• For 16 years a dentist failed to spot Mrs H’s periodontal disease causes her future tooth loss of 19 teeth.
• Dentist put ill-fitting crowns in clients teeth causing pain and discomfort
• Mrs H will need countless procedures to save her teeth.
Between 1998 and 2014 Mrs H saw her dentist for regular appointments.
In 1999 Mrs H had some fillings and crowns fitted, her dentist didn’t take any X-rays and reassured her that her teeth were in good condition. She continued having regular appointments at her practice.
“I was having the odd filling every now and then, all common procedures that many people have, my dentist never said there was any serious problems with my teeth”
In 2009 our client complained of an uncomfortable crown that she thought had been poorly fit, this was restored with another by her dentist. But again no X-rays were taken.
Mrs H went to have another crown fitted in August 2010 and at a later check-up in 2012 her dentist advised that her oral hygiene was ‘good’.
“You trust your dentist at the end of the day, I believed I was in capable hands. I was having a few crowns and fillings done yes, but they happen to plenty of people. I thought my teeth would last a life time”
Things started to go wrong in January 2014 when Mrs H complained of bleeding gums. Her dentist advised a tooth would need extracting.
“I was shocked, everyone knows bleeding gums can be a sign on gum disease but my dentist had reassured me my oral health was good, he never mentioned any signs on gum disease” Mrs H said.
She decided to get another opinion and saw a new dentist.
Mrs H was shocked to learn that 2 of her teeth would need to be extracted and her oral hygiene was in fact in bad condition and that gum disease had been allowed to progress so far that she would lose 19 teeth in the future.
She was told the crowns she had had been ill- fitted and this had caused plaque to build up was the reason she had been feeling much discomfort.
“I’m so embarrassed of my mouth and extremely self-conscious. I was told I would lose 19 teeth because my dentist had failed to look after them for almost 20 years! I am only in my forties! It’s absolutely heart breaking. I will need so much work done in the future, I’ve been having so much pain and swelling and infections after infections”
Tim Armitage of the Dental Law Partnership commented: “The distress and pain our client experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist had carried out adequate treatment in the first place, all her problems could have been avoided.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Mrs H’s case in 2016. The case was successfully settled in 2019 when the dentist paid £85,000. in an out of court settlement. The dentist did not admit liability.
