Man’s tooth comes loose after chopstick breaks in his mouth while dining at Chinatown restaurant
What was meant to be a relaxing hotpot lunch ended in blood and dental trauma for a diner at a Chinatown restaurant, after a disposable chopstick snapped in his mouth, loosening a tooth and leaving his gums bleeding.
The freak accident happened around 2pm on Monday (12 May), while 63-year-old Mr Xu Huiqun was dining with his wife at a barbecue restaurant near Chinatown MRT.
Chopstick breaks mid-bite, tooth comes loose
Speaking to Lianhe Zaobao, Mr Xu said the incident happened just as he was putting food into his mouth.
Source: Lianhe Zaobao
According to him, the end of the chopstick suddenly came apart and struck his front teeth, causing a sharp pain and bleeding in his mouth.
Startled, Mr Xu quickly grabbed a tissue to stop the bleeding — only to realise that his tooth had come loose.
The chopstick had apparently broken off at the end inside his mouth, causing it to jab into his gums.
Second time chopsticks had caused issues
Mr Xu added that it wasn’t the first time he had problems with the restaurant’s chopsticks.
“This is my second time using this type of chopsticks in this restaurant and it was also very difficult to use last time,” he said.
Before eating, he said he had even pressed the chopsticks on the table several times to make sure both ends were tightly joined.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to prevent the incident.
Source: Carousell, for illustration purposes only.
Man demands compensation, says dental work will cost thousands
After the incident, Mr Xu and his wife stopped patronising the restaurant and are now demanding full compensation for his dental treatment.
He told reporters that he has already spent a significant amount on implants, as he doesn’t have many good teeth left.
The damage to this new tooth might cost him another S$4,000-5,000Â in treatment.
“If it was ordinary chopsticks, the injury would be my fault if I used them improperly,” Xu noted. “But the chopsticks provided by the restaurant are too difficult to use, so it should be their responsibility if the chopsticks are the cause of the diner’s injury.”
When Lianhe Zaobao asked for a statement from the restaurant representative, they declined to respond.
Also read: Prinsep Street Restaurant Charges 50 Cents For Chopsticks, Says They’re Of High Quality
Prinsep Street Restaurant Charges 50 Cents For Chopsticks, Says They’re Of High Quality
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Featured image adapted from Lianhe Zaobao and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.
