Dr. Walter Thomas Pattison, DDS

Dr. Pattison told us that our Daughter needed to have four First Bicuspids extracted (by an Oral Surgeon). We received a Second Opinion about the extractions. The other Orthodontist said that Dr. Pattison chose to remove the First Bicuspids because “it is easier.” The other Orthodontist recommended removal of the Second Bicuspids instead, because with removal of the Second Bicuspids, the molars move forward 1/2 the space and that helps to maintain a good profile (if done correctly). After another meeting with Dr. Pattison in which he admitted that he chose to remove the First Bicuspids because “it is faster,” he decided to have the Second Bicuspids removed. Even though she had the Second Bicuspids removed to maintain her good profile, Dr. Pattison moved her teeth the same way that he would have if she had had the First Bicuspids extracted. He said, “Im moving her teeth the way that I planned to move them all along.” So my Daughter ended up with very pushed back teeth and a small,… recessed lower jaw/chin. When I asked Dr. Pattison about it, he callously said, “I can refer you to an Oral Surgeon for her weak chin.” In my opinion, if a child had a beautiful face and profile before having braces but needs to have Oral Surgery to correct her jaw after having braces, then that is Malpractice. I discovered Health Care Fraud. The day that Dr. Pattison applied my Daughter’s braces, he told me that I needed to have her checked for a possible problem with her airway. He asked me if she snored, I said, “No.” I took her to the ENT Physician that Dr. Pattison recommended. The ENT Physician did an Endoscopic Procedure to look at her Adenoids. They were NORMAL. Her Tonsils and Adenoids were both normal. He did not find anything wrong with her. He said that he was writing in her Medical Record that she does have two different diagnoses of an airway obstruction because, “If I don’t find anything, then the Insurance will not pay.” Writing a FALSE diagnosis in the Medical Record is a way that an unethical Physician can get your Insurance to pay for a Procedure that is Medically Unnecessary. This is Health Care Fraud. The ENT Physician said that Dr. Pattison sends a lot of patients to him. After having braces, my Daughter now has the facial characteristics that can cause Obstructive Sleep Apnea (a small, recessed lower jaw/chin). I believe that this is the real reason for Dr. Pattison’s referral to the ENT Physician. I believe that he wanted to establish a pre-existing condition of an airway obstruction problem in her Medical Record so that if/when she develops Obstructive Sleep Apnea from the way that he moved her teeth, he cannot be blamed for causing it because now she has a pre-existing condition (two False diagnoses) in her Medical Record. Dr. Pattison was Investigated by the Tennessee Dental Board and the ENT Physician was Investigated by the Tennessee Medical Board.