Dentist pays $10,000 fine after accused of faulty implant work

A West Des Moines dentist who specializes in dental implants has agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and to undergo retraining after state regulators alleged that she installed them wrong.

Steffany Mohan was accused last year of performing subpar work on several patients who received dental implants, which are small metal pieces installed in the jaw to anchor artificial teeth or dentures.

The Iowa Dental Board, which regulates the profession, hired an independent expert to review Mohan’s proficiency after the board received complaints about her work on two patients. The expert also looked at records of other patients, and determined Mohan “appears to lack the clinical skills and knowledge for providing dental implant and denture prosthetics and concluded (she) is not practicing to an acceptable standard of care within these areas.”

Mohan is listed as the owner and president of the Plaza Dental Group, a West Des Moines clinic that includes three other dentists. In a video posted on the clinic’s website, she says she focuses her practice on dental implants. She also says on the video that she has delivered lectures to other dentists around the country.

In an interview after the administrative charge against her was filed last May, Mohan told The Des Moines Register that she was disappointed by the allegation and that she had never had such complaints come up before in her 20 years of practice. “I’m confident that when everything comes to light, I’ll be exonerated,” she said. Neither she nor her lawyer responded to requests for comment this week.

According to settlement documents released by the state board last week, Mohan did not admit performing faulty work. However, she agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and to stop installing dental implants until she has undergone retraining and passed a test of her proficiency. She also agreed to refrain from training other dentists on how to do the procedure. Her license was placed on indefinite probation.