Woman awarded
by Guy Hiscott
A jury in South Carolina has awarded damages in the amount of €1.4m ($2m) to a woman who had 13 of her teeth mistakenly extracted by a dentist.
Back in 2006, Elizabeth Smith, aged 28, attended the Sexton Dental Clinic for dental treatment involving the extraction of three teeth. For some reason, the dentist proceeded to remove all of Ms Smith’s upper teeth, resulting in a total extraction of 16 teeth.
Ms Smith’s lawyer, Robert Ranson, said his client is now looking forward to having remedial dental work performed, which, it is thought, will cost in the region of €50,000 ($80,000).
Mr Ranson had claimed that the clinic’s employees tried to cover up the mistake by altering the paperwork.
The Sexton Dental Clinic denies any wrongdoing and is considering appealing the judgment.