Overseas Patient: Scope Changed Chairside, Wrong-Tooth Work Alleged, Severe Complications and Costly Remedial Care

I attended Cosmodent Bellville as an overseas patient with limited time in South Africa. My request and consent were for one specific tooth only (tooth #10), based on the X-ray I provided in advance and the written discussion before my arrival.

Timeline and what happened:

17 October 2025: I shared an X-ray and asked for advice and costs for tooth #10. I was told the tooth required re-treatment.

14 November 2025 (appointment): The narrative changed. Andre Dumas stated in writing that “both” teeth had posts/abscesses and that he would treat both, including removing “the other one” the following week. This was not the single-tooth scope I travelled for and consented to.

Immediately after this work: I experienced complications and the visible appearance of my teeth changed. My teeth were straight before treatment, and a tooth became visibly skewed afterwards (this is clear in the before/after images I have uploaded).

I then developed infection/pain in the same area (photo evidence uploaded).

Because of the infection and the visible change, I sought an independent endodontic assessment and had a CBCT scan performed by a third party. The CBCT findings and the clinician’s explanation were extremely concerning, including evidence consistent with a serious procedural error (you can see why in the lateral CBCT views I have uploaded).

The post-treatment X-ray and the extracted-tooth images show the extent of the work performed, and the extracted tooth evidence demonstrates the post position and perforation issue that was identified.

Ultimately, I had to proceed with extraction and further remedial planning (again, documented and supported by images and records).

What makes this particularly serious is that the written explanations backtracked and changed over time versus what was originally discussed and what I requested. I have uploaded a chronology matrix screenshot (requested scope vs what was done/said) and before/after photos, X-ray, CBCT, and extraction evidence so the public can review the facts for themselves.

I have also submitted a formal complaint to the HPCSA