Metal File Lodges in Dental Patient’s Throat

A 74-year-old man has brought a  against his dentist after a metal file was accidentally dropped down his throat while he was receiving routine treatment.

Alexander Hoar was undergoing root-canal treatment at his dental surgery in Penzance when the one-inch long root canal file became lodged in his throat, reports . The dentist immediately attempted to retrieve the file, but was unsuccessful.

Although the file fortunately didn’t block Mr Hoar’s airways, he was in extreme discomfort and was scared of doing anything that might make the file move further down his throat. Despite his discomfort, he was left to make his own way to hospital, and actually had to go to two different hospitals before he was able to see a consultant.

By this time, several hours had passed and the file had passed down into Mr Hoar’s stomach. He then had to endure the retrieval of the file and also endoscopic surgery to repair the small tear it had caused to the lining of his stomach.

Speaking to Cornwall Live, Mr Hoar described his experience as “completely traumatising”.

A spokesperson for the dental practice said it was investigating the incident and had also reviewed its procedures to prevent such an incident happening again in the future.

A visit to the dentist can be a stressful experience for people at the best of times, but when things go wrong it can have a serious impact on the patient’s physical and emotional health.

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