Texas Woman Sues Oral Surgeon After Metal Drill Bit Left Inside Her Jaw
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas woman Indeera Musa is suing Dr. Kirk E. Scott and Stonebriar Facial and Oral Surgery in Frisco, claiming the dental specialist left part of a surgical instrument inside her jaw and then minimized the mistake when it was discovered in X-rays five months later, according to records filed with Dallas County Courts.
She had two dental implants in need of removal and replacement when Dr. Scott performed the oral surgery on Jan. 27, 2020. The suit states that she experienced problems within days of her surgery and called Stonebriar Facial and Oral Surgery to report agonizing pain and swelling. Musa claims Dr. Scott and his staff dismissed her concerns and told her to continue taking prescription and over-the-counter medication. She then returned to the dental office two more times within two weeks of her surgery, prior to her scheduled appointments, because the pain was so intense, according to Musa's attorney Russell Button. Musa claims she was told that everything was fine, but they scheduled her for a third follow-up appointment on June 8, 2020.
The lawsuit alleges that X-rays taken at this follow-up appointment, about five months after her surgery, revealed a metal trephine drill bur (or drill bit) was left inside her jaw, and most likely the cause of her intense pain. Musa said a CT scan taken several days later confirmed the broken trephine drill bit in Musa's jaw. The image was included in court records.
"It is unacceptable and reckless for any dentist or doctor to leave remnants of surgical equipment inside of a patient following a surgery," said Button. "Ms. Musa was forced to live in excruciating pain for five months because Dr. Scott and Stonebriar Facial and Oral Surgery failed to follow safety protocols that were created to prevent careless mistakes like this."
The suit also claims that once the drill bit was discovered in Musa's jaw, Dr. Scott and Stonebriar Facial and Oral Surgery downplayed the error, brushing it off as a normal occurrence. The suit states Dr. Scott told her that "leaving pieces of metal drill bits in a patient's jaw is of no alarm" and likened it to leaving metal bullet fragments in a patient's body.
In a response filed with the court, "Defendants' Original Answer To Plaintiff's Original Petition," the doctors said they "generally deny the material allegations contained in Plaintiff's Original Petition, say the same are not true in whole or in part" and are demanding "strict proof."
The case is still open in Dallas County with no indication so far on the county's web site of next pending steps.
CBS 11 has reached out to Dr. Scott for comment.
