A routine dental cleaning turned into a medical nightmare for a Florida woman, leading to a lawsuit against her dentist and the dental practice. Scarlett N. Sterling and her husband, Beldon E. Sterling, filed a complaint on April 4, 2025, in the Circuit Court of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida, accusing Dr. Pamela Brandao and Brilliant Smiles Family Dental, P.A., of negligence.

The case centers around an incident that occurred on July 7, 2023, when Scarlett N. Sterling visited Brilliant Smiles for a routine dental cleaning performed by Dr. Pamela Brandao. According to the complaint, during the procedure, the removable insert/cleaning tip of an ultrasonic scaler device became dislodged and was swallowed by Mrs. Sterling. This led to emergency medical intervention at Delray Medical Center where it was discovered that the cleaning tip had lodged in her duodenum/small intestine. Dr. Sherman Chamberlain performed surgery to remove it.

The Sterlings allege that Dr. Brandao failed to meet professional standards by not ensuring that the dental equipment was properly assembled and maintained before use. The complaint states that “the standard of care requires: that the cleaning equipment be properly serviced” and accuses Dr. Brandao of failing to confirm this standard was met before using the equipment on Mrs. Sterling.

Click Here To Read The Full Article