Hilo woman in coma following wisdom teeth extraction

HILO, BIG ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) - For the second time in three months there has been a dental tragedy in Hawaii. This time it's a young mother of two from Hilo on life-support. She'd gone to a dentist to get her wisdom teeth pulled and never woke up.

Kristen Tavares' boyfriend dropped her off at the dentist Monday morning thinking it was a routine procedure, but what happened next was anything but routine.

Tavares, the 23 year old mother of two, went in to have all four wisdom teeth pulled at a dentist's office in Hilo, but something went wrong.

"She went into cardiac arrest and they had to use a defibrillator and shocked her, stunned her heart," said Chauncey Prudencio, Tavares' boyfriend.

She was eventually flown to Maui Medical Center where family says she's unresponsive and her heart is too weak to do medical procedures.

"We have to wait and see. They will run tests in the next few days or so but there is no timeline on what or when. It just takes time from here," said Prudencio.

"It's so sad for them. It was supposed to be a day at the doctor's and she was supposed to come right back to her family and now she can't even wake up," said Raychelle Hanohano, Tavares' friend.

Tavares has a four year old son and a three month old baby at home. Her sisters are caring for the four year old and Prudencio's family is caring for the baby.

"It's real hard, especially for her family and just having our three month old son and to be put in this situation is real hard. It's very strenuous and stressful for everyone," said Prudencio.

Tavares' father tells us she didn't have any other medical conditions or allergies that would have been a factor. He says she is young and in great shape.

The family says Dr. John Stover performed the procedure. He has offices in Hilo, Kona and Waimea and also does cosmetic surgery. His website says he is triple board certified and has training, license and experience in various types of anesthesia.

Court documents show he has been sued for medical malpractice in the past, but it was dismissed.

It's unknown what caused the emergency in this case. Dr. Stover did not return our calls or email.

The Hawaii County Police Department is not investigating at this point.

Three year old Finley Boyle died in January a month after falling into a coma during a dental procedure on Oahu.

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