Mother charged after son, 5, loses 12 teeth to decay

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) -- The mother of a 5-year-old boy who had to have a dozen rotting teeth removed faces a child-endangerment charge.
Eneida Resto, 43, of Bethlehem, waived a preliminary hearing Friday and remains free on bail.
The boy, who lost all his molars, cannot eat properly because of the pain and decay, prosecutors said. He had complained of pain in his mouth and headaches for more than a year, police said. According to a police affidavit, Resto told authorities her son's baby teeth would have fallen out on their own anyway.
Dr. Nicholas Prusack, an oral surgeon, contacted the county's Children, Youth and Families Division after treating the boy in February.
The child has eight teeth remaining but has trouble chewing without molars, Prusack said. The boy has been placed in foster care.
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