Miss Sherrise Stewart, a 19-year-old retail worker who recently finished school, from Muswell Hill in London, has been awarded £2,750 by her former dentist with the help of specialist dental negligence solicitors the Dental Law Partnership. The payment was awarded after she had to endure the discomfort and inconvenience of wearing a fixed brace for four years and still the treatment was ineffective.
Miss Stewart attended Park Vue Dental Practice in Wood Green, London in 2017 when she was 13-years-old and was referred to Dr Fyeza Noor Janjua Sharif for orthodontic treatment. “I wanted braces as I had a small gap in my front teeth, and my bottom and top rows of teeth were misaligned,” Miss Stewart recalled. Dr Sharif extracted two teeth before fitting her braces, but over the course of two to three years, there was little progress.
“My teeth weren’t getting any better. I developed an additional gap at the side of my teeth that wasn’t there before – if that closed, the front teeth gap would widen, and if the front teeth gap closed, the side gap would widen,” Miss Stewart explained. She saw another dentist at the practice after Dr Sharif went on maternity leave. “She advised that I’ll always have a crossbite and closing the space will be difficult.”
“After multiple appointments where I complained of the excess space, in 2021 I had another tooth extracted,” she continued. “She still reassured me that the treatment was progressing as planned, but my mum saw things weren’t getting better and the negative effect it was having on my wellbeing.”
“Finally, when the time came to take off my braces in 2022, I still had the gap on the side. I was so upset and unhappy. I was crying at the dentist, worried I’d have a gap for life, as after four years of wearing braces my teeth still didn’t look right,” Miss Stewart recalled.
Frustrated with the experiences she had gone through, Miss Stewart contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2021. Further analysis revealed the treatment should have been undertaken and completed within one to two years, but ended up taking more than four. Had she been given better dental treatment, Miss Stewart would have avoided the inconvenience of wearing a fixed brace for an additional 30 months.
“I always felt so insecure and self-conscious wearing braces for four years, with my gap constantly on show and never improving. At school I didn’t want to smile, and I had to cover my mouth when talking or laughing. It was embarrassing,” Miss Stewart explained. “After all that time, the gaps in my teeth still weren’t fully corrected. I have a wire fitted on the back of my teeth, which is very uncomfortable and annoying to this day, and have to wear retainers every day. There’s still a small gap and I worry it’ll never go away.”
Jennifer Paine of the Dental Law Partnership commented: “The inconvenience, distress and pain our client has experienced at such a young age was unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Miss Stewart’s case in November 2021. The case was successfully settled in November 2023 when Miss Stewart was paid £2,750 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability. Any patients who believe they may have received negligent dental care should visit The Dental Law Partnershp.