Accused cut a lingual nerve while extracting a wisdom tooth
A dentist who used 'tremendous force' to extract a wisdom tooth carelessly severed a nerve, impairing her patient's sense of taste, a prosecutor told the Dental Council yesterday.
Shirley Ng Sau-chi, of Bayley and Jackson Medical Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, cut Ho Sin-ping's lingual nerve during the extraction. The injury left Ms Ho unable to taste sour, bitter or salty flavours on the right side of her tongue. Dr Ng is accused of professional misconduct for failing to refer the patient to a specialist when complications arose; of negligently severing the lingual nerve through careless practice; of failing to monitor the condition of the patient's tongue during follow-up consultations; and of failing to refer the patient for remedial treatment.
The council heard Dr Ng had initially tried a routine extraction of the wisdom tooth, but that, when the decayed crown shattered, she performed a surgical extraction that required sectioning the tooth and removing it in four pieces.
Ms Ho said she had expressed concern over possible nerve damage, but was reassured by Dr Ng.
'After the surgery Dr Ng told me I was lucky that she didn't refer me to a specialist, who would have cost HK$4,000 while she only cost HK$1,600,' Ms Ho said.
When Ms Ho returned for her follow-up consultation, she told Dr Ng she could no longer feel her tongue, which had led to her biting it, causing ulcers. Ms Ho said she was told not to worry and that it was 'all in my head'.