A man is suing a Pennsylvania corrections department and a health contractor for errors caused by tooth extractions while he was in jail, according to a story published on January 4 in the Bucks County Courier Times.
Corey Dick filed a lawsuit in December in the U.S. Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania against the Bucks County Department of Corrections and PrimeCare Medical claiming the surgery would be covered but was refused once he was paroled from the county jail. He accuses the department and the contractor of malpractice and gross negligence, according to the story.
Dick, who is currently back in the county jail due to a parole violation, claims a dentist extracted two of his teeth while he was at the correctional facility in February 2023. During the extractions, Dick alleges that he heard a loud crack and felt a sharp pain in his face, but the dentist assured him everything was fine and that the tooth was just difficult to pull, according to the story.
After the procedure, he was returned to his cell and given an antibiotic. Four weeks later, Dick claimed he was still experiencing pain. He was evaluated by the dentist and given a second course of antibiotics.
A week after the follow-up visit, Dick alleges that he was experiencing constant pain in his face and a green-brown fluid seeped from his wound, according to the story. Dick underwent x-rays, and the dentist reportedly acknowledged that a mistake was made in the breaking and removal of about a half-inch of bone segment from his upper jawbone.
In July, Dick was sent to an oral surgeon who determined he needed surgery to relieve his pain and correct the errors related to his tooth extractions. This surgery was scheduled for September 28, but he was paroled from jail about a week before he could have the surgery. Therefore, PrimeCare allegedly told him it would not pay for it, according to the story.
Though he was still scheduled to have the oral surgery at a local hospital, Dick was allegedly told the full cost would be on him because the contractor pulled the funding when he was paroled.
Dick claims he never had the corrective surgery because he is unable to afford it, according to the story.
