Nobody expects their dental appointment to become the stuff of nightmares. Yet for some patients, treatment that should have alleviated their pain or improved their smile has left them with lasting damage, unexpected remedial work and moths of corrective work. Come and explore six real life examples of horror dental negligence, from failed restorative treatments to orthodontic failures and missed diagnosis. and learn what dental negligence can look like and what patients can do if treatment goes wrong.
Dental negligence occurs when a dental professional fails to provide the standard of care that could reasonably be expected, resulting in harm or avoidable injury to a patient. For those affected the consequences can be frightening.
It is important to note that not every unsuccessful dental treatment or complication will necessarily amount to negligence. Dental procedures carry recognised risk and problems can arise even when treatment is carried out successfully. The circumstances of each case need to be considered individually.
Here are six chilling examples of situations in which dental treatment has gone wrong:
Dental Horror Story 1:
A recent settlement of over £70,000 involved a teenager who had been failed by their dental professional during orthodontic treatment.
Our client wore braces for a number of years, during which time they developed root resorption, where the root of the tooth shrinks. They also developed high-grade mobility in multiple teeth due to excessive and unnecessary pressure.
Sadly, our client is now expected to lose the majority of their teeth in the near future, with devastating long-term consequences for someone so young.
Dental Horror Story 2:
Jennifer Hepburn a client at the Dental Law Partnership received an £11,000 settlement after her dentist extracted the wrong tooth. Few dental scenarios are more frightening than finding out the wrong tooth is gone.
The error left Jennifer with the trauma of losing a healthy tooth in error, and a costly second extraction of the correct tooth, which had to be done under sedation due to the distress she first experienced.
You can read more about Jennifer’s dental horror story here!
Dental Horror Story 3:
Another settlement of over £70,000 began with what should have been a routine wisdom tooth extraction. Sometimes the most ordinary of appointments are the ones that turn into a nightmare.
Our client suffered permanent injury to two nerves in the mouth, leaving them with the permanent loss of taste on one side of the mouth and affecting their everyday life.
Dental Horror Story 4:
Jordan Ellis was recently paid £25,000 after receiving inadequate veneer treatment over several years, the result of poorly advised dental treatment and poor execution from his dental practice. Some dental nightmares are so lengthy patients end of reaching for the superglue!
Both veneers on his front teeth kept falling out to the point Jordan glued his own tooth back on at home. He will lose both teeth in the future and require crowns leaving him to face further treatment – You can read the full story here.
Dental Horror Story 5:
Michael Cole was awarded £9,000 after two of his former dentists failed to diagnose and treat decay in two teeth. Mr Cole thought attending every check-up would prevent a dental nightmare, not cause one.
Despite multiple routine check-ups his dentists failed to treat and diagnose decay. One tooth fractured whilst he was eating and a later extraction resulted in significant bleeding. Mr Cole will likely lose a further tooth in the future, Michael is now “terrified of the dentist”, highlighting the lasting impact of his negligent experience.
You can read Michael’s full story here.
Dental Horror Story 6:
Finally, a settlement of over £30,000, after a dental professional failed to provide adequate implant treatment leading to the client being hospitalised.
The client’s negligent implant treatment led to an avoidable, life-threatening infection and hospital admission, where they were placed in a coma. It was a deeply traumatic experience caused by the dentist’s failings. Even after all of this our client was still left with the implant treatment now needing to be re-done and replaced.
What Do These Dental Negligence Stories Show Us?
Although every case is different, these examples demonstrate why patients should seek appropriate advice when they believe something has gone wrong with their dental treatment. The most frightening part of a dental nightmare is often not knowing what happened or why.
Experiencing a complication does not automatically mean that dental negligence has occurred. At the Dental Law Partnership our legally and dentally trained professionals investigate what happened and whether the appropriate standard of care was provided.
Can You Claim for Dental Negligence?
If you believe you have suffered harm because of negligent dental treatment like the examples above, you may be able to make a dental negligence claim.
Whether a claim is possible will depend on the individual circumstances, including the treatment provided, the standard of care, the injury suffered and the available evidence.
If you are concerned about dental treatment you have received, you must consider taking these steps:
- Seek appropriate dental care if you are experiencing pain, infection or another urgent problem, and consider a second opinion if necessary.
- Keep copies of your dental records and treatment information.
- Record what happened, including dates, appointments and symptoms.
- Consider obtaining specialist legal advice if you believe the treatment may have been a result of negligence.
Don’t let a dental nightmare haunt you
The six dental negligence stories above demonstrate just how a dental treatment problem can have consequences that extend beyond the appointment itself.
If you believe you have experienced negligent dental treatment, it is important to establish exactly what happened, what harm was caused and whether the appropriate standard of care was provided.
This is where the Dental Law Partnership comes in. We are a highly trained dental negligence firm, and we’ve helped thousands of people to secure justice for the negligence they’ve suffered. If you believe you have suffered dental negligence, contact us today for a free no obligation conversation.