A Manhattan hotel worker claims his dentist was “under the influence of some mind-altering substance” while giving him a root canal, alleging that she not only groped, fondled, and dry-humped him during the hours-long procedure, but also left him with a “crooked smile,” thanks to a sloppily placed crown.
In a civil suit filed April 21 and obtained by The Independent, 32-year-old Makke Dakhlaoui says the dentist “openly sexually harassed” him as she worked – that after “strok[ing] and play[ing] with [his] beard,” she then pressed up against Dakhlaoui’s leg and “gyrated her hips on him[,] simulating sex.”
However, Dakhlaoui “could not object” at the time to what was happening, “as he had a mouth guard and sharp and dangerous tools in his mouth,” his complaint states. “He feared that if he reacted, he would be hurt worse [than he] already was.”
When he later complained, the dentist who runs the practice allegedly turned the tables on Dakhlaoui, blaming him for what had happened and yelling so loudly, staffers rushed in to try and settle him down, according to the complaint.
Dakhlaoui is now suing the dental practice, ZenDentistry; its owner, Dr. Tandeep Malhotra; and the dentist herself for monetary damages to be determined at trial.
Attorney Debra Wabnick told The Independent that Dakhlaoui “had the right to have a simple dental procedure performed professionally and responsibly. Instead, he became a victim of negligence and sexual harassment.”
“The failure of ZenDentistry and Dr. Malholtra to address this deplorable conduct, and their subsequent threats and attempts at manipulation, only compounded Mr. Dakhlaoui’s suffering, Wabnick said. “This lawsuit was brought to rectify the wrongs our client suffered and to prevent any other patients from experiencing such demeaning treatment at the hands of [the] defendants.”
Malhotra did not respond to The Independent’s requests for comment.
Dakhlaoui first showed up at ZenDentistry’s Lower Broadway location on July 10, 2023, with what he thought was a severe tooth infection, according to his complaint. He was told he had six cavities and needed two root canals, the first of which Malhotra performed three days later, the complaint says.
On July 17, 2023, Dakhlaoui returned to ZenDenistry for his second root canal, the complaint continues. This time, one of the dentists under Malhotra would be working on Dakhlaoui, according to the complaint.
When the dentist walked into the exam room, she “immediately began acting erratically and unprofessionally and seemed distracted as if she was intoxicated or under the influence of a substance she should not have taken before performing a root canal,” the complaint states.
Things got off to an unfortunate start when the dentist “began the procedure by placing the needle to inject anesthesia into [Dakhlaoui’s] gums too deep, causing [Dakhlaoui] excruciating pain, a pain that lasted throughout the entire six-hour appointment,” the complaint goes on.
“Throughout the six-hour appointment, [the dentist] repeatedly dropped medical tools on the ground and on [Dakhlaoui’s] chest,” the complaint contends. “She called him ‘buddy’ and ‘pal,’ and continually fidgeted and asked [Dakhlaoui] open-ended questions he could not answer with a mouth guard in.”
That’s when the dentist ramped things up even further, according to the complaint, which says she “pressed her leg on [Dakhlaoui’s] body and began grinding on [him] in a sexually suggestive manner.” But, as the complaint states, Dakhlaoui was too nervous to say anything with an assortment of intimidating tools in his mouth.
“The dental technician assisting [the dentist] became visibly uncomfortable when [she] behaved sexually and inappropriately toward [Dakhlaoui] and repeatedly apologized to [him] when [the dentist] left the room,” according to the complaint, which adds that the dentist’s “unwanted touching had no conceivable medical justification.”
When it came time to install a crown over the repaired tooth, the dentist placed it too high, which caused Dakhlaoui “extreme discomfort,” the complaint says, noting that she “attempted to shave the crown down five to six times during the procedure,” without success.
“After six hours of physical, mental and emotional pain… Dakhlaoui paid more than $6,000” for the allegedly botched treatment, according to the complaint. “Thereafter, [Dakhlaoui] experienced worsening and severe pain and developed a crooked smile due to [the dentist’s] placing the dental crown too high.”
Dakhlaoui later emailed Malhotra, recounting the “distressing way in which he was treated,” and demanded a refund and an investigation into what happened, the complaint states. After Malhotra reassured him that he would get his money back and that the matter would be looked into, he told Dakhlaoui that he would personally correct the misaligned crown, according to the complaint.
When Dakhlaoui arrived back at ZenDenistry in December 2023, Malhotra “tapped on [his] teeth in quick succession, making it difficult for him to identify the tooth from which the pain emanated,” the complaint states.
“Malhotra suggested [Dakhlaoui] was lying because he failed to identify the correct tooth,” it says.
Malhotra then confirmed, via X-rays, that Dakhlaoui’s crown was indeed too high and that his gums were inflamed, according to the complaint. But, it says, he still “refused to provide… a refund for [the] faulty dental work.”
“Instead, Malhotra began to yell at [Dakhlaoui] and accused him of threating [sic] Malhotra’s safety,” the complaint alleges. “He yelled so loudly that staff members came into the room and tried to calm him.”
Malhotra then ended the conversation and told Dakhlaoui to contact his lawyer.
“To date, no investigation has been conducted into [the] sexually harassing conduct, nor has a refund been issued,” the complaint states.
It says Dakhlaoui has suffered – and continues to suffer – “severe mental anguish and emotional distress, including but not limited to depression, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, loss of self-esteem and self-confidence, and emotional pain and suffering.”
He is asking for monetary damages to be determined in court.
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