A five-year-old girl from Milnerton was left in pain and needing further surgery after a dentist at a private clinic allegedly removed the wrong tooth, and her family is now consulting lawyers to hold the practice accountable.
According to IOL, Lambertus Koster took his daughter Angelina to Intercare Milnerton Dental on 26 September 2026 after she complained of a toothache. A dentist examined her, took X-rays, and recommended extracting a badly decayed tooth that he said could not be saved through root canal treatment. The parents agreed. But immediately after the procedure, Koster says, the tooth lying in the tray was not the one the dentist had identified.
What the family says happened
Koster told IOL the dentist removed the last tooth in Angelina's mouth instead of the second-to-last tooth he had diagnosed as severely decayed. The extracted tooth, he said, looked healthy.
“It was intact and showed no visible signs of decay, cavities, or black spots,” Koster said.
“I immediately questioned the dentist, asking him why he had removed the last tooth when he had clearly told us that the second-to-last tooth needed to be extracted.”
Koster said the dentist appeared uncomfortable, left the clinic without a satisfactory explanation, and did not respond to the family's attempts to contact him for two weeks. When he returned, Koster said, he still did not adequately address their concerns. A week later he phoned and apologised, but offered no remedial action, no help with the additional dental treatment costs, and no compensation.
A child put under general anaesthesia to fix the error
The family took Angelina to two independent paediatric dentists. On 2 November she underwent treatment under general anaesthesia at a day hospital and was discharged the same day.
“My daughter has experienced pain and discomfort as a result of this incident, including the continued pain associated with the decayed tooth that was not extracted during the original procedure,” Koster said.
The family has started consulting lawyers. “We believe that both the dentist and the clinic should be held accountable for their actions and their failure to address this serious matter responsibly,” he said.
Dentist and clinic respond
Dr Naqeeb Solomon, the dentist who treated Angelina, said he could not respond properly to the allegations within the deadline he was given.
“The patient's parents have previously raised their concerns directly, and I intend to provide them with a considered response addressing the issues they have raised within the next few days,” Solomon said, adding that his silence should not be read as an admission.
Ronelle Crighton, Intercare's head of marketing, said the group took every complaint seriously but that patient confidentiality limited what it could disclose. She confirmed a senior member of the head office team was contacting the family “so that we can listen and work with them towards a resolution.”
Why this story matters beyond one family
Wrong tooth extraction is not a rare curiosity. Legal practices in other jurisdictions handle such claims routinely, and solicitors who take on wrong tooth extraction cases note that even where a removed tooth was unhealthy, a dentist may still have acted negligently by failing to obtain proper informed consent.
For Black South African families, this case lands in a longer history. Our people were experimented on, neglected, and treated as bodies to practise on under colonial and apartheid medicine. The scars of that history live on in how ordinary families experience private healthcare today: as something you pay for dearly, and often cannot question when it fails you.
At the same time, dental neglect of children remains a criminal matter elsewhere in the world. In Wisconsin, a mother was charged after authorities said her five-year-old daughter's infected tooth went untreated and could have killed her, Yahoo reported. The contrast is sharp: a poor parent who cannot access care is prosecuted, while a well-paid professional who allegedly causes harm writes an apology and walks.
Angelina's case is still unfolding. The dentist has promised a considered response within days, Intercare says it is reaching out to the family, and the Kosters are preparing legal action. What happens next will show whether private healthcare in this country can be made to answer to the people it claims to serve.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Angelina at the Milnerton clinic?
Her parents allege that on 26 September 2026 a dentist at Intercare Milnerton Dental removed a healthy tooth instead of the decayed tooth he had diagnosed, leaving the decayed tooth in place.
What treatment did the girl need afterwards?
She was seen by two independent paediatric dentists and underwent treatment under general anaesthesia at a day hospital on 2 November 2026, according to her father.
How did the dentist and Intercare respond?
Dr Naqeeb Solomon apologised by phone but offered no compensation, and said he would provide a full response within days. Intercare said confidentiality prevented it discussing the case but that a senior official was contacting the family.
Can the family sue for a wrong tooth extraction?
Wrong tooth extraction is recognised internationally as grounds for a negligence claim, particularly where informed consent was not properly obtained, and the family has begun consulting lawyers.