A 56-year-old American man is preparing to sue a Pattaya dentist for Bt10 million in damages for allegedly letting a one-centimetre-long screw and a piece of dental implant material slide down his throat and into his stomach.

New York native Robert Ramos told local reporters that on August 18 he received a root canal during which he felt solid objects slide down his throat. He recalled being asked by the dentist if he felt like he had swallowed something, before he was taken for an X-ray and given a laxative. He said he was confused as to why he would need a laxative for dental treatment.

Back home, he developed a severe case of diarrhoea and noticed a small metal piece in his excrement. He became so weak that a friend had to rush him to a hospital where doctors found from the X-ray that he had some medical instruments in his stomach.

"I was shocked," he said.

The following day Ramos asked the dentist what kind of dental appliance was inside his stomach and was told it was an undigested drug capsule, which was not harmful and could be passed out if he took laxative pills. He then underwent the remaining dental procedures and paid Bt250,000 for the restoration work.

Ramos said he filed a criminal complaint on August 24, but police suggested he engage an attorney and sue for civil compensation.

The retired businessman said he was disappointed as he had come to Thailand specifically to take advantage of cheap dental services by experts. Such services would cost him up to Bt500,000 in the US.

"I'll never get dental treatment by Thai dentists again. I'm not
confident of the safety aspects," he said.

Lawyer Sathienpong Khamnon said Ramos had presented him with all the documents and evidence in order to sue the dentist for recklessness and demand Bt10 million in compensation.

The dentist admitted to reporters that a one-centimetre-long screw and part of a dental implant had accidentally fallen down Ramos's digestive tract. The dentist said he did not use a rubber piece to block the patient's oral passage as per normal because the man was old and had to breathe through his mouth.

The dentist said his hospital was willing to extricate the pieces free of charge, but hospital staff said such small articles in a patient's stomach would usually pass through the body within five days of taking laxatives.

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