A woman told a Sydney court she could whistle through a gap in her teeth after a drilling job, in a case against two people accused of impersonating registered dentists.
Key points:
- Two people have pleaded not guilty to performing a restricted dental act
- A woman claims she could ‘whistle’ through the gap left in her teeth after dental work
- The defendants also face two counts each of taking patient information when they are not a registered healthcare professional.
She described the two people who drilled into her tooth as “butchers” and said a “chunk” fell out during the procedure.
Amira Karam made an appointment at Guildford Dental Care in October last year after missing part of a filling.
Ms Karam said a woman named Shareen or Sharon introduced herself as the “filling specialist” and introduced a man with a “salt and pepper” beard as the “crown specialist”.
Shirin Ramezani Kharavani and Majid Rahebi have pleaded not guilty to performing a restricted dental act.
They also face two counts each of taking patient information when they are not a registered health professional.
Ms Karam told the court that a woman examined her and told her she might need a root canal.
She said a woman scratched her gum while taking X-rays and a bearded man had to take over.
He also had to finish the job after the woman drilled into his broken tooth for about 15 to 20 minutes and “a piece fell off.”
The entire procedure took up to 50 minutes, and Ms Karam told the court that the man was not wearing gloves while drilling.
She said she also felt she was being pressured to get crowns.
“He said if I get my crowns done, I’ll have a better smile because I have a beautiful face.”
The court heard that when she returned for follow-up treatment nine days later, she was seen by Dr. Charley Wang, who described himself as the “root canal specialist”.
‘Unfinished treatment’
After taking more X-rays, the need for which she questioned, he told her he couldn’t finish the treatment.
The prosecution told the court that Dr. Wang thought there was little chance that the root canal would be successful.
Ms. Karam said at this point during the follow-up appointment that she “lost the thread”, saying “you are butchers”.
No allegations of misconduct have been made against Dr. Wang in this proceeding.
When the woman offered to treat her the next day, Ms Karam said she told them: “I wouldn’t want a butcher near my mouth again.”
She told the court today: “In fact, you could whistle through it (the space between your teeth).”
She said she was reimbursed $300 cash for the initial treatment and went home.
He said that night he received a call from a man on his mobile phone, which he identified through an app as coming from a business called MJ Dental.
The man who identified himself as MJ or MG said he wanted to talk about what had happened to his tooth at the clinic and offered to fix it or pay to have it fixed elsewhere.
She said the call made her cry.
“After telling him I don’t want a butcher playing with my mouth, I hung up.”
The hearing continues at the Downing Center Local Court.