GREENSBURG, Pa. — A Greensburg woman is facing charges of neglect after police said she did not seek dental care for her daughter, who had 10 decayed teeth.
According to police, Chris Ann McChesney’s 9-year-old daughter has Down syndrome.
School records detailed in court paperwork obtained by our partners at TribLIVE indicate that the girl first complained about tooth pain in 2014 and her mother was notified.
"The juvenile was coming to school complaining of her teeth," said Capt. Robert Stafford, of Greensburg Police. "The school was able to look in her mouth. It was black and decayed."
Greensburg police said that when the girl came to school at the start of the 2015-16 year with several decayed teeth, McChesney promised to get treatment.
"Whenever teeth are falling out of your mouth at the gum line, it indicates that you're not doing your job as a parent,' said Stafford. "You're not taking care of your child."
Court papers said that two procedures to have the decayed teeth removed were canceled by an anesthesiologist, who suggested the procedure be done in a hospital rather than at a dentist’s office due to the girl's Down syndrome diagnosis.
McChesney, 46, said that she "felt that the teeth were not bothering (her daughter) and did not feel the need to rush treatment," according to the paperwork obtained by TribLIVE.
"Pieces of teeth were actually falling out of her mouth," said Stafford.