Mr D was a regular attending patient and first saw Dr N in 2004 for a routine check-up. He would attend regularly and during numerous visits had a number of treatments including, fillings, crowns and root canal treatment at various teeth.
He commented, ‘I didn’t feel like anything was out of the ordinary. If I had a problem with my teeth I’d visit Dr N who provided me with what I thought was the best course of action. I went to my appointments and I thought everything was being dealt with accordingly.’
During one of his visits Mr D was complaining of pain and swelling. It was noted that one of his teeth showed signs of being mobile and treatment options were discussed. The options given were either root canal treatment or extraction and Mr D was also prescribed antibiotics. Mr D also had 3 teeth extracted under Dr N’s care, and suffered an allergic reaction to filling material that Dr N had placed. This resulted in more unnecessary pain for Mr D.
After feeling like his pain wasn’t getting any better he attended an appointment with another dentist at the practice. His new dentist made a diagnosis of chronic periodontal disease. It was noted Dr N had failed to advise Mr D of his deteriorating periodontal condition and advancing periodontal disease and of the need for treatment.
Over the years that Mr D attended Dr N for check-ups and various treatments he was never advised that he was suffering with periodontal disease. Instead he was just provided with multiple treatments that never helped to improve Mr D’s declining oral health.
Mr D said, ‘I don’t recall ever being told by Dr N that my oral health was in such a decline. I thought by visiting regularly these things were supposed to get picked up quickly, unfortunately that didn’t happen. I’ve lost confidence from all that has happened and I’m hoping now I can start to put it all behind me.’
Sadly Mr D has suffered the avoidable loss of 16 teeth . If Dr N had made Mr D aware of his condition then it would not have deteriorated and his bone levels would have remained stable. Due to Dr N’s poor treatment Mr D has suffered with pain, discomfort and dental infections. He’s had difficulty eating and as a result has suffered with weight loss. He has also undergone avoidable dentistry including, root canal treatment, crowns, bridge and dentures.
Heather Owen, Director of the Dental Law Partnership commented, ‘the distress and pain our client experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist had carried out adequate treatment and diagnoses in the first place our client would have been able to get his condition under control.”
If you think you have been provided with poor treatment from your dentist you may be eligible to make a claim. You can contact our friendly team who will be able to guide you through the process. You can call us on 0808 271 6955 or alternatively you can complete our online claim form.
