Illinois Man Gets $675,000 After Swallowing Dental File During Root Canal
A Chicago area man spent more than a month in the hospital after a dentist allegedly dropped a dental file down his throat. Now the man is receiving more than half-million dollars.
An Illinois man received a $675,000 settlement this week after his dentist allegedly dropped a dental file down
his
throat during a root canal
procedure.
The patient,
Pawlowicz
,
that the dentist seemed to be looking for something after the procedure, but the dentist downplayed the situation and
never followed up with the patient.
“She told me when she found it she will be calling me,”
Pawlowicz
said he began to feel
severe
pain in his abdomen. An X-ray revealed the presence of the file, and
Pawlowicz
filed a lawsuit, and this week his legal team announced a
six-figure
settlement with the dentist
, Beata
Pawlowicz’s
attorney.
A May 2014
in the
Journal of the American Dental Association
found damage from swallowed dental objects can be minimized if caught and retrieved early. If the object isn’t located quickly, more serious consequences—even death—can occur.
of 78 swallowed object cases in Austria found 86% of the objects passed through the gastrointestinal tract spontaneously without complication. Eleven percent were removed with endoscopy, and 3% required surgery.
Kozar-Warchalowska
has not commented publicly on the settlement. A search of Illinois professional licensure database
shows no record of disciplinary actions against the dentist.
