A mother from China is suing her dentist for compensation, claiming that her botched treatment has made her so ugly that her child is afraid of her and cries when she sees her smile. 33-year-old Xu Feng paid £1,200 to have twelve crowns fitted when she visited a clinic in Chongqing, central China, but not long after the procedure was carried out, she developed infections and abscesses around her teeth, and was left in constant pain.
Surgeons later revealed that the unlicensed dentist had reduced perfectly healthy teeth to stumps, leaving the nerve centre exposed and vulnerable to bacteria. Xu said of her ordeal; ‘Once the anaesthetic wore off, I was in more pain than I could ever have imagined.’ Thankfully, several certified dentists have stepped in to help out, removing the infected crowns and dealing with her pain so that she is at least able to function properly day to day, but Xu is still suffering the aftermath, saying ‘I look like a monster’, without the crowns covering her peg-like teeth. She added ‘I have a one-year-old daughter who won’t come near me if I open my mouth, and screams and cries until I close it. Those people stole my smile.’
Xu’s husband, Zhang Lu, has contacted a lawyer to negotiate with the unlicensed clinics owners, in the hopes that they can recover some funds to put the damage right; initially, the team are aiming at a compensation pay-out of around £10,000.