Hyderabad dental centre where groom-to-be died now accused of burning woman’s lip, harassing her

Sangam vividly described the aftermath — a profound depression in her friend’s mouth — captured poignantly in an accompanying image showcasing the conspicuous absence of the right side of her lower lip. These distressing occurrences sound an alarm about the quality of care and safety standards at FMS Dental Center.

“Even after more than a year, she is left with scars and is unable to fully stretch her lip. The corner of her lip is missing, preventing her from laughing or smiling widely. She is still on steroids to regain flexibility and will require further surgeries in the near future,” Sangam alleged on X.

She added that with repeated cases of negligence, authorities should review the hospital’s practices and consider appropriate measures, including potentially revoking its licence.

Even after more than a year, she is left with scars and is unable to fully stretch her lip. Corner of her lip is missing, preventing her from laughing or smiling widely. She is still on steroids to regain flexibility and will require further surgeries in the near future.

— Sowmya Sangam (@sowmya_sangam) February 20, 2024

It must be noted that this incident unfolded at the Dilsukh Nagar branch, distinct from the location where the recent fatality occurred at the Jubilee Hills branch.

Also Read: Hyderabad would-be groom’s death after dental procedure

‘Senior dentist burnt off mouth’

Even the patient’s mother took to Google to share a review, alleging that doctors at the hospital not only mutilated her daughter but also subjected her to harassment and threats. The review details a distressing account of a dental procedure gone awry, with the senior dentist and his assistant allegedly causing burn injuries during a tooth extraction.

“During her tooth extraction the ‘senior’ dentist (also maxillofacial surgeon) with his assistant burnt off her mouth with their dental instruments. They assured her help after the wound healed. Said it will heal in a month, then a few months which eventually turned into more than a year. We had to be patient because immediate surgery was not an option. Her life is miserable from the constant pain. When she finally expected treatment after FMS, the hospital in-charge Shekhar along with his colleagues mocked her pain and trauma and humiliated her and her father,” the mother wrote.

She alleged that the hospital threatened to throw them out if they didn’t leave. “They told her she looks good that way and laughed at her. Harassed her with their vulgar comments. Boasted about their owner who is from Jubilee Hills. None of the female doctors or staff intervened. Because of their arrogance, they are reckless when treating patients. They are obsessed with Jubilee Hills so don’t care about lives here in Dilsukh Nagar,” read the review.

She made an impassioned plea to all readers, “Please don’t believe manipulated reviews. Nobody should go through this pain. They ruined my daughter’s life. She completely lost flexibility on the right half of her mouth now.They are liars and frauds.”

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Dental centre denies allegations

The hospital vehemently denies these allegations.

Dr BV Rama Krishna Reddy, the maxillofacial surgeon at FMS International Dental Centre, Jubilee Hills, counters the claims. “The reported case involves a patient from a different branch, where she experienced an issue — not a lip cut, but a lip burn. It is a factual observation that there was a minor lip burn, which required time to heal,” Dr Reddy tells South First.

He adds that currently, upon examination, she appears to be in a normal condition.

“However, it’s worth mentioning that the patient has persistently continued to post about her experience for the past four years. This ongoing pattern of posting occurs every month or two months, particularly on the Google page of branches like Jubilee Hills, which is our main branch. We have 14 branches. Each branch works independently,” he says.

He points out that despite her consistent posts, they have chosen to overlook them as the woman has fully recovered and is back to normal. “We remain committed to providing quality healthcare independently across all our branches,” he adds.

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Death at the dental centre

On 16 February, a distressing incident unfolded as a 28-year-old groom-to-be lost his life following a surgical procedure aimed at enhancing his smile.

The gravity of the situation was underscored by the filing of a police complaint by the deceased man’s father. In the complaint, the grieving father alleged that the doctors at the centre were responsible for his son’s untimely demise, citing overdose of anaesthesia as the primary cause of death.

However, in a detailed statement, the hospital denied the allegations, saying that the incident was “unfortunate, but not negligence on our side”. They asserted that the anaesthesia dosage was less than what is typically used in such procedures and that he was not allergic to the anaesthesia (having had a previous surgery with no complications). They lay blame on the patient’s anxious state instead.

The hospital awaits the postmortem report to provide further insights into the tragic occurrence.