Dentist surrenders license after being sued over ‘chaotic’ dental procedure

A Fort Dodge dentist, accused of incompetence for a “chaotic” procedure in which he mistakenly extracted a patient’s healthy tooth without painkillers, has agreed to surrender his license.

According to a lawsuit filed by Drew Ewing of Webster County, Ewing went to the Aspen Dental Clinic in Fort Dodge in May 2022, complaining of molar pain. A dentist at the clinic, 35-year-old Dr. Corey Jerrod Williams, allegedly advised Ewing there needed to be significant work performed, including the removal of temporary crowns and the installation of new, permanent crowns.

During the first of a planned series of dental procedures, on June 28, 2022, the operation “went terribly wrong,” the lawsuit claims. Williams had begun removing the temporary crowns when it was discovered that a permanent adhesive had mistakenly been used on those crowns. “The staff at Aspen admitted this mistake,” the lawsuit alleges.

Due to the permanent adhesive, Williams allegedly had “a very difficult time” and was struggling to remove the crowns while Ewing was in pain. “Williams stopped trying to remove the temporary crowns to give Ewing and himself a break because the situation was so intense,” the lawsuit claims.

When the work resumed, Williams “accidentally extracted a front left tooth without any painkiller,” the lawsuit alleges, then told Ewing he was unsure what to do as he’d never had something like that happen before.

Williams continued to work on the temporary crowns, but the procedure became “even more chaotic” when it was realized that the new, permanent crowns for Ewing’s teeth did not fit, the lawsuit alleges.

Eventually, the lawsuit claims, Ewing was left bleeding as Williams left the room to consult with an oral hygienist. Later, Williams opted to reinstall the temporary crowns.

Aspen Dental “repeatedly promised they would make the situation right with Ewing and said they would help him,” but failed to fulfill that promise, the lawsuit alleges. Ewing subsequently went to another dentist and had major corrective work done to mitigate the “permanent damage to his mouth and teeth,” the lawsuit claims.

Ewing’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for negligence, medical malpractice, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. Williams has denied any wrongdoing and stated in court filings that he was not, in any manner, “negligent in his care and treatment” of Ewing. A trial-setting conference is scheduled for March 6.

Aspen Dental Management, which does business as Aspen Dental and Iowa Dental, was initially named as a defendant in the lawsuit but was dismissed from the case in July 2025.

The Iowa Dental Board recently charged Williams with failure to maintain a satisfactory level of competence. The charge is tied to a situation that occurred at some unspecified time in the past at a clinic the board has not identified. However, the board’s allegations of wrongdoing — which include the accidental removal of a patient’s front incisor while trying to remove temporary crowns — parallel the allegations in the Ewing lawsuit.

The board alleges that after it looked into the matter, it retained a consultant to review Williams’ work in other cases. The consultant reportedly found issues with what the board calls “six patient records.” The board concluded Williams had a pattern of delivering problematic crowns and fixed partial dentures, and also found there were inadequate records to justify treatment for crowns.

Williams recently waived his right to a hearing before the Iowa Dental Board and consented to an order that calls for him to voluntarily surrender his license to practice dentistry in Iowa. He will be eligible to seek reinstatement in one year.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch was not able to reach Williams for comment on the matter.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.