An Illinois woman who says she sustained severe and permanent injuries following a series of root canals and an implant is suing her dentist, alleging he was unqualified to perform some of the procedures.
She is seeking more than $50,000 in damages.
According to a complaint filed in Madison County Circuit Court, Jennifer Van Wyk is suffering from bone loss, extreme pain, and a severe infection following a series of dental procedures.
Van Wyk first started receiving treatment from Richard Boatman Jr., D.M.D., when she went to his Troy Family Dental practice in 2004 for various dental conditions.
During the course of treatment, Dr. Boatman performed three root canals on Van Wyk.
In April 2006, one of the teeth on which Dr. Boatman had performed a root canal fractured, and he recommended to Van Wyk that she have an implant placed where the broken tooth was extracted, according to the complaint.
The following month, Dr. Boatman placed an implant at the site of the tooth, which he then covered with a crown. But the crown on the implant fractured during normal use a year later in July 2007.
In August 2007, Dr. Boatman attempted to remove the fractured crown with the use of a drill, but ended up drilling into the implant itself, according to the complaint. He continued to provide care and treatment to Van Wyk through October 2007.
The complaint accuses Dr. Boatman of negligently, carelessly, and improperly providing care and treatment to Van Wyk, including the performing of a root canal, placement of an implant abutment, and drilling into the implant abutment.
It also faults him for failing to prescribe prophylactic antibiotics, failing to identify and diagnose gum infection, and performing procedures for which he was unqualified.
"As a direct and proximate result of defendant's negligence and unskillfulness, plaintiff sustained severe and permanent injuries, in that she developed a severe infection and bone loss, suffered and continues to suffer extreme pain, has lost her normal enjoyment of life; has expended and will continue to expend large sums of money endeavoring to be cured of her injuries, including numerous dental procedures," the complaint reads.
Van Wyk is seeking a judgment for an amount in excess of $50,000 and further relief as the court deems just and proper, according to the complaint.
Dr. Boatman declined to comment on the case.
Van Wyk's lawyer, John Papa of Granite City, IL, also declined to answer questions about the case.
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