A patient filed a lawsuit against a dental practice in Missouri after a dental file was allegedly dropped down his throat during a root canal, according to a story published on July 15 in the Kansas City Star.
John Bussard filed the suit against Dental Arts KC in Independence, MO, claiming the incident left him with a permanent scar on his neck, difficulty swallowing and speaking, and pain in the area where the dental instrument was lodged, according to the story.
In July 2023, Bussard went to Dental Arts KC to have a root canal. During the procedure, Dr. Jeremy Bowen drilled a hole in Bussard’s tooth and either Bowen or another team member allegedly dropped the metal file down his throat.
In the lawsuit, Bussard claims that Bowen tried to retrieve the file by accompanying him to a bathroom and attempted to get him to vomit the instrument, according to the story.
Though this approach failed, the dental practice allegedly did not call an ambulance. Instead, Bussard went to the hospital in his own vehicle, following behind a dental assistant who drove Bowen there, according to the story. To remove the file, Bussard had to have surgery.
Bussard accuses Bowen of not inserting a dental dam or other instrument that would have prevented him from swallowing the file. Furthermore, Bussard alleges that Bowen only had some training in endodontics and did not have a board certification or a master’s degree in this specialty, according to the story.
