Man claims dentist performed root canal when he had fractured jawbone, unnecessarily removed tooth

A man is suing over claims he was injured when his dentist performed a root canal while he had a fractured jawbone.

Xiqun Lin and Wan Wan He filed a lawsuit Oct. 22 in Cook County Circuit Court against Drs. Gilbert X. Mendez and Ronald Cheng, alleging negligence.

According to the complaint, Xiqun Lin appeared at the office of Mendez, who was employed by Cheng, to have his teeth cleaned on March 19, when he was advised that a tooth should be removed.

Lin claims he was not advised of possible complications and had not complained of any tooth pain or swelling. The X-ray taken of his tooth partially showed an impacted tooth without showing the entirety of the tooth's root, but Lin relied on Mendez's professional advice and agreed to have the tooth extracted that same day.

He further claims that on April 11, Mendez performed a root canal without recognizing Lin's fractured mandible or jawbone, which caused further displacement of the fracture.

In his suit, Lin accuses the defendants of performing a tooth extraction that was not medically necessary and failing to diagnose his fractured mandible. Wan Wan He is suing as Lin's spouse.

The plaintiffs are represented by Timothy McArdle of Winkler McArdle Frost in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court case number: 2014L010955.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.