THIS story is not for those who already fear going to the dentist.
A Hong Kong man, identified only as Mr Lin, 69, went to a private clinic to treat a toothache on 25 Aug.
While the dentist, Dr Ruan, was carrying out gum treatment and tooth-filling, a 1.5cm-long piece of dental equipment accidentally dropped into Mr Lin's mouth.
And Mr Lin swallowed it.
The sharp metal object was a tool used in the filling of teeth, reported Apple Daily.
Dr Ruan immediately took MrLin to a specialist nearby for fear that the metal object might be stuck in Mr Lin's throat, or worse, embedded in his lungs.
But after some checks, both the dentist and the specialist declared MrLin was fine and did not require any treatment to remove the object.
Dr Ruan even convinced Mr Lin to return to the clinic and complete his treatment.
That night, when Mr Lin told his family about the incident, they rushed him to hospital, where an X-ray showed that the object was lodged in Mr Lin's gut.
On the doctor's advice, the family decided to wait a few days to see if MrLin could pass out the object naturally.
Five days went by, but the tool remained inside Mr Lin's body.
Another X-ray revealed that the object had now pierced Mr Lin's small intestine.
The puncture was small and posed no great danger to Mr Lin's health.
But the doctors were worried that the metal object would rust in time if left inside Mr Lin's intestine.
Mr Lin will soon undergo an operation to remove it.
COMPLAINT
Mr Lin's son is now accusing DrRuan of covering up his mistake and not sending MrLin to the hospital for treatment right after the accident.
The younger Mr Lin is planning to lodge a complaint with the Dental Association as well as demand compensation from DrRuan.
The dentist told Apple Daily that this was the first time in his 20-odd years as a dentist that he encountered an incident like this.
He admitted he had been careless, but said that it had been an accident, and he had meant Mr Lin no harm.
Other dentists told Apple Daily that such accidents can occur, especially when the patients sneeze, shiver, or when they swallow their saliva during treatment.
source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...41506,00.html?
HK man swallows tool at dentist's 
