Dentist voices outrage as parents delay children's dental care until it's too late

A dentist's post on the social media platform Threads has sparked a wide debate about parental responsibility for children's health, after she described a case involving a nine-year-old patient.

During a busy workday, a mother brought in her child without a prior appointment because the child was in severe tooth pain. Checking the patient's file, the dentist found that the last visit had been more than a year earlier. At that time the child already had several damaged teeth, but treatment was never continued. Over the following year the condition worsened so much that a tooth which could previously have been saved had to be extracted.

The dentist expressed disbelief that parents could not find time within a year to bring their child in for treatment, noting that visits are state-funded and accessible.

Debate over children's rights

The post triggered a discussion about parental accountability and children's right to proper healthcare. One commenter noted that in some Scandinavian countries such neglect would require a healthcare provider to report the case to a child protection authority — in Latvia, that would be the Orphan's Court.

Another commenter pointed out that the problem can persist into adulthood: a young person who lacked proper dental care as a child due to their parents may, at 18, face costly treatment without the financial means to pay for it.

A third woman shared her own experience of developing a fear of dentists due to painful treatment during the Soviet era, saying she later lost some teeth because of an uncorrected bite and untreated childhood dental problems. Another mother said she has regularly taken her daughter to the same dentist since her baby teeth first appeared, to build trust and a habit of regular checkups.

A second dentist also joined the discussion, saying she regularly encounters similar situations in her own practice — parents failing even to bring children in for routine hygiene visits, then blaming the government or lack of accessible dental care once expensive treatment under anesthesia becomes necessary.