Our client, a 64 year old woman from the North of England, was awarded £20,000 in an out of court settlement after her dentist provided 3 implants which failed after 6 months.Mrs A first attended her dentist, Dr H, in August 2009 for a dental implant consultation and decided on a course of treatment to have 5 implants inserted into her upper jaw. She wanted a more permanent solution to moveable dentures. Dr H did not take any x rays and did not consider the fact that Mrs A is a smoker.
Just a week after the implants were placed, Mrs A reported that she was suffering from cold sores and was finding it difficult to eat. The following week she was in such discomfort with 2 implants in the upper right side of the jaw, that they had to be taken out.
In December 2009, Mrs A began a course of treatment with another dentist to have her upper and lower dentures adjusted. It was whilst under the other dentist’s care that Mrs A was informed that her implants were of an appalling standard. The new dentist informed her that she had lost a lot of bone around her teeth and that she wasn’t a suitable candidate for implants in the first place. Another implant was removed and it was declared that the remaining 2 implants were not serving a purpose in her dentition.
Dr H neither admitted nor denied liability for the substandard implants, but the Dental Law Partnership successfully brought a case of dental negligence against him and Mrs H was awarded £20,000 in an out of court settlement.
Mrs A said, “When I began the course of treatment I never thought I would have dental implant failure. I am very pleased with the outcome and that I can now begin to move on from my dentistry problems”.