- 53-year-old Miss S has suffered a broken jaw during a tooth extraction, causing infections and sinus issues, such as throbbing pain, pus in her throat, head pressure, difficulty eating and lack of sleep
- Further investigation by the Dental Law Partnership revealed that the fracture, subsequent symptoms, and need for hospital treatment under general anaesthetic could have been avoided
- £10,000 awarded in compensation for the poor treatment, which has left her with a slanted mouth, altered taste and smell, and mental health issues
The payment was awarded after a poor tooth extraction broke her jaw, leading to infections and sinus issues, including bleeding, dripping pus in her mouth, head pressure, and difficulty eating. This led to an avoidable hospital procedure under general anaesthetic, which caused her face to droop, and needing counselling for anxiety.
Miss S was a patient of Dr Avraj Sohanpal at A1 Dental Surgery, 52 London Road, Canterbury, since January 2021. “I had an emergency appointment with Dr Sohanpal as my upper left tooth was in pain. He said it was decayed and unrestorable and would need extracting. As the tooth was at the back of my mouth, I thought it’d be fine,” Miss S recalled.
“A few months later in May I went in for the tooth extraction. Dr Sohanpal was pulling the tooth for so long, at least over 40 minutes, and he was so forceful but it wasn’t budging. Suddenly I heard an almighty crack and thought oh my god has he broken my tooth. But instead, he had broken my jaw!”
“Dr Sohanpal abandoned the extraction after that and said he couldn’t remove the tooth as it was attached to the bone and told me to sit in the waiting room. I was in shock and crying my eyes out in pain. He was phoning people to see what to do and just left me alone. I’ve never experienced such horrendous and appalling care,” Miss S explained.
“When I went back in he told me he’d fractured my jaw, but then only gave me a prescription for antibiotics and said to eat soft foods for the week. I couldn’t even get the prescription that evening as he forgot to stamp it, so I was left in agony.”
“The next day I was in a lot of pain with bleeding and swelling in my mouth. Dr Sohanpal told me not to exercise or blow my nose, and the next week he placed a composite splint for the fracture that was to remain for 4-6 weeks. But it didn’t last – the splint debonded a couple of times where once it got stuck in my throat. At one point, a fragment of bone from my jaw also came out in my hand,” Miss S explained.
“Over the next couple of months I suffered so many infections and sinus issues. I was in constant pain, the left side of my mouth was throbbing, I had an awful taste in my mouth, a blocked nose, pus was dripping into my throat, and I felt heavy pressure in my head when bending. This all meant I couldn’t eat or sleep properly.”
“Throughout the whole ordeal, Dr Sohanpal was so unsupportive and made me feel alone. I had to visit the practice on many occasions to deal with the aftermath of his mistakes, but he made me feel like a nuisance and even said ‘I should charge you rent’ as if it was my fault I was constantly back there,” Miss S explained. “
In August, I went to the GP as I was worried about the constant pressure in my head when bending down. The scan showed my sinuses were completely blocked so I was referred to the hospital. In October, I underwent hospital treatment to remove the tooth and fractured bone under general anaesthetic,” Miss S explained.
Frustrated with the experiences she had gone through, Miss S contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2021. Further analysis revealed the extent of the poor dental treatment Miss S received from Dr Sohanpal. Had he removed the tooth using a different approach, the broken jaw, sinus infection and consequent symptoms such as bleeding, dripping pus, head pressure, and the need for treatment under general anaesthetic at the hospital could have been avoided.
“I hate that it feels like these symptoms will never go away. It’s affected me mentally, and I suffer from anxiety and depression. I was referred to counselling and eventually tried CBT but it hasn’t worked for me,” Miss S explained. “A lot of what I went through could have been avoided or made better if I’d had the right treatment or if the practice checked to make sure I was OK. No one checked in on me throughout my suffering, there was such a lack of care.”
The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided.
The Dental Law Partnership took on Miss S’s case in 2021. The case was successfully settled in December 2024 when Miss S was paid £10,000 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability.
If you believe you may have received negligent dental care, contact us to discuss your potential claim and how we can support you with a no win no fee case.