Dentist Leaves Drill Bit in Patient’s Sinus

A Florida woman recently had an inch-long dentist drill bit burr removed from her sinus after nearly a year.

When an oral surgeon removed two decayed teeth from the 35-year-old woman's mouth, he apparently did not notice that he had lost the drill bit.

The woman experienced pain, sinus infections, dizziness, numbness and other symptoms. Her lawyer claims the oral surgeon dismissed her concerns out of hand. He did not x-ray her, which would have shown the burr.

She ended up at a hospital for treatment. Not knowing she had a piece of metal stuck in her head, doctors there gave her a magnetic scan – which caused the metal to move, causing severe pain. (Luckily, pain was all it caused… the fact is, the magnetic scan could have killed her.)

Eleven months after the drill burr got trapped in her sinus, it was surgically removed. It remains to be seen whether she will have lasting health problems; nickel poisoning is a concern.

Not surprisingly, she hired a lawyer and filed suit. The dentist (no longer practicing at that office) declined to comment.

Read more: Dentist’s drill bit left in head for 11 months, lawsuit says