A WOMAN will have to undergo £1,500 of dental work after she bit on a stone in a pub roast and lost a tooth.

Lindsay Dalton, 29, was left in agony after cracking the tooth while eating at the Thomas Kemble pub, run by Toby Carvey, in Wickford.

Halfway through her meal she was munching on a roast potato when she felt a massive crack, followed by horrific pain.

Mrs Dalton, of East Hanningfield Road, Rettendon, said: “All of a sudden there was a crunch and an almighty pain running through my mouth.

“It honestly felt like someone had just pushed my tooth through my jaw. It was horrendous.”

After fishing around her jaw, she discovered a stone slightly smaller than a 5p coin had been lodged in the spud.

She managed to pull part of the tooth out at the table, but had to have emergency surgery the next day to pull out the rest Mrs Dalton, who works as a chocolatier for Hawkwell-based Truly Chocolates, said: “I eat there regularly, but the manager said all he could do was report the incident and let us eat for free.

“For all the pain I have gone through, I find this pretty annoying. The dentist had to literally put his knee on my shoulder to pull the tooth out and they reckon it’ll cost about £1,500 to get it all fixed.

“I have a massive gap in my teeth and even had to take time off work, which at this time of year is a real pain.”

A spokesman for the pub said the manager told Mrs Dalton he would need more information before he processed the claim.

He added: “We use fresh vegetables at Toby and the preparation and cooking process will not always identify the very rare circumstances a small stone is inside a potato.

“We have apologised to the guest concerned for the inconvenience this has caused her and explained the process we need to follow in order that she can be compensated for the dental work required.

“Once we have received this information from her, we will be in a position to conclude this matter on her behalf.”