A four-year-old girl went to a public clinic to get her rotten tooth removed and ended up dead.

An X-ray done after Sinenhlahla experienced breathing problems showed that a tooth was blocking her airway.

The incident is being investigated by the Gauteng health department after her family laid a complaint against the dentist at the Esangweni Community Health Centre in Tembisa on the East Rand.

Yesterday, Sinenhlahla's mother Thembisile Mabaso shed tears as her husband Nhlanhla Mabaso related the harrowing events that preceded their daughter's death.

Sinenhlanhla had been booked to get her tooth extracted at the clinic on April 16.

"That morning, she was energetic and chatty as always. She was excited about getting a new toothbrush after visiting the dentist," Mabaso said.