Five Figure Payout for Hampshire Man After Tooth Decay Fiasco

A man from Alton has been awarded £15,000 in compensation in an out of court settlement after poor dental care at the hands of two dentists led to the loss of seven teeth.

Andrew Kuttner, 57, sued Dr Abi Soni of Alton Dental and Dr Mark Dellafera, formerly of Alton Village Dental Practice in Anstey Road, after they failed to diagnose and treat him for decay over a period of 11 years.

Andrew has since had seven of his extracted teeth replaced with dental implants.

Andrew said: “I’d been registered at the practice since 1983, but the problems started in August 2000. Fast forward to 2013 and I’ve had seven of my teeth removed because two dentists didn’t treat me properly despite me seeing them 48 times.”

A series of X-rays and routine oral examinations during this period showed Andrew was suffering from decay in a number of his teeth, but Dr Soni and Dr Dellafera failed to treat him appropriately, leading to extensive damage.

“I was in a lot of pain and was in and out of the practice for endless treatments that weren’t solving the problems I was having. All the fillings, root canal treatments and crowns given to me by Dr Soni and Dr Dellafera didn’t stop me losing my teeth,” explained Andrew.

On three occasions between September 2010 and July 2011, Andrew was told by the dentists four of his teeth had become too decayed to repair, so they would need to be extracted.

Andrew explained: “I was devastated I’d lost four of my teeth in such a short space of time so thought it was time to get a second opinion. I stayed registered with the practice, but saw another dentist in February 2012.”

Andrew was advised he would need a fifth tooth taken out because of significant decay. The dentist explained another tooth was also in a poor condition so would need to be monitored. Andrew was told three of his teeth may require extraction in the future in another appointment in April.

Leading dental negligence specialists, The Dental Law Partnership (DLP), took on Andrew’s case and was presented with evidence that showed he had suffered as a direct result of the poor treatment provided by both dentists.

Solicitor Jonathan Owen from DLP said: “Each dentist had the opportunity to diagnose and treat Mr Kuttner properly but failed to do so. Their standards were below what is expected and he has now lost a large number of teeth as a result of their actions.”

Andrew said: “I have been very impressed with the way DLP have handled my case. From my very first contact, I felt I was dealing with a totally reputable firm which kept me fully informed of progress and was always happy to answer any queries. I would highly recommend DLP to anyone who is at all concerned about their dental treatment..”

Neither dentist admitted liability.