School dental nurse at work

Johnnys Posted: 16 Dec 2013

I remember the first Dental Nurses who came to our Native School. There were two. The aneasthetic they used could not have been effective because every extraction was followed by painful howls. My uncle who was older than I actually bit the finger of the dental nurse. The next time they came back however there was only one who had a lovely dental chair manner and the service was more readily accepted at our school but I remember that it didn't get a good first pr.

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Jan Moon Posted: 18 Dec 2013

when I was at school the dental clinic was known as the Murder House. Some children, when the last victim came to your classroom and offered you up for sacrifice, went home, but you couldn't avoid the inevitable.
By the time girls got to about Std 3, competition was fierce to do the dusting for the dental clinic - the reward were empty drill boxes, no longer needed mirrors and other items which were eagerly sought. My Dad used to do a great line in wooden dowel handles for any inplements we managed to score.

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Clive Posted: 13 Apr 2014

Re: Johnnys...
As I remember it the dental nurses didn't use anaesthetic at all. They just drilled and pulled the teeth.
It was the most barbaric dental treatment I have ever experienced.
I actually kicked a dental nurse in the stomach at a school murder-house in Wellington when I was about seven or eight. She refused to treat me from then on and my father was called to the school from work. I copped a hiding when dad got me home and then I was dragged along to the a Dental Hospital in Wellington city. My dad, and two or three orderlies held me down, kicking and screaming, whilst a gas mask was pushed into my face and I was gassed. I thought they really were murdering me.
I was highly traumatised and later woke up to find the offending tooth missing.
I probably would have visited a dentist about five times over the past forty or so years and I have never gotten over my dental experiences during my formative years in Wellington.
When I was thirteen we moved to Australia and I have never been back to New Zealand. Not even for a visit.
The New Zealand School Dental system would have been quite at home in Nazi Germany, although I think they would have reserved its use only for non Aryans!

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Cazz S Posted: 9 Jan 2016

My parents withdrew my brother and me from the school dental service because of the unnecessary drilling and filling of healthy teeth by the dental nurses at Tinakori Rd Clinic, Wellington during the period 1967-69. Seeing a dentist inspect their work was an extremely rare event - less than once per block of treatment weeks.

School made such a fuss about our withdrawal that parents wondered if the school dental service or government made payments to the school for each pupil attendance at the clinic. On the first day that I was due to attend my normally kind teacher lost her temper with me because the bus from school in Mt Victoria to the Tinakori Rd clinic left without me. Being newly arrived in NZ, I hadn't realised that the numbers and accompanying names that she had called out that morning were for the chairs at the dental clinic. I couldn't understand why she was so angry.

After our parents withdrew us, I had no more teeth filled for over 40 years! I'm grateful that my parents took action, though still angry that perfectly healthy teeth were filled.

Cazz

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Susanne Posted: 25 Feb 2019

My teeth were drilled out 5 at a time.
As an adult I have spent 35k trying to keep teeth . I've had many extractions. Implants crowns root canals and still missing extracted teeth that were drilled out by dental nurses too deep to be saved

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Anonymous Posted: 10 Jul 2019

We came from a home with having no sugars in our diet and good food. Our teeth seemed good , but the dental nurse in silverstream Upper Hutt always drilled our teeth . Our teeth are filled with deep amalgam fillings , now they are all breaking and can’t be saved . Is there no compensation for us whos teeth have been wreaked by dental nurses from that era ?

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Rose Posted: 15 Nov 2019

Waitangi Tribunal...? I recall being called in to the murder house when i had no complaints of dental issues, 2-3 times a week when there were 20+/- dental nurses at Mangere Intermediate... always drilling, (b4 the use of anaesthetic? &CONSENT FORMS) & being in pain for weeks after until being called in again when the pain (incl inner cheek bites!?)... always me & the other MAORI /PI kids. Now when those consent forms for my children are completed they have an additional clause - Consent to examine only, additional consent for EACH & EVERY treatment before, parent/Mum to be present.
I thought it may have been that my Mum was one of those young Mums, that didn't take much notice of these issues - probably didn't think to ask if i had a toothache needing fixing, didn't even notice...? One of the many child abuses situations that still affects life exponentially every day!
Class action I say, 15 of the past 40 year's income had been dental taxed in the 10s of 1000s... 25 years back home that is exponentially more, through the teeth that i try desperately need to keep but, losing the battle...

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Anonymous Posted: 2 Nov 2020

I was a victim of the school dental system in the late 60s early 80s. Every single one of my back teeth were drilled & filled with black fillings, by the same dental nurse, no xrays were taken, no pain relief given. I lived in South Auckland & I am convinced that these school dental nurses used the children from these areas as training material for them to practice on. I am now in my late 50’s & the trauma that these constant & unnecessary visits to the murder house caused me to fear going anywhere near a dentist to this day. Whilst all my front teeth have survived relatively well, nurse Murphy never touched my front teeth,
my back teeth are a disgusting & shameful mess. I am absolutely keen to bring a class action against the government, they allowed my teeth to be used for practice & now I want them to pay for my teeth they totally destroyed when I was a child. Does anyone know how we would start a class action. There will be hundreds of not thousands of kiwis who are in exactly the same position.

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Anonymous Posted: 16 Jan 2021

I was the only Maori child at my primary school: North Shore school in Auckland in the early 80's. I had really good teeth and my mum always made sure we limited sugar and brushed right. The dental nurses were always drilling my teeth, giving me multiple injections and goodness knows what else. I was in the chair one day and the new dental nurse had her boyfriend come in as well. I was never quite the same. I did tell my mum and I never used the dental services there again. I'm now 45 and have only ever been to the dentist 3 times since leaving primary school. I can't trust it. They had too much access to the kids and no accountability.

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Michelle Posted: 15 Feb 2021

My husband endured the School Dentist horror stories in the mid 70's and is now has nearly lost all has back teeth. How do we go about getting compensation to now have his teeth restored?

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Denny Gaspar Posted: 30 Mar 2021

I thought it was myself only that suffered at the drill happy hands of the NZ school dental nurses back in the late 1950s. I am amazed to see and read the horrifying experiences of many other unfortunates who frequented the dreaded clinics.
Every day I was called from class to attend the "murder house" and most my second back teeth were filled with those dreadful amalgam fillings.... Finally my mum took me to her dentist in Auckland City and he commented that I appeared to have good teeth and these nurses were known for practicing on children's teeth. (Years later a friend became a dental nurse and confirmed what the dentist had said.) These painful experiences with no pain killers and the smell of burning teeth, as the drill kept grinding away, has made me a life long nervous dental patient, And now in my 70s I have only a few back teeth remaining and yet my front teeth are in good condition. I can still see in my mind the lightly freckled face of that dreaded dental nurse.

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Anonymous Posted: 13 Nov 2021

I have a mouth full of mercury & a mortal fear of the dentist due to unnecessary dental work when I was in primary school, I had no complaints or issues beforehand & just did as I was told! I too would like to know how to claim compensation for this mental & physical trauma?

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Jill Posted: 27 Apr 2022

Like most everyone else here. My back teeth got hammered with multiple fillings across the 70s and early 80s by dental nurses who used everyone of us as Guinea Pigs. As a result many of my back teeth are gone, the ones that are left all need crowns now. Everyone I know from the same era has had the same experience. Yet back then we didn’t eat the same sugar laden diet, fast food, and meat as the kids do now. My children ate far more junk than me and they all have perfect teeth with no fillings. You can’t tell me that our diet and possible lack of fluoridated water had any think to do with the fillings when our front teeth were perfect and our kids perfect teeth are subject to a way worse diet. It was the irresponsible and unethical dental treatment back in the day. The govt should pay compensation for all the dental procedures we have all had to have in our adult lives to either save or replace our molars. I’ve talked to dentists about the problem back in the 70s and they have no idea as they are either not from this country or too young to know

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John H. Posted: 30 Apr 2022

Yes i also suffered at the hands of primary school dentists and have a mouthful of mercury amalgram fillings.
The fillings are now starting to break down and I'm either swallowing bits or spitting them out. I'm positive those fillings have affected my health. I still remember the torture of having teeth drilled with no anaesthetic. The nurse used to tell me how strong my teeth were but gave me many fillings. Strange that. Were we just guinnea pigs of the system?

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S.F Posted: 23 Jul 2022

I was a child who had been i say abused by the primary school dental nurse in hawkes bay ...

Getting picked out of class i didnt know was going to happen never been to a dentist before soon i was told to jump up on the chair she grabbed the drill like I was next in line, with no injections by the way.

so scared and crying so much insane pain , she then strapped me into chair screamed at me " that it dosnt bloody hurt dose it ...!!" Then she got so angry she grabbed my arms and shook me .had continued to get massive silver fillings strapped in the chair .....when I had great teeth and wasn't aloud much suger ! After that I've never been the same and my whole being was damaged forever.

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Anonymous Posted: 30 Jul 2022

I had the same experience as a child. In the late 60s and 70s when I was a child I had many fillings in my back teeth only despite not eating a lot of sugar and brushing my teeth regularly. No anesthetic was ever used. They would just pick up the drill and start drilling with barely even checking my teeth first. I have lost a back tooth due to it breaking and today I went to the dentist only to be told that another one of my back teeth needs a crown as a piece of my tooth has broken off. There is such a large filling in this tooth that there is not enough tooth now to support the filling and without the crown my tooth I'll probably lose the tooth. I've already lost one of my back teeth. We were definitely used as guinea pigs by these dental nurses from hell.

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J . Ohanlon Posted: 15 Sep 2022

I am also convinced we were used as Guinea pigs to train dentists.
I weren’t to a South Auckland primary school in the 70’s & remember the fear of being summoned to the murder house.
After 40 years I have only had 1 other tooth cause me problems but had 4 back tooth fillings before the age of 10, 2 of which had to be removed. I also suffered from having to endure the pain of drilling without pain relief.
I think we all need to create a class action case & sue for the suffering and damages that we all have endured as children & adults from this barbaric system.
This is not a coincidence.

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k PeoplesAnonymous Posted: 9 Nov 2022

While attending school dentist while at primary school in Christchurch I had numerous unnecessary filings. As soon as I left primary school, almost no further cavities. I now suffer both the pain and financial burden of multiple crowns to repair the harm caused by the school dentists. I am surprised no one has commenced a class action against this injustice. Perhaps we should.

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Anonymous Posted: 2 Dec 2022

I too have horrific memories of the visits to the New Zealand school dental nurse. No pain relief was ever given! I actually fainted in the chair, from pain…TWICE! Drilling on my front tooth was the most painful experience. I am now 64 and still carry a huge ‘going to the dentist phobia.’ I have spent thousands over the years on my teeth, due to what I presume were unnecessary fillings when young. Our family were also healthy eaters, and big on cleaning our teeth, and yet all 5 of us have mouths full of amalgam.

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Anonymous Posted: 29 Jan 2023

Like everyone else in previous comments below I can attribute all 4 of my very large amalgam/mercury based fillings to just one year during primary school in the early 1970’s. Despite not having a filling for the rest of my life until now, those 1970’s fillings have recently caused sufficient damage to need replacement at huge cost. The fillings were so extensive crowns were required.
Like other contributors here, we ate healthily, were fastidious in our dental hygiene and had fluoride tablets in our water. So the reason for those 1970’s fillings given at the time was preventative. The experience like everyone else’s was painful and created a lifelong fear of dentistry. As a health professional I’m left wondering how a school based service could intentionally damage healthy teeth under the guise of protection without even a consent from a parent required nor a referral to a properly qualified dentist. Like others here I am paying vast amounts in dental care to repair the damage these old fillings have done

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Tony Posted: 10 Apr 2023

I' wish I could Say. Ok ,let's get over it move on, What What,,and laugh & smile , Is there compensation? Or can I rip there teeth out and take there smile

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Anonymous Posted: 24 Aug 2023

as a Primary School pupil in 1960's Hawkes Bay the one thing that children were terrified of was the School Dental Nurse.
Not only did we receive a mouth full of needless fillings but were subject to emotional and physical abuse and to this day affects many of us to the point that we dont trust Dentists and pay out thousands of dollars for ongoing dental treatment. Spent over $80000 over three years removing all of the amalgam fillings from those horrible days including root canals, caps and bridges and at the end of it all you end up with dentures.
The Government wont admit to the barbaric and unecessary treatment we received in those days and dont receive any partial payment help from the Government for expensive ongoing treatments arising from nasty under qualified Dental Nurses that would drill and fill tooth simply because they could.

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Sarah-Jane Posted: 14 Nov 2023

As a Child growing up in Christchurch int he 70’s & 80’s we were loaded into a bus and taken to the murder house. Rows of dental chairs and dental students would practice on our teeth. I remember trying so hard to be nice and keep my mouth open so they would be kind back to me. My mouth is full of fillings. At 53 I’m now left with little enamel and possibly more crowns to come as the fillings disintegrate . I can’t afford these! I’ve spent at least $500 every visit. My sister ,a year younger never went to the murder house and has only one filling. Surely ACC should be helping us victims of this barbaric system!
I was told the dental school was burnt down and all records lost…anyone ever approached the government for compensation?

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