Is It Safe?

Life imitates art: in this case, Marathon Man:

A dentist who pulled out an elderly woman’s teeth without anaesthetic “to teach her a lesson” has been struck off.

David Quelch left the retired nurse, who was 87, with blood pouring from her mouth from two extractions after she had complained to her doctor about the quality of previous treatment by the dentist.

After a three-day hearing the General Dental Council found Mr Quelch, 54, guilty of serious professional misconduct and ordered his name to be removed from the register.

The woman, referred to as Patient A, gave her evidence via a video link. She said: “Mr Quelch told me to sit in the chair and raised my feet above my head. I told him I had pain and he told me he was going to extract my teeth. I objected. I didn’t think it was necessary. He ignored my remarks and pulled out the tooth. I was bleeding profusely.

“He lowered my head and pushed my chest and proceeded to extract the other tooth against my will. I was very upset and alarmed.”

She said that she asked to spit blood into a bowl at the side of the dental chair but Mr Quelch had refused and said: “No, don’t spit in the bowl, you might have Aids.”

She added: “I said I didn’t want my tooth removed — he pushed me back, pushing me hard across my chest and extracted the second tooth. All I wanted was a filling.”

Given the general state of British dental health, I'm surprised she had two teeth to lose at her age.

But seriously folks:

A dentist or doctor doesn't suddenly turn into a sadist overnight. He didn't just snap; pulling teeth as a form of revenge is not an impulsive act like throwing a chair or a random punch.

This fellow was likely deliberately inflicting needless injury on his patients long before: not pulling their teeth, of course, but there are other, less blatant methods.

You wonder sometimes whether the ability to inflict pain motivates some people to enter these professions.

Source: Times Online