Couple claims dental work caused colon infection

A patient and her husband are suing several dentists and their practices, alleging a 2013 dental procedure caused the patient to develop a colon infection.

Nancy Kramer and Phillip Kramer filed the lawsuit on March 18 in Madison County Circuit Court against: Dr. Bethel Buerk, Bethel Buerk LLC, Dr. Michael K. Fulton, Dr. Bradley K. Dunn and Fulton & Dunn Dental.

According to the complaint, in late March 2013, Nancy Kramer visited Dunn and Buerk for dental pain. After X-rays did not reveal any existing lesion, Buerk performed a “sedative filling” procedure. However, Kramer alleges she had to contact the after-hours number for Fulton and Dunn in late July 2013 due to severe pain, facial swelling and redness.

According to the suit, Dunn ordered prescriptions for her without examination. When Nancy Kramer contacted Dunn and went to his office the next day, Buerk extracted a tooth. The suit states that during the extraction, the inferior alveolar nerve, which controls lip and jaw function, was damaged.

Nancy Kramer returned July 24, 2013, with symptoms consistent with an infection and numbness on the right side of her mouth, lip and jaw. Dunn and Buerk continued to write her prescriptions for antibiotics through the summer. Then on Oct. 23, 2013, Fulton performed a root canal on the patient and sent her home with more antibiotics and several dental tools, the suit states.

Following additional office visits, an emergency room CT scan revealed an abscess on Nov. 2, 2013.

By Nov. 21, Nancy Kramer called Fulton’s office regarding facial pain, pressure, swelling and continued lip numbness, the suit states. She was advised to have her husband remove the filling material inserted around the root canal area with the tools they had been given.

On Dec. 5, 2013, Kramer told the dentists’ office she was experiencing stomach pains, and in late December 2013 she was diagnosed with a colon infection. A lesion underneath her extracted tooth location was discovered and surgically removed on April 4, 2014, the suit states.

The plaintiffs allege Nancy’s colon infection was due to excessive antibiotic use and her injuries were wrongfully caused. The Kramers cite all parties with multiple counts of negligence.

The Kramers seek damages in excess of $50,000, attorney fees and costs. They are represented by attorneys John J. Pappas Sr. of Pappas Healy & Pappas and Alice E. Dolan of Alice E. Dolan & Associates, both of Chicago.

Madison County Circuit Court case number: 15-L-360.