Woman From Leamington Spa Lives With Dental Drill Lodged In Her Jaw For 2 Years
Alison Southwood from Leamington Spa has spoken about how a dental drill bit stayed lodged in her mouth for more than two years after it snapped off during a routine dental appointment.
Despite several consultations with some of the country’s best dentists, medics have been unable to remove the metal from her jaw.
As the drill piece is situated so close to a nerve they are reluctant to remove it as it could cause her to lose sensation one one side of her face.
Despite not admitting to any liability, the dental firm did pay Southwood a £5500 in an out-of-court settlement.
The 44 year old sales and innovation manager said she has struggled through a long ordeal since the incident in March 2013.
She went to the dentist for root canal surgery at Genix Healthcare in Cirencester. Though her mouth was numbed and she didn’t feel anything when the drill snapped several minutes into the procedure, She said she immediately knew what had happened.
Southwood described how the room became quiet and the dentist exchanged a worried look with the dental nurse before leaving the room to discuss the matter privately. She was told that all they could do was fill the hole and send her home as the drill piece was lodged too far down into her jawbone.
Her tooth was left to rot in the meantime and she now faces extraction. By removing the tooth, it is hoped that surgeons will be able to reach the drill bit and remove it.
If left for too long, Southwood said the metal could cause a toxic reaction. She currently has a temporary filling while she waits to have a replacement tooth fitted.
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