Speech Therapist Sues Dentist For Rs 10 Crore After Surgery Makes It Too Difficult For Her To Talk

Many surgeries and medical treatments go without a hitch. However, some operations are more complex than others, and surgeons sometimes make mistakes that can affect patients for the rest of their lives. Going through a similar and traumatising situation, a speech therapist is suing her dentist for nearly one million pounds (approximately Rs 10 crore), for a botched-up surgery while extracting her wisdom teeth, reported The Metro.

The 55-year-old Alison Winterbotham claims that she was injured while having her lower right wisdom tooth removed by dentist, Dr Arash Shahrak, in November 2020 after suffering painful gum inflammation.

During the procedure, she alleged that her lingual nerve, which supplies feeling to the tongue, was virtually severed, which left her in terrible pain all the time. She further elaborates that the near-constant burning pain is driving her ‘nuts’ and is even worse when she talks.

Alison Winterbotham, who is a speech therapist by profession, has been greatly affected after the surgery, as the pain makes it difficult for her to speak comfortably.

Claiming the enormous amount in compensation at the High Court, Alison alleges that Dr Shahrak did not fully warn her about the potential risk associated with the major nerve damage before her tooth was pulled out.

However, the dentist denies all the allegations, asserting he gave his patient comprehensive advice about the hazards before they went ahead with the surgery and that he had no reason to assess her as ‘high risk.’

Giving evidence to the media outlet, Mrs Winterbotham likened her pain to a constant burn, explaining, “My tongue is burning and tingling all the time, and I’m in pain. Every time I move my tongue to talk a little bit, the nerve gets hyperstimulated making the burning and tingling even worse. It’s worse when I speak.”

Saying that she ‘desperately’ wants to continue her career, the 55-year-old added that she has been unable to return to speech therapy. Moreover, Alison can only meet two or three counselling clients a day as she has to take breaks from talking.

The Metro in its report further mentioned that Alison Winterbotham said, “Even seeing this many patients can feel like a struggle. If I try to see four clients a day, it feels unmanageable.”

However, the trial is continuing, and Mrs Winterbotham has to prove that the nerve damage would have been avoided if she had had alternative coronectomy treatment to win the case against the dentist.