A man has filed a lawsuit against a Red Bank dentist and his practice, alleging that the dentist left a broken file at his tooth's root during a root canal, causing him over two decades of subsequent injuries and pain.
Christopher Rooney, now of North Carolina, was a minor in the summer of 1997 when his root canal procedure was performed by Dr. Alan Ruda of Navesink Dental Care, according to the complaint filed in Monmouth County Superior Court. During the procedure, Ruda "broke a file in the apex of the distal root...causing injuries," the lawsuit said.
Ruda declined comment on the lawsuit when contacted by the Asbury Park Press.
After the root canal, neither Rooney nor his mother were advised of the broken file, according to the complaint.
Rooney continued to be treated at the practice for nearly 20 years until 2017, during which he had reoccurring infections, pain and other issues at the tooth that received the root canal in 1997, the court documents said. Ruda repeatedly prescribed antibiotics, but never provided permanent treatment options or disclosed what had happened during that initial procedure, the documents said.
In April 2022, Rooney's ailments returned, and his new dentist referred him to a specialist because his tooth "looked abnormal and needed to be checked out," according to the complaint. Shortly after, Rooney visited the specialist who told him about the broken file, saying he would need to have surgery to remove the tooth and have an implant placed to stop the reoccurring symptoms, the documents said.
The suit does not specify how the file was broken or why they believe it occurred during the procedure.
In the complaint - filed in late December of last year - Rooney is accusing Ruda and his practice of medical malpractice, including negligence causing personal injury and negligent medical record keeping, the court documents show.
The Asbury Park Press reached out to Rooney's attorney, Jason Saad, who said Rooney is awaiting the defendants' response to the complaint. Saad would not comment on specifics of the case.