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This article was published on February 27th, 2017
A woman has successfully secured £40k in compensation from a well-respected dentist after claiming that her permanent facial numbness and dental pain was caused by poorly fitted implants.
The 65 year old woman claimed that the botched implants left her ‘crying with agony’ and that ever since 2011, when the implants were fitted, she knew something was wrong.
‘At my implant consultation she told me I needed four implants but that I was in good hands.
‘She said she was a pioneer in her field and would look after me every step of the way. She said she’d fit longer implants because they would last longer.’
Shortly after the dental procedure she said,
‘The next day my jaw was still completely numb,
‘It was like I had pins and needles in my face. It was horrible.’
‘I had terrible toothache and a strange pain that was obviously being caused by the implants.
She returned to her dentist who, she claimed, advised her that this wasn’t a problem and that the numbness and pain would disappear over time. According to the claimant, this didn’t happen and 6 months later the symptoms were still there but now there were shooting pains into her neck and ear.
After visiting her dentist again, she was assured that the pain would go and also had her implants cleaned and also had a dental bridge fitted but again this did not reduce the pain and discomfort.
The real cause of the pain was not discovered until the claimant visited a new dentist who she claims was instantly concerned by what he saw:
‘He was shocked by how poorly the implants had been fitted,’
‘He actually contacted …….. there and then to say she needed to see me as a matter of urgency to correct her treatment. But she didn’t see me.’
The new dentist found one implant so poorly fitted he could remove it manually with just his fingers and a scan showed an implant was touching a nerve which caused the numbness and one tooth had such bad decay that it needed extracting.
‘I still can’t believe it,
‘I had supposedly been seeing a pioneering Harley Street expert but she’d been providing poor treatment from the start.
‘The whole experience has been so traumatic, upsetting and painful. I’m self-employed and have lost earnings because of the situation, and paid …… many thousands of pounds upfront.
‘I am trying to get on with my life, but the nerve damage ……. caused is permanent so the numbness will always be with me.
‘I have now realised that any dentist can have a practice on Harley Street, it doesn’t mean anything, and I want to warn others.’
The case has just been settled out of court and the claimant was awarded £40k in compensation for her pain and suffering and to pay for reparations to her botched implants. The dentist did not accept liability.
Most of the time you can trust your dentist to give you good quality care but on occasion, things go wrong and you need specialist advice. At Thorneycroft Solicitors we have specialist solicitors who have experience dealing with dental compensation if a dentist or dental practitioner has caused you necessary pain and discomfort.
We offer a free initial interview in order to review your specific circumstances and assess the viability of your dental negligence claim.
To speak to one of our specialist team 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.
