G4 by Golpa, the Las Vegas–founded dental implant practice behind the proprietary “G4 Implant Solution,” has been named in at least two wrongful death lawsuits tied to patients who died after single-visit implant surgeries, and one of its Dallas dentists is currently practicing under a probated license suspension. The pending G4 by Golpa lawsuits — one in Nevada, one in Texas — allege that patients with serious underlying health conditions were cleared for lengthy operations that they were not medically fit to undergo.
The Nevada Wrongful Death Case: Estate of John Cronin
John Cronin underwent surgery at G4 by Golpa’s Las Vegas facility on November 5, 2019. The procedure removed 23 teeth and replaced them with implants. Cronin had hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Court filings state his blood oxygen dropped below 90 percent during surgery, and he was discharged unable to walk or regain coherence. He was taken to a hospital and died of cardiopulmonary arrest.1Findlaw. Estate of Cronin v. G4 Dental Enterprises LLC
Cronin’s estate and his wife and two children sued G4 Dental Enterprises LLC (doing business as G4 by Golpa), Dr. Mike Golpa, Dr. Anna Shagharyan, Dr. Arshid Torkaman, and Dr. Scott Young. The complaint raised nine causes of action; the core claims were medical negligence, product liability tied to the G4 Implant Solution, and fraud. The estate alleged the defendants failed to properly screen and evaluate Cronin before surgery, failed to monitor him adequately during the procedure, and fabricated medical records about his suitability.1Findlaw. Estate of Cronin v. G4 Dental Enterprises LLC
The Product Liability Ruling
A central question was whether G4’s implant system counted as a “product” that could support strict liability. The district court initially said no. In April 2023, the Court of Appeals of Nevada reversed. Because Dr. Golpa invented the proprietary process, the implants were custom-designed and made in G4’s in-house laboratories, and the company marketed and sold them directly to patients, the court held it was plausible that a defectively designed or improperly tested implant could have obstructed Cronin’s oxygen or prolonged the surgery. Product liability against the anesthesiologist, Dr. Scott Young, was affirmed as dismissed, and claims for ordinary negligence and elder abuse were also affirmed as dismissed. Several other claims, including wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress, were treated as waived because the estate did not raise them on appeal.1Findlaw. Estate of Cronin v. G4 Dental Enterprises LLC
Status in 2025
Back in the district court after remand, the G4 defendants sought a writ of mandamus asking the appellate court to overturn an order that had denied their motion to dismiss and let the estate amend its pleadings. On February 19, 2025, the Court of Appeals of Nevada denied the petition, finding the defendants had an adequate remedy through a standard appeal from a final judgment.2Findlaw. Torkaman v. Estate of Cronin The case continues.
The Texas Wrongful Death Case: Fredericka Bailey
Fredericka Bailey was 82, on dialysis four times a week for end-stage renal disease, and carried the sickle cell trait. After a virtual consultation in May 2022 with Dr. Andrew Kelsey, surgical director at G4 by Golpa’s Dallas location, she traveled from the Houston area on July 5, 2022 for implant surgery. The procedure removed teeth, shaved jawbone, and placed nine implants over two days. The first day involved roughly 10 to 11 hours of work and about four hours of sedation.3Dallas Morning News. Dental Implant Surgery Lawsuit
Bailey was described as lethargic on the second day. She then made the four-hour drive home to Sugarland. Within two days she developed severe lower back pain, went to an emergency room, was treated for musculoskeletal pain, and was sent home with sedatives and steroids. She was found dead in her bed the next morning. The cause was a saddle pulmonary embolism.3Dallas Morning News. Dental Implant Surgery Lawsuit
In January 2024, Bailey’s heirs, Jacqueline Kinloch and John W. Johnson III, filed a $1 million wrongful death suit in Dallas County against Dr. Kelsey and Frontline Dental Implant Specialists, Inc., doing business as G4 by Golpa.4DrBicuspid. Dentist Sued for $1M Following Patient Death The complaint alleges Kelsey and the practice were negligent and grossly negligent by failing to consult Bailey’s nephrologist or hematologist before the roughly $40,000 procedure, by failing to recognize her conditions disqualified her from such extensive surgery, and by not offering shorter appointments instead of a marathon session followed by a long commute.5Fox 4 News. Dallas Dentist Lawsuit Fredericka Bailey It also alleges Frontline maintained a policy that “discourages clinicians from getting medical clearance for patients.” An expert cited in the suit called the failure to identify Bailey as an unsuitable candidate for IV anesthesia, traveling surgery, and extended chair time “key faults that ultimately led to the demise of Mrs. Bailey.”
Procedural Status
The trial court dismissed the case on December 7, 2024, finding the plaintiffs’ expert report insufficient on causation and refusing a 30-day extension to cure the deficiency allowed under Texas health care liability law. On August 21, 2025, the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas reversed. It agreed the report was deficient but held the trial court abused its discretion in denying the extension, and it remanded the case.6Justia. Kinloch v. Kelsey After remand, the trial court entered a dismissal for want of prosecution in September 2025. The plaintiffs filed motions to modify the order and requested an extension, with hearings set for October 2025. The case remains open.7UniCourt. Kinloch v. Kelsey, DDS, Frontline Dental Implant Specialists
Disciplinary Actions
Dr. Andrew Kelsey has been disciplined by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners twice. In 2019, the board sanctioned him for failing to adequately evaluate a patient and obtain medical clearance from that patient’s primary care provider before invasive dental surgery.5Fox 4 News. Dallas Dentist Lawsuit Fredericka Bailey In November 2023, after Bailey’s death, the board found he had violated the minimum standard of care by failing to account for the duration of the surgery, the length of Bailey’s commute, and the need for a hospital setting given her age and medical conditions. Kelsey agreed to a settlement order imposing a three-year probated license suspension, a $4,000 fine, and eight hours of continuing education.3Dallas Morning News. Dental Implant Surgery Lawsuit He continues to practice under that probated suspension.
On the Nevada side, the State Board of Dental Examiners unanimously approved a stipulation agreement involving Dr. Mike Golpa at its September 11, 2024 meeting. The publicly available minutes do not disclose the terms of the agreement or the underlying conduct.8Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners. Board Meeting Minutes, September 11, 2024
An Earlier Malpractice Suit
A separate medical malpractice case was filed in February 2020 by a patient named Monica Hamley against Golpa Dental Implant Center, Dr. Andrew Kelsey, Dr. Todd Jay Anderson, and the estate of Dr. Joseph Vincent Nicolosi in Dallas County. Court records show the case was settled in May 2022, with an agreed motion to dismiss filed with prejudice as to certain parties. The terms are not public.9UniCourt. Monica Hamley vs. Golpa Dental Implant Center et al.
Who Owns G4 by Golpa
The corporate defendant differs by location. In Las Vegas, the practice operates as G4 Dental Enterprises LLC, doing business as G4 by Golpa; Dr. Golpa is identified as the inventor of the proprietary implant process, and dentists including Dr. Shagharyan and Dr. Torkaman have practiced within G4’s office space as alleged joint venturers.1Findlaw. Estate of Cronin v. G4 Dental Enterprises LLC
On May 1, 2022, G4 by Golpa was acquired by Frontline Dental Implant Specialists, a dental implant partnership network backed by Leon Capital Group.10PR Newswire. Frontline Dental Implant Specialists Selects Leigh Feenburg as Their CEO The Dallas G4 location is now formally operated by Frontline Dental Implant Specialists, Inc., the named defendant in the Bailey case. Frontline says its model lets partner practices keep their original branding and clinical autonomy.11Frontline Dental Implant Specialists. Partner With Frontline