23-Year-Old Woman In A Coma After Undergoing Wisdom Teeth Removal

A 23-year-old Hawaii woman is in a coma after going into cardiac arrest while getting her wisdom teeth removed at the dentist, according to news reports.

Kristen Tavares, who has two children, was getting four wisdom teeth taken out on Monday, March 17. She had gone to the dental office of Dr. John Stover, who is also a cosmetic surgeon, for the procedure, Hawaii Civil Beat reported.

But while at the dentist, "she went into cardiac arrest and they had to use a defibrillator and shocked her, stunned her heart," Chauncey Prudencio, Tavares' boyfriend, told Hawaii News Now. She was then flown to Maui Medical Center, but she is still unresponsive.

It's unknown at this point what exactly caused Tavares to go into cardiac arrest. Stover is the recipient of three medical complaints (including two that are pending); the third one, which Hawaii Civil Beat reported was for failure "to comply with both licensing rules and laws governing professional conduct," did not lead to action being taken against Stover. Stover is certified to administer intravenous sedation, according to Hawaii Civil Beat.

WWLP 22 News reported that right now, the police are not investigating the case.

The incident follows a couple of similar cases of people experiencing severe medical issues while undergoing dental or oral procedures. A 3-year-old in Hawaii died after experiencing brain damage after she underwent procedures on 10 of her teeth; and a 13-year-old in Oakland was declared brain dead after she underwent tonsil removal surgery, USA Today reported.

For more on Tavares' case, watch the video above.