A patient in Texas is seeking up to $1 million from a practice and dentist for allegedly pulling the wrong tooth and trying to "stuff the tooth into the socket" after realizing the error, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
On July 11, Khisha Johnson filed a negligence lawsuit in the District Court of Harris County, TX, against Dr. Katherine Fairleigh Hoffman and Texas Dental Associates, doing business as Lovett Dental. There are more than two dozen Lovett Dental practices in Texas.
Johnson, who claims to continue to experience severe pain and needs extensive restorative dental work, is seeking between $250,000 and $1 million in damages for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical disfigurement, and impairment, according to the suit.
In July 2022, Johnson went to Lovett Dental for a simple tooth extraction. Johnson claims that Hoffman negligently extracted the wrong tooth and attempted to place it back into its socket.
She further alleges that Hoffman failed to properly examine and diagnose the correct tooth that needed to be pulled and acted negligently in multiple ways, including not obtaining proper patient consent for procedures, which failed to meet the standard of care expected of her profession, according to the complaint.
Additionally, Johnson accuses Lovett Dental and Texas Dental Associates of negligent hiring practices and creating an unreasonable risk of harm to patients by employing an incompetent dentist, according to the suit.
