Our client, a 52 year old woman from the South West, was awarded £14,000 in an out of court settlement after poor dentistry led to tooth loss and corrective treatment.
Mrs L first attended the defendant, Dr S, in August 1983. At the time she was suffering from chronic infection at her two lower front teeth. Dr S performed root canal treatment at the two teeth in a bid to save them.
In November 1983 a crown was fitted at the LL6, the sixth tooth back on the lower left side, and the following month Dr S performed root canal treatment on the tooth.
Problems began for Mrs L in July 1984 when she began experiencing pain at the LL6 tooth. She visited Dr S twice during the month to have the infection drained and then Dr S filled the tooth in October and November 1984.
The following year the LL6 tooth was still causing Mrs L pain so two months later Dr S root filled the tooth and placed a crown on it. In 1995 Dr S performed repeat root canal treatment on the same tooth.
In October 2001, Mrs L had a crown placed at an upper tooth on the left hand side – UL5. Then in February 2008 a crown was fitted at the UL4 – the tooth next to it.
By February 2010, Mrs L had grown increasingly concerned about the state of her lower teeth and decided to change dentists. One of her lower front teeth was loose and pus was coming out. Mrs L was horrified to learn that the three crowns which Dr S had previously provided were of an unsatisfactory standard and would need to be replaced, and that the root fillings previously provided at the two lower front teeth were unsatisfactory. Mrs L had lost a lot of bone around the bottom teeth and as a result the teeth were extracted in 2011.
Dr S provided no formal admission of liability but Mrs L was successful in bringing a legal claim against him with the assistance of the Dental Law Partnership. Mrs L said “I am devastated that my dentist provided such poor treatment, but I am pleased that I now have the compensation to pay for the implants and replacement crowns I now need”.