Dental negligence claims for tooth extractions

What Is Tooth Extraction?

Tooth extraction (sometimes known as dental extraction) is a dental procedure carried out where an entire permanent tooth is removed from its socket in the jawbone. Dental extraction is usually a last resort, carried out after other treatment options have not been successful, or if the tooth is too damaged to be saved and will cause more problems if left where it is.

Before your dentist carries out your treatment, you should be made fully aware of the dangers and risks involved, as well as any alternative treatments available. You should also be confident in the level of skill your dentist holds, as well as knowing the methods they will be using in order to repair the problem.

This is known as informed consent, which must be voluntarily given before any treatment. If your dentist does not gain consent from you and something goes wrong during surgery (such as a failed wisdom tooth extraction or a difficult extraction of your tooth), you may be eligible for a dental negligence claim.

Get in touch today to find out more about opening a dental negligence claim.

Why Would You Need a Tooth Extraction?

There are a number of reasons why teeth extraction may be required. If you’re experiencing a certain level of severe tooth decay, your teeth may require extraction in order to prevent further issues. Gum disease can lead to the loosening of teeth, so if there is too much damage to be repaired, your dentist may suggest extraction.l However, in the early stages of gum disease (often known as gingivitis), you may be able to take other steps to treat the issue.

Impacted wisdom teeth removal may also be carried out at a dental practice if the affected teeth have become impacted, or cause damage to other areas of your mouth and teeth. This is relatively rare though, and most dental professionals will only extract your wisdom teeth if absolutely necessary.

Tooth extraction is often a last resort, only carried out if other treatments are not available. Your dentist should assess the oral region of your mouth appropriately beforehand, only carrying out the procedure if other possible avenues have all been explored.

If your dentist fails to do this and you suffer from incomplete tooth extraction complications, you could be liable to sue your dentist.

What Is the Tooth Extraction Process?

A tooth should not be extracted unless you have undergone a thorough oral examination by your dentist – in most cases, the tooth removal process will include an x-ray to establish the best way to complete the removal. It’s also important you ensure that your dentist is fully aware of your dental and medical history before the treatment commences.

It’s common for a simple extraction to take place using local anaesthetic, which will remove pain throughout the procedure, allowing the tooth to be loosened and removed. Although you will be conscious during the treatment, discomfort should be reduced to a minimum as the area is numbed before the extraction attempt.

A more complex procedure is known as a surgical extraction. Surgical removal of teeth may be carried out by oral surgeons and usually involves a section of the gum being cut and peeled back before the bone is removed and the tooth is extracted. The flap of gum is then sewn back into place to allow healing to occur.

Failed Tooth Extractions – What You Need to Know

Whilst most tooth extraction procedures go ahead successfully without any issues, sometimes patients are let down by dental professionals and dental mistakes do happen. If your dentist was at fault for you being injured during the procedure, you may be eligible for compensation.

A tooth extraction could be considered to have ‘failed’ for a variety of different reasons. These include:

• The full tooth and root(s) were not removed

• A nerve injury occurred during tooth extraction

• The tooth could not be successfully extracted during the procedure

• The wrong tooth was extracted.

Your dentist may not be at fault for all of these circumstances. However,  if you believe that they made a mistake that caused you pain and suffering, or meant that further dental treatment was needed, you might be able to make a compensation claim for a possible failed tooth extraction. 

For more information, please request a callback from our team here.

What Are the Signs of Incomplete Tooth Extraction?

If you’ve suffered from dental negligence after a tooth removal procedure, you’ll also probably start to notice the symptoms of incomplete tooth extraction. Every case is different, so the main indicators of negligence may not be immediately noticeable at first. 

However, there are some signs that you should keep watch for, should something negligent happen during your procedure:

• • Pain and discomfort that doesn’t go away/gets worse – Most dental procedures will make you feel slightly sore or uncomfortable after treatment, but the pain should go away after a while. If the pain persists  after dental work or gets worse, you may have encountered dental negligence
  • Your dentist didn’t remove all of your teeth – This may seem like a rather obvious point to notice, but it’s not uncommon to undergo a dental extraction and discover later on that your dentist didn’t remove all of your tooth, or removed the wrong tooth. 
  • Swelling and difficulty with chewing and talking – If your dentist didn’t remove all of the tooth or didn’t complete the extraction process properly, you may notice swelling and inflammation around the affected area. This can also lead to issues with eating and speaking.

• Visible tooth fragments left behind – If you have a broken tooth during extraction, there will usually be visible tooth fragments left behind in your gum. These fragments will usually feel hard and sharp and may cause further injury, indicating negligence has occurred.

• Delayed healing – If your tooth was not extracted properly and fragments of teeth remain, the affected area may take longer to heal and/or may not heal properly.

If you notice any of the symptoms of incomplete tooth extraction laid out above, it’s crucial that you return to your dentist or get a second opinion to assess the damage.

What Risks & Problems Are Associated with Tooth Extractions?

There are risks associated with any type of dental procedure, which is why it’s so important for your dentist to explain in full what the procedure involves, as well as any post-extraction aftercare required to minimise future problems. 

Some of the most common oral health issues experienced after an extraction include:

Dry Socket

Dry socket occurs when a blood clot (which is usually naturally formed by the body and acts as a protective layer whilst healing) does not form properly in the tooth socket. Sometimes, the blood clot may not form properly, before dissolving or dislodging before the area has healed. 

Dry socket can cause severe pain; the area can also become inflamed and over-the-counter medication won’t be enough to treat the symptoms. Dry socket is more likely to occur if you experience a difficult extraction of your tooth, as trauma caused to the area can increase the chances of this occurring.

Nerve injuries

During an extraction, it can be possible for nerve damage to occur. Whilst this damage is temporary in most cases (usually lasting a few weeks or months), it can be permanent if the damage is severe. 

Symptoms of nerve damage typically include:

• Pain

• A tingling sensation

• Numbness in the tongue, lip, chin, teeth or gums

Infection and Abscesses

The mouth is full of bacteria – whilst this isn’t always a bad thing, it can sometimes result in  infection after a tooth extraction for some patients. After an extraction, it’s normal to experience a little bleeding and pain in the day or so after the procedure, but if it continues after this period or gets worse, it can be a sign of infection. Some people also experience swelling and pus as a result of an infection, which can lead to dental abscesses.

If you experience any problems after a tooth extraction, you should visit a dentist as soon as possible.

How Much Does a Dental Extraction Cost?

If you receive NHS dental treatment, a tooth extraction falls into Band 2 treatment, along with cavity fillings and root canal treatments. You can find updated costs for all dental treatment bands here – Band 2 procedures are currently set at a cost of £73.50.

If you are receiving private dental treatment, the cost of an extraction will vary, as private practices can set their own prices. These procedures are likely to depend on where in the country you are, as well as the experience level and seniority of the dentist carrying out the surgery. According to Which?, private dental extractions range from around £120 to several hundred pounds.

Tooth Extraction Complications and Problems

Whilst most tooth extractions are carried out with no problems, there are some potential risks and complications that your dentist should discuss with you before the extraction procedure takes place. 

These problems include:

• Pain, bleeding, inflammation and infection around the extraction site after the procedure – These factors will delay healing, and failed tooth extraction pain can be extremely distressing to deal with
• Misaligned teeth – You may find that in some cases, your teeth do not align properly after the extraction
• An infected or ‘Dry’ socket – Dry socket is a term referring to situations where the blood clot that forms over the extraction site is dislodged
• Bite collapse – This is where the extraction causes bite problems due to the structural changes in the remaining teeth
• A nerve injury – Most common in wisdom tooth extraction, nerve injuries can be minor, moderate or severe, causing potentially long-lasting or permanent pain, tingling or numbness

If you suffer one or more of these complications and you believe it to be as a result of your dentist making errors or failing their duty of care responsibilities, you might be eligible to make a claim for tooth extraction negligence. 

Get in touch with our expert team for more information on starting your dental negligence claim.

The Dental Law Partnership: Your Path to Recovery

A failed tooth extraction can be extremely distressing and costly – particularly if you underwent a complex tooth extraction and your dentist acted negligently during the surgery. We hope that you do not find yourself in this situation, but if you have, our expert team of dental solicitors are ready to help.

We can take you through the entire dental claims process, aiming to seek justice and compensation for every client that comes to us. We also work on a no-win, no-fee basis, ensuring you won’t pay anything if your case is unsuccessful.

If you’re ready to open your dental claim, you can start your claim here. If you’d like to speak to a member of our team first, we’ll be happy to help – please request a callback here.