Final photo of Arizona man killed during routine dental procedure resurfaces as family settles wrongful death suit
By Caitlin McCormack
Published Dec. 25, 2025, 2:24 a.m. ET
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A haunting selfie taken by an Arizona man hours before he suffered a fatal brain injury during a routine dental implant procedure has resurfaced as his distraught parents settled his wrongful death lawsuit.
Derek Swanson, 40, took a picture of himself beaming in a dentist’s chair on March 3, 2023. He captioned the photo: “Yesterday, new car. Today, implant! Fun never stops.”
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The grieving parents are also looking to amend Arizona law to require a dentist and an anesthetist to be present during dental surgery.
The current laws state that a dentist can perform surgery and administer anesthesia without an anesthetist present so long as they have the proper state permit.
“We would like to not have another family go through what we had to go through and are going through and will be for the rest of our life,” Swanson told the outlet.
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I bet all the malpractice insurance rates will go up as a result of this. If I was an insurance company, then I wouldn’t wait for the politicians and bureaucrats to update their diktats. I’d be reviewing every individual dental procedure insured, as well as every individual practice’s methods for safety and their results.
The free market, if truly free, would have an “instant” feedback loop of price to adjust for risk.
Argh!
Gooferment is immoral, ineffective, and inefficient. As well as untrustworthy.
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