A dental clinic in China allegedly extracted all 12 of a 63-year-old man's remaining teeth despite his severe health conditions, carrying out multiple dental implants, and draining nearly all the money from his bank accounts and digital wallets during the treatment.
A dental clinic in China has landed in serious trouble after allegedly extracting all 12 of a 63-year-old man's remaining teeth despite his severe health conditions, carrying out multiple dental implants, and draining nearly all the money from his bank accounts and digital wallets during the treatment. The patient, identified only by his surname Li, from Baoji in northwestern China's Shaanxi province, visited Datuanyuan Dental Clinic in September last year to seek treatment for a toothache.
Li told Chinese media that he was persuaded by the clinic's aggressive advertisements, such as "Get a dental implant in the morning and eat meat in the afternoon" and "Have a complete set of teeth, live past 100." According to Li, the clinic even arranged a vehicle to pick him up and offered him a free dental examination.
Instead of treating a single painful tooth, the clinic removed all 12 of Li's remaining teeth and inserted 10 dental implants during the same procedure. Following the treatment, clinic staff allegedly withdrew the entire 18,800 yuan (around $2,800) from Li's bank account and digital wallets, while leaving him with an additional unpaid bill of 6,200 yuan.
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Li said, "When my son found me, my mouth was full of blood, and I only had 30 yuan (US$4.5) left for bus fare."
His family was horrified not only by the financial loss but also because Li suffered from several serious medical conditions, including coronary heart disease, a previous myocardial infarction, diabetes, high blood pressure, and four coronary stents.
Medical experts say such patients require extensive evaluation before undergoing tooth extraction, and immediate dental implants may be unsafe or even prohibited. Fu Dongjie, a stomatologist at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, noted that diabetic patients should only undergo implant procedures after their condition is well controlled.
The risks associated with extensive implant surgeries have already drawn attention in China. In 2024, a man reportedly died just 13 days after undergoing the extraction of 23 teeth and receiving 12 implants in a single operation.
Li's family lodged three complaints with the local health bureau, accusing the clinic of malpractice and submitting incomplete medical records. They also alleged that documents appeared to be altered after they pointed out discrepancies.
Li's son claimed the clinic repeatedly produced missing records only after questions were raised, leading him to suspect that documents had been fabricated. The records also incorrectly listed Li's gender as "female."
He further questioned why the clinic submitted a preoperative cardiology consultation record only six months after the procedure.
"Was there really a cardiology consultation before the procedure? Why didn’t they notify the patient’s family? They were too daring," the son said.
Following an investigation, the local health bureau concluded in July that the clinic had committed multiple violations, including failing to provide alternative treatment options, neglecting comprehensive preoperative assessments, and maintaining substandard medical records.
Authorities ordered the clinic to refund Li's treatment fees and shut it down for rectification.
