Caregiver, 58, wins payout after botched tooth extraction left part of a TOOTH stuck in his sinus for two years

A caregiver struggled to breathe for two years after part of his tooth became lodged in his sinuses following a botched tooth extraction.

Mark Shire suffered from chronic sinusitis, which made it difficult for him to sleep and work due to the constant pain, and a stuffy nose made it difficult to breathe.

The 58-year-old, from Marlborough, Wiltshire, originally visited the dentist in January 2020 to remove two teeth in the top left of his mouth that were causing him pain.

But after the extractions he was still in pain and his gums were not healing.

Finally, after two years of suffering, a scan revealed that part of one of the extracted teeth was in his sinuses. He had it removed and decided to take legal action.

Mark Shire, 58, suffered from chronic sinusitis, which made it difficult for him to sleep and work due to the constant pain, and a stuffy nose made it difficult to breathe

“I knew it wasn’t going well because my dentist had a really hard time getting the teeth out,” Mr Shire said.

‘The whole experience was very scary. “I’m so lucky that it was eventually discovered, and I never thought it would all be because of a tooth extraction,” he added.

After the first extraction, Mr Shire was immediately in pain and was told his gums were not healing properly.

A year later, he returned to the same dental office in pain and was prescribed antibiotics and his dentist cleaned the tooth socket.

For two years, Mr. Shire suffered from sinus problems, including terrible headaches, a stuffy nose and a bad taste in his mouth.

He said: ‘In January 2022 I visited a medical practice for sinus pain and congestion as I never thought it would be related to my teeth.

‘They gave me antibiotics and nasal sprays, but the problems persisted.

‘I was then seen by a specialist from the ear, nose and throat department.

‘Despite multiple courses of antibiotics, I suffered from foul-smelling thick green mucus coming out of the left side of my nose and into my throat, facial pain on the left side and a headache on the left side.’

Sinusitis is usually caused by an infection and in most cases goes away on its own within about four weeks, according to the NHS.

However, some medications can help if the infection takes a long time to clear.

It often occurs after a cold or flu and can cause pain around your cheeks, eyes and forehead, nasal congestion and mucus, headaches and toothache, the NHS says.

In June 2022, Mr Shire was referred to hospital, where a CT scan revealed he had a sinus infection on the left side caused by a piece of tooth having been pushed into his sinus.

“The sinusitis made me feel like I had a permanent cold,” he said.

‘The stuffy nose made it hard to breathe, and I always had a terrible taste in my mouth from the pus draining.

‘I often had difficulty sleeping and sometimes couldn’t go to work because the headaches were so bad.

‘The whole experience was very scary. I’m so lucky it was caught in the end, and I never thought it would all be because of a tooth extraction.”

After his ordeal, Mr Shire went back to his dentist in November that year to tell her what had happened as a result of her treatment.

But he claims he had an x-ray taken but was given no apology for the botched extraction.

In May last year, he underwent surgery under general anesthesia, during which surgeons removed the tooth fragment left in his sinus.

‘I had to take two weeks off work to recover. Then my sinus problems disappeared and healed,” Mr. Shire explained.

Mr Shire decided to take legal action and was awarded a payout of £8,400, but the dentist involved did not admit liability.

Further analysis from the Dental Law Partnership found that the tooth extractions resulted in a tooth fragment breaking away and being pushed into the sinus.

It was also found that no attempt had been made to locate or remove the problem, or to refer Mr Shire to have the problem corrected.

Heather Owen of the Dental Law Partnership said: “The distress and pain experienced by our client was completely unnecessary.

‘If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, his problems could have been prevented.’