentist is required to report a death that could be related to dental treatment within 72 hours.