US President Joe Biden suffered severe dental pain and underwent a root canal, which led to his absence from some public events on Monday and the rescheduling of his meeting with the outgoing head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg.
Biden’s personal physician, Kevin O’Connor, explained that Biden reported pain in his lower right premolar on Sunday. The president underwent a first root canal that day and “tolerated the procedure well” without complications, O’Connor said in a statement released by the White House.
On Monday morning, Biden reported to the medical team that he was experiencing “more discomfort” in his mouth, which O’Connor said was to be expected. A specialized endodontic team from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center completed the procedure at the presidential residence in Washington.
“I can confirm that the procedure has been completed successfully. The president is very well and will surely be working at the residence this afternoon,” Biden’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, reported Monday afternoon.
The spokeswoman insisted that the procedure Biden underwent was “a routine dental procedure” that “millions of Americans” go through on a regular basis.
“As soon as we were able to hear from the doctor about where the president’s condition was today, we certainly shared it with all of you,” he said in the usual evening meeting with journalists when asked why the medical procedure was not reported on the same Sunday.
The White House assured that Biden was not fully anesthetized for the procedure nor did the 25th Amendment have to be invoked, which establishes the procedures that must be followed in the event that the head of state is disabled and the vice president has to temporarily occupy office.
Vice President Kamala Harris attended a College Athlete’s Day event on the South Lawn of the White House in the president’s stead, the administration’s press team said.
The White House also reported that it rescheduled for Tuesday the meeting scheduled for Monday with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg while he recovers from the intervention.
The official meeting agenda is the upcoming July NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.
It has not been specified if Biden will be recovered enough to receive the heads of mission at the White House on Monday night.
The 80-year-old president is scheduled to headline an event Tuesday commemorating Juneteenth, also known as Liberation Day or Emancipation Day, a holiday that commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans and African-American culture.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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