Terry went to the dentist for a persistent gum abscess and had a tooth extracted. It seemed like a minor procedure.
In the days that followed, his gums and face began to swell. He went back to the dentist, who sent him straight to the emergency department. Tests there revealed an infection that was eating away at his face and had pushed his eye out of its socket. He was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Ophthalmic surgeon Cornelius Rene was clear before the operation: if they waited any longer, Terry could suffer multiple organ failure, with his lungs and kidneys failing, and the mortality rate was quite high. During surgery, maxillofacial surgeon Shadi Basyuni drained the pus to relieve the pressure on the eye. “The priority here isn’t aesthetics”, he explained, because if the infection reached the bloodstream, it could lead to sepsis. When the operation was over, the team deliberately left the wound open so the remaining infection could drain out.
Eight weeks later, Terry had made a remarkable recovery. “I’m lucky to still be here. All because of a toothache!”, he said.