A teenager has been successful in her claim for dental compensation. The 16 year old will receive a £10,000 pay out after her tooth decay went undetected.
The claim came about after the girl had to have two teeth extracted after visiting a dental practice. She had always visited the same practice for years, ever since she was 5 years old, and had been treated for a filling in a back molar.
She had returned regularly for check-ups but started to complain about a pain. The pain became really uncomfortable and she had swollen gums. The dentist decided to seal the tooth and then prescribed her with a toothpaste for sensitive teeth.
By the age of 14 she was still experiencing discomfort and eventually was given an X-ray which highlighted extensive decay in her left molar. She asked about her right molar as this was given her pain also but was not given an x-ray as it was deemed that it was not a priority.
Her family’s confidence in her dentist was wearing thin and so it was decided that she visited another dentist for a second opinion and this dentist removed two of her back teeth, left and right molar, as they were badly decayed.
A County Court Judge upheld the claim for damages made by the family for not spotting the decay sooner and preventing further problems which eventually led to extraction and months of considerable pain.
The girl has had her confidence knocked as a result of her experience:
“I had been going to that dentist ever since I was little. I had terrible pain in my teeth on a number of occasions. I am so upset that it turns out that all of this could have been avoided.
“I’m really conscious of it and I am very conscious of when I laugh because it shows off the holes at the back of my mouth.
“It’s horrible to feel like this especially when it could have been avoided. Now I’m terrified of the dentist.”
Her father commented: “It’s affected her confidence and made her teenage years more difficult. We are incredibly disappointed in the dentist.”
Our dental negligence claims solicitors at Thorneycroft have consistently achieved excellent results for our clients in Macclesfield, Manchester, Cheshire and surrounding areas and remain dedicated to maximising the compensation for dentist negligence claims available on a no win – no fee basis. Call us now on FREEPHONE 0800 093 2030, or complete our simple enquiry form and we can call you back at a time to suit you.
