In a story that sounds like something straight out of a horror film, a Florida pediatric dentist is accused of pulling out more than 50 kids' teeth unnecessarily and in some cases, choking them until they were unconscious.

The swarm of allegations began after the mother of a 6-year-old girl posted on Facebook about her experience at the office Howard Schneider, DDS, in Jacksonville, Fla. The mom alleged that her daughter was going to have 1 tooth pulled, but instead Dr. Schneider removed 7. She wrote that she was not allowed to accompany the girl into the procedure room for the 3-hour session, and that her daughter claimed the dentist had also choked her during the procedure.

The post went viral. Dozens of parents soon came forward with similar tales of their children's teeth being removed for no reason, with some saying they were also choked in the process. Now, nearly 50 of the parents have joined together to file a class action lawsuit against Dr. Schneider for assault and battery.

In the suit — which alleges the dentist committed "sadistic and serial child abuse" — parents claim that the dentist choked children "to the point of unconsciousness rather than using appropriate anesthetic;" performed painful procedures without anesthetic; performed unnecessary procedures; scared and threatened children to silence them; and barred parents from the room during treatment.

The parents say they believe the dentist performed the extractions to make a profit from Medicaid. A recent CNN report says the dentist collected nearly $4 million from Medicaid over the last 5 years.

This isn't the first time Dr. Schneider has been accused of malpractice, CNN reported. In 1995, he was sued twice. In 1 case, he was accused of placing 16 unnecessary crowns in the mouth of a 3-year-old. He settled that case for $7,500. The second case's outcome is unknown.

In addition to the class action suit Dr. Schneider currently faces, the Florida Attorney General's office said it has launched a criminal Medicaid fraud investigation against him that spans decades.

Dr. Schneider has voluntarily relinquished his medical license, according to the Florida Department of Health. Calls made by Outpatient Surgery requesting comment were not immediately returned.

Kendal Gapinski