BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- A Pennsylvania mother is behind bars because, police said, her son's lack of dental care was her fault.

• Survey: Poor Dental Care: Abuse?

According to a local dentist, the 5-year-old boy has just eight teeth left and will need to be on a special soft food diet. The dentist said the child's tooth decay was so severe, it was criminal, and police agreed.

Dr. Nicholas Prusack said the nerves are exposed in several places.

"This is the X-ray showing the rotted teeth of the 5 year-old victim, and 12 of them so infected they had to be pulled," Prusack said.

Investigators said the damage was the result of the boy having never seen a dentist.

Now, his mother, 43-year-old Erneida Resto of Bethlehem, Pa., is charged with endangering her son's welfare.

Northampton County, Pa., children and youth services began investigating Resto in February when she took her son to a dental office in Salisbury Towsnhip, Pa.

That is where Prusack performed the surgery, saying the boy was in so much pain he could not eat.

"It is probably one of the worst cases," Prusack said.

Prusack was so concerned that he notified authorities, who said the boy had been complaining of headaches and pain in his mouth since the summer of 2005.

According to court documents, his mother said she knew her son was hurting, but did not take him to a dentist because she figured his baby teeth would fall out and the problem would fix itself.

Prusack said if he hadn't removed the boy's teeth he would likely have ended up in the hospital within six months.

He said the boy is now left with only six teeth on the bottom and two teeth on top and has a long road ahead.

"He's not going to have all of his permanent teeth, and for the next 10 years chewing food will be a problem for him," Prusack said.

Restohas been sent to Northampton County Prison under $25,000 bail. A preliminary hearing was set for Sept. 22.

The boy is now in foster care, officials said.