A mom says she told her son’s new dentist, ‘Either I’m coming with him, or I’m leaving,’ and the clinic canceled the appointment

Wisconsin mom Khloé Kuriatnyk (khloekuriatnyk) recently took to Instagram and TikTok to claim that her new dental clinic refused to let her attend her son’s dental appointment. As she told over 1 million viewers in her video, “There’s no way in h-ll you’re going to tell me that I’m crazy for not wanting my child to be alone in a room with a dentist, a doctor, a stranger, whoever.”

Sitting in her car, Kuriatnyk told her viewers that she felt so taken aback when the staff told her she couldn’t accompany her son during his first appointment that she complied. However, she regretted not speaking up. When she was supposedly told that he needed two fillings and maybe even a root canal, that is when she really began to question things. Kuriatnyk stated that she takes her son to the dentist regularly and no concerns had been raised at his last appointment.

This time, when she made the appointment, Kuriatnyk said that she specifically mentioned she wanted to be with her son and was told that would not be a problem. According to her post, when she got there, the staff first tried to get her to sign a consent form for nitrous oxide, which she refused, saying that he is fine with a sedative shot. The mother claimed that she was then told, yet again, that she couldn’t go in with him, but this time she held her ground.

Kuriatnyk said the clinic tried to mollify her

Kuriatnyk says she told the staff, “I’m not comfortable with this. So either I’m coming with him, or I’m leaving.” She claimed that they then just tried to give her a tour and send her back. Kuriatnyk refused, pointing out that they were strangers. She noted that a manager then tried to explain that they wanted “a close relationship with the patient,” explaining that they valued children.

Kuriatnyk said it all felt “sketchy.” She asked her viewers, “Why do you need to have a close relationship, and why can’t I be there to experience that close relationship? That’s weird.” She noted that the clinic finally just cancelled the appointment.

Some dental offices do ask parents to stay out of the treatment room. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recognizes parental presence or absence as a technique that can help gain a child’s cooperation during treatment, and notes a wide diversity in how practitioners and parents approach it.

Kuriatnyk’s viewers responded with alarm. One user, who claimed to be in the dental field, found it super odd, noting, “There’s a difference between giving the dentist space to build trust and telling me I can’t be present for my child’s treatment. Absolutely NOT!” Another person questioned the wording of the explanation, writing, “Close relationship with a patient, that’s a minor???? No.”

Some commenters wondered if this was an attempt to upsell. One user suggested, “Maybe they pretend to do work and charge you more and they can’t fake it if you’re around.” Others urged Kuriatnyk to seek a second opinion on the diagnosis, with one person writing, “People lie all the time.”

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the dentist’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Kuriatnyk’s Instagram and TikTok posts.