Chinese clinic extracts 12 teeth from heart patient in one go, empties his bank account

He went in with hopes of fixing a toothache, but left with holes in his mouth, wallet and bank account. 

A man surnamed Li from Shaanxi province in China visited Datuanyuan Dental Clinic last September to seek a cure for his aching tooth, South China Morning Post reported on Friday (July 10).

The 63-year-old told Chinese media that the clinic had put out advertisements claiming that patients would be able to "get a dental implant in the morning and eat meat in the afternoon", and even "have a complete set of teeth" to "live past 100".

Believing their advertisements, Li got on a car that the clinic provided, even receiving a free check-up.

'Only had 30 yuan left'

Convinced by the clinic's various offerings, Li placed his faith — and his teeth — in their hands.

However, what was supposed to be a quick fix became a nightmare for Li as the remaining 12 teeth he had in his mouth were all removed, with the clinic placing 10 artificial teeth in Li's mouth, Guangming Online reported.

Li was also charged 18,800 yuan (S$3,573.03) for the procedure, draining his bank account and leaving him 6,200 yuan in debt.

"When my son found me, my mouth was full of blood, and I only had 30 yuan left for bus fare," he told media.

Furthermore, Li suffers from multiple diseases including coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, diabetes and high blood pressure. 

He also has four coronary stents, SCMP reported.

In particular, patients with high blood pressure or a myocardial infarction within six months are advised against undertaking tooth extractions, Chinese National Radio reported.

Male patient listed as female

Upon reviewing the medical records following the procedure, Li's family realised multiple discrepancies — the anaesthesia consent form, for instance, listed Li's gender as female, according to HK01.

Li's family subsequently reported the clinic to the local health bureau.

The local health bureau has since ruled against the clinic, stating that it did not provide alternative treatment plans, failed to perform complete pre-operative assessments and did not keep standard medical records, SCMP reported.

The clinic is reportedly set to receive the maximum administrative penalty and has been ordered to immediately remove all false advertisements, according to HK01.

It was also ordered to close until issues are fixed, and Li has since been refunded for his procedures.

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khooyihang@asiaone.com