Failed root canal surgery results in £7,500 compensation for Exeter PHD student

A local Exeter University student, has been awarded an out-of-court settlement of £7,500 after he was left with painful abscesses and had to undergo root canal treatment when his childhood dentist failed to remove decay from his teeth.

Daniel Davenport, (23), is currently studying for a PHD in Copyright Law at Exeter University. He became aware of some sensitivity and toothache after a routine visit to his local dentist in his hometown of Cardiff. He had visited the dentist after experiencing chronic pain and problems with his teeth.

Mr Davenport said “I felt pain in my tooth and jaw which was affecting my ability to work and study so I went to visit my dentist Dr Roll at JRS Roll Practice Services Limited. It was there he discovered I had decay in my tooth and treated it with a filling. Trusting my dentist I presumed this would be the end of my troubles and I could get back to studying. Weeks later I was still experiencing pain and sensitivity as I had done before, so I returned to Dr Roll he x-rayed my teeth and said everything was fine.

Daniel continued “ the pain eventually got so bad I had to visit St David’s hospital for treatment, they diagnosed and abscess in my tooth straightaway and provided me with anti-biotics.”

He continued: “I decided to seek a second opinion from another dentist as I was concerned that Dr Roll hadn’t picked up on my abscess when he saw me. My new dentist established that the abscess still needed further treatment and I was given more antibiotics.. This prolonged period of pain turned out to be a result of the fact that the hole I had filled by Dr Roll had not had not had all the decay removed properly and the bacteria below the filling had prompted the abscess. I was really annoyed, I had been in pain, I had been to a dentist in good faith to resolve my problem and he had, in fact, allowed it to get worse!”

Mr Davenport explained “I had my abscess drained and then it became obvious to my new dentist that the treatment I had received on the tooth required further work and I was booked in for root canal treatment and a crown to be fitted. All of which was completely un-necessary had my original dentist treated the decay in my tooth”.

Georgina France at the Dental Law Partnership, said: “Mr Davenport has suffered at the hands of an incompetent dentist who failed to adequately treat a decaying tooth. It is the basic principle of dentistry and Dr Roll failed at the first hurdle. The result has meant our client has suffered with painful abscesses in his lower right jawline and tooth and he has had to undergo treatment which could have been completed prevented”.

Georgina continued: “As a result of this negligence, Mr Davenport will have to factor in crown provision as part of his normal dentistry work for the rest of his life on this particular tooth. The crown will need to be replaced at regular intervals taking up his time and also his money. This situation was entirely avoidable”.

Mr Davenport contacted the Dental Law Partnership who accepted his case in March 2015 and his case was concluded 4 months later in July 2015 and settled out-of-court for £7,500. The defendant Dr Roll, did not admit liability for his actions.

Mr Davenport said “Dental Law Partnership dealt with my case swiftly and thoroughly and in a timely fashion. They guided me through the whole process and went above and beyond to help and ensure that my problems were resolved and my case was concluded”.

Mr Davenport ended: “As someone who has always looked after my teeth and attended regular check- ups, I wasn’t prepared to have to devote so much of my future time to dentistry work. I found combining my studying alongside my part-time job as a chef difficult to manage whilst I was experiencing pain. Whilst the settlement will help to pay for further required treatment, it still doesn’t change the fact that the person I trusted let me down. You go to a dentist to help you, you do not expect them to make you worse. The pain I experienced was avoidable and I still can’t quite understand why this happened”.