A retired RAF navigator and grandfather, who was left needing emergency surgery after a gold crown became lodged in his lung during a dental appointment, said he hopes the practice is better prepared in future after he was awarded £4,500. Paul Thorpe, 58, who lives with his wife, Gillian, 58, a retired teacher, was booked in for an emergency dental appointment in March 2021, during the national lockdown, after a filling fell out.
However, halfway through the appointment, Paul was terrified when he started coughing and struggling to breathe. Paul knew that something was amiss and after his appointment he rushed to A&E, and was horrified when an X-ray revealed his gold crown had become lodged in his right lung and the grandad of two needed emergency surgery.
Traumatised, Paul, who is now fully recovered, reported the dentist and took legal action to ensure this terrifying ordeal would not happen to anyone else – and he was awarded £4,500 in compensation. “I never expected anything like that to happen,” said Paul.
