Mr Liam Daley, a 34-year-old telecoms planner from Liverpool, has been awarded £10,000 from his former dentist with the help of specialist dental negligence solicitors the Dental Law Partnership. It was awarded after it was discovered that defective treatment planning was carried out and poor front crowns were fitted, which damaged the appearance of Mr Daley’s front teeth, and required significant remedial work.
Mr Daley had been a patient at the Atlantic Dental Practice, 40 Croxteth Hall Lane, Croxteth, Liverpool, for nearly a decade between 2011 and 2019, and was treated primarily by Dr Roger Hollins from 2012 until 2017. Whilst a patient of Dr Hollins, Mr Daley sought to improve the appearance of his front teeth. “I attended numerous appointments over the years to have crowns fitted on my four front teeth, but had to keep returning due to issues with them cracking, fracturing or coming loose,” Mr Daley recalled. “I had to return to have one of the crowns retreated more than five times.”
“By 2019, I was experiencing regular issues with bleeding gums around the crowns, which had been ongoing for months. The crowns were also going yellow which I did mention a number of times. I’d never been advised that anything was wrong with my teeth, so I assumed the issue must have had something to do with how I ate, as I trusted the dentist to tell me if there was anything wrong with my teeth,” Mr Daley recounted.
In April 2019, Mr Daley visited a new practice, which was more convenient, for a general appointment, and was stunned with what came to light. “When the new dentist looked at my mouth they were shocked as my mouth was so damaged.” Mr Daley explained, “At the new practice, they explained many issues with my front teeth which would require root canals, and could ultimately require extraction to get my mouth back to a good state.”
Frustrated with the experiences he had gone through, Mr Daley contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2019. Further analysis revealed several consultation errors where Mr Daley was not advised that the crown treatment he received from Dr Hollins was futile. Furthermore, the significant discomfort and inconvenience of dozens of appointments relating to the poorly fitted crowns could have been avoided.
“I was appalled when everything came to light. You place your trust in your dentist while you’re sitting in the chair because they are the expert, and it was completely unacceptable for the dentist to leave me in the dark about the poor results and ramifications of the years of treatment I underwent.” Mr Daley recalled. “When my mouth was at its worst, my confidence was at an all-time low – I didn’t like smiling or talking near people who could see my mouth.”
Heather Owen of the Dental Law Partnership commented: “The distress, inconvenience and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, his problems could have been avoided.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Mr Daley’s case in 2019. The case was successfully settled in May 2023 when Mr Daley was paid £10,000 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 https://dentallaw.co.uk/dental-solicitors/.