Nothing to smile about after four years, two ops: Still no front teeth
When Dean Hatcher went into hospital for rotator cuff surgery, he had no idea he would still be off work four years later.
But it’s not his shoulder that is giving the Bell Block man grief. When he came out from under the anaesthetic, he was handed a small bag containing his two front teeth, he said.
And so began an ordeal that has now led Hatcher to lodge a complaint with the Health and Disability Commissioner in a bid to reach some sort of conclusion.
“They said I had some sort of turn on the table during the theatre,” Hatcher said of that operation four years ago.
“And I bit down on the tube they had down my throat, so they had to remove the two dislodged teeth.”
In a letter to Hatcher last year, Te Whatu Ora Taranaki said the operation should probably have been “cancelled until the dental situation was resolved”.
The letter also said that if teeth were dislodged during anaesthesia, an ACC treatment form was usually completed. It wasn’t in this case and the doctor apologised for the omission.
But it meant Hatcher and his wife, Christina, struggled to get the right information before ACC would accept the claim.
Once it was accepted, ACC paid for the operations and covered 80% of Hatcher’s salary.
But the problems didn’t stop there.
Hatcher went to the dentist to get two new front teeth only to be told his teeth weren’t strong enough to support a partial plate and he had to have all his top teeth removed.
During that procedure, a wisdom tooth that had fused with a molar was pulled out, he said.
“The wisdom was growing on an angle into my sinus area under the eye. When [the dentist] pulled them out, it pulled out the inside of my mouth. I never realised until I had a mouthful of coffee and it came out my nose.”
Over time the wound became infected and he spent a week in hospital.
“I had massive headaches. I couldn’t handle the light. [I felt] excruciating pain.”
Four years and two operations later, one in Taranaki and one in Auckland, Hatcher is now becoming confident that a top plate can be fitted. Otherwise, he’d have to go back to Auckland for another operation.
Once he has the new teeth, he hopes to go back to work.
A drain layer, Hatcher was in and out of drains all day working around heavy machinery, and he needed to wear protective gear. The pain in his head meant he couldn’t wear safety glasses or a hard hat. And he couldn’t shout instructions to drivers of heavy vehicles.
The situation has taken a massive toll, financially and physically, on Hatcher and Christina.
He used to weigh in at about 97kg; now he’s down to 83kg, he said.
“All I can eat is soft food. I can’t go to a restaurant – it’s too embarrassing. I can’t eat properly. I live on mashed potato, scrambled eggs and sausages.”
The couple, who have been together about 16 years, had their wedding plans scuttled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Then, as Covid restrictions were easing off, Hatcher lost his teeth and put the wedding off again, he said.
“My goal was to be able to stand in front of the camera and smile with white teeth.”
But he eventually gave in and the couple got married on February 3 at Oākura Marae.
Christina said they wanted some acknowledgement that someone along the way had stuffed up.
“How many other people have been through this? We struggled for weeks trying to figure out how to get help.”
The Health and Disability Commissioner confirmed that a complaint had been received from Hatcher. A spokesperson said they could not comment on its progress, citing the need to protect the privacy of all parties involved.