When I was 7 years old, I was physically assaulted and emotionally tormented by my childhood dentist, Dr. Steven Ripple, who still practices in the Greater Baton Rouge Area at Smile Stars. Recently, I gathered the courage to share my story publicly on Facebook, in the hopes of warning other parents and keeping children safe from him. I was afraid at first no one would believe me. What I saw instead was a rush of hundreds of other victims who had also experienced or witnessed abuse at Dr. Ripple's hands. Those who spoke out included adults who were previous patients of Dr. Ripple's, parents of his recent patients, and former employees. The timeline of these stories ranged from decades ago to only weeks ago. They included details of physical abuse, psychological abuse, unnecessary treatments and procedures, too much, too little, or no sedation during procedures, performing procedures without parental consent, inappropriate behavior, such as kissing his pediatric patients on the cheek or forehead, and intimidating or brainwashing his employees. In his 30 years of practice, Dr. Ripple has hurt and traumatized countless children. It has also become clear that Dr. Ripple has had complaints filed against him multiple times over his career, and yet no action has been taken by the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry. Many of us are filing complaints now, but this time, we want to make sure we are heard. Action must be taken. We are outraged that this man has been allowed to have power over children for such a long time, and that he is still hurting children today. He bullied us into silence and used fear to make us feel alone in our experiences. We are not alone anymore. We know now that it was not just us. He has been hurting other people all along, and may continue to hurt this next generation of children as long as he is allowed to practice. There are many of us, and we are now in this together. Steven Ripple has silenced us long enough.

To view the Facebook post that spurred hundreds of people to share their stories, please click this link. You will find some photos of stories shared with me privately, as well as commenters sharing their own stories. Too many people have come forward to ignore. Sign with us to demand that the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry revoke Steven Ripple's license and permanently remove him from his position of power over children.