BRISTOL OFFICE MANAGER RECEIVES £32K PAYOUT AFTER DENTAL BLUNDERS

A Bristol office manager has been awarded £32,500 in an out of court settlement after suffering years of infection and the loss of three teeth because of dental negligence.

Allyson Ng, has had to have three of her teeth removed and has been left with chronic gum disease because she wasn’t treated correctly by dentists Dr Priest and Dr House of the Apple Dental Practice, High Street, Winterbourne, Bristol.

The 55-year-old of Charlton Road, Kingswood, Bristol, can no longer eat beef, and struggles to chew any meat because of the gaping hole caused by the loss of her teeth and now faces intrusive and extensive reconstructive treatment to insert implants.

Allyson had been a patient at the Apple Dental Practice since 2002 and attended regularly for a check-up and scale and polish. In 2009 her notes showed that her dentist had discovered an issue with her periodontal health – gum disease – but despite this, no treatment was carried out and problem continued to worsen. In 2011 Allyson had to have antibiotics for an infection and she was then referred to a hygienist. In 2014 Allyson became concerned about her treatment and visited another dentist who said she was suffering from acute gum disease and referred her to a periodontal specialist. She then had to have three teeth removed as they had gone past the point of being able to be saved.

Allyson, who is now semi-retired, says she feels betrayed by the people she trusted with her dental care for more than 10 years.

She explained: “I trusted them for years and that’s the bit that upsets me the most. Ten years I went to see them and all the time my condition was getting worse and worse until the point when my teeth were past saving. As soon as I went to my new dentist they immediately spotted the problem and I have since had to have three teeth removed. They could and should have been saved with timely treatment. Now I’ve got a gaping hole and I can’t eat beef anymore because I can’t chew it. To be honest I struggle with all meat but beef is the worse. I have had to learn to eat differently and I now face all the implant treatment to get me sorted. It’s not something that anyone looks forward to – it’s costly and time consuming and I fully expect it be uncomfortable to say the least.”

Jonathan Owen, solicitor at Dental Law Partnership explained: “The shame of this case is that had Allyson been treated correctly, she should still have her teeth but instead she faces an intensive course of implant replacement therapy and will be visiting the dentist for corrective and restorative treatment for the foreseeable future. Her neglect spanned years and only stopped when she took matters into her own hands and sought help from another dentist.”

And he added: “We are very glad to have been able to help Allyson get the justice she deserves and also the funds to be able to afford her restorative treatment.”

Allyson contacted the Dental Law Partnership who accepted her case in July 2014 and her case was concluded in October 2015 and settled out-of-court for £32,500. The defendants Dr Priest and Dr House of the Apple Dental Practice did not admit liability for their actions.