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South East man is awarded £30,000 after a local hospital trust left him with a broken jaw following a wisdom tooth extraction.
Many people will have their wisdom teeth come through at some point in their lives, and while in most cases the teeth erupt causing no problems there may be an occasion where you will need the wisdom tooth removed. This was the case for Mr G.
After suffering for a number of years with pain from one of his wisdom teeth he was advised by his dentist that it would be best for him to have it removed. Usually the process is pretty straightforward, unfortunately for Mr G the procedure didn’t go smoothly. Mr G was referred to his local hospital for the removal of the tooth and it was to be extracted under general anaesthetic.
A short while after the tooth had been removed Mr G returned to the dentist complaining of pain and numbness from the extracted area and around his lip. His dentist provided antibiotics and advised Mr G that if the pain and numbness was still present after a few weeks he’d be referred back to the hospital.
With the pain not subsiding Mr G was referred back to the hospital where it was discovered that his jaw had been fractured during the extraction procedure that he’d undergone only a couple of months before. This meant that Mr G had to return for another operation at a later date where the hospital would need to correctly fix the fracture.
The corrective treatment that Mr G had to undergo was a metal plate with 7 screws put in his jaw, which failed to heal and subsequently had to have it re-done and a bone graft taken from his hip. Mr G also suffered a long period of pain and numbness. If the hospital had used reasonable care and skill when extracting the tooth then Mr G would have avoided the nerve injury to his lip, chin and jaw. He would also have avoided the need for surgery under general anaesthetic to correct the fracture. If Mr G had been treated with the right care after the operation then he would have avoided a period of pain, suffering and discomfort.
After suffering for so long Mr G decided to get in touch with The Dental Law Partnership and see if he had grounds to start a claim. Our team of specialists took on the case and helped secure the outcome of £30,000 compensation which will go towards future remedial treatment. If you feel like you have experienced dental negligence then don’t hesitate to get in touch! Call us today on 0808 271 6955.