Dental Patient Describes Horror of ‘Botched Surgery’

A 30-year-old from Urmston, Greater Manchester has been awarded £7,000 in an out-of-court settlement after an extraction resulted in more than a year of pain and suffering.

When Chris Potts started to feel pain in one of his back molars at the end of 2013, he visited his dentist Dr Atif Shamas-Ud-Din and discovered that he had tooth decay. Despite the pain, Dr Shamas-Ud-Din of Gary Knowles Dental Practice in Partington, advised him that it would be extremely problematic to conduct a standard root canal procedure in order to try and save the tooth and just placed a temporary filling on the tooth. Chris was therefore forced to continue taking strong pain killers to control his severe discomfort.

After enduring unbearable pain for some months, on a return visit to his dentist in February 2014, it was confirmed that the tooth now needed removing Dr Shamas-Ud-Din gave Chris no option for alternative treatment. But the routine procedure turned into an ordeal for Chris, who claimed “I could’ve done better myself with a Black and Decker drill.”

“It was horrendous. I wasn’t given enough anaesthetic and as Dr Shamas-Ud-Din was pulling, I literally felt my tooth crunch and snap in my mouth! When I asked to be given more anaesthetic, I was told I’d had enough and to wait for it to kick in.

“I was in absolute agony and had to ask the dentist to stop. I was left with the roots of the tooth left in my gum which was so excruciatingly painful that, ever since, I’ve needed heavy painkillers, prescribed by my GP, to cope with the pain. It has not been over a year and to make the situation even worse, I am still waiting for the roots to be removed.”

Chris sought compensation for his ordeal with the help of the Dental Law Partnership, who successfully settled his case against Dr Atif Shamas-Ud-Din who did not admit liability for his actions.

“I was miserable,” said Chris. “The root of my snapped tooth was left in gum exposing my nerves and I felt shocks shooting up my jaw all the time. My exposed root was sensitive to hot and cold food and drink, which made eating a real struggle. I found it hard to sleep and had huge bags under my eyes. I looked like I was on drugs.”

Georgina France, trainee solicitor at specialist dental negligence solicitors, Dental Law Partnership who pursued Chris’ case, said: “Mr Potts was let down by Dr Atif Shamas-Ud-Din, who did not fully discuss all possible treatment options with him. As a result of the dentist’s negligence, Chris’ underwent an avoidable extraction causing even him more pain. Mr Potts now has to endure further treatment, including removing the remaining root under general anaesthetic and implant replacement therapy. This prolonged pain, suffering and treatment was totally avoidable.”

The Dental Law Partnership took on Chris’ case in July 2014, reaching an out-of-court settlement for £7,000 in June 2015.

Chris added: “The whole experience has been horrible and not only affected me but has also had a big impact on my marriage. The pain and lack of sleep was frustrating and led to anxiety. We would argue constantly because of my unhappiness.

“Even though I’m still experiencing a lot of pain, I’ve been told that my issue won’t be fully rectified until I wait for an appointment for more remedial treatment on my exposed root.

“From my experience, I would definitely encourage people to speak up if you feel your experiencing poor treatment. Seeking specialist advice was the best thing I could have done and I’m so grateful for all that The Dental Law Partnership has done for me.”