A Filipino man went for a tooth extraction and paid for the procedure with his life. Instead of going to a dentist to have five teeth removed, 28-year-old Jerry Aguirre of the Negros Occidental province went to a faith healer to be treated. Big mistake because a couple weeks later he was found dead due to a septic embolism caused by a dental infection.
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On Aug. 1, Aguirre went to faith healer Diosdado Mahilum to have his teeth removed and later told relatives that he was given anesthesia before having the teeth removed with pliers. Were those tools even sterilized? Who knows, but I doubt it if he developed such a fatal infection. The healer denied using anesthesia or pliers for the procedure, but then that just begs the question: who does a dental extraction a sangre fria?? That sounds painful and irresponsible!
Relatives found Aguirre dead on Aug. 19 and are now seeking charges against the good old "doctor," who said that the young man was the one who begged him to pull his teeth out. So?! Do you really want someone's blood on your hands just because you couldn't turn them down? I don't care how much someone begs, if it's something that could risk someone's life, I'm having none of it because if something goes wrong guess where those fingers are going to be pointing? At me!
Maybe Mahilum did think he knew what he was doing and clearly both parties didn't think it would be such a serious undertaking, but I would hope that most people understand the risks whenever a medical procedure is involved – especially when blood and open wounds are involved. You don't want anything dirty getting into your system and causing damage. Unfortunately for Aguirre, he received this lesson much too late. I know that dire circumstances can lead something to make poor decisions, but I just wish people would stop cutting corners when it comes to their health.
