A woman sued her dentist for poor dental care after she claimed poor dental care resulted in her developing a brain abscess which nearly killed her and left her needing urgent surgery. She has had to learn to walk again and was hospitalised for a month.
The problems started after the woman developed chronic adult periodontitis (CAP), which is when bacteria builds up in the mouth over time, causing teeth to rot. She had to have 6 teeth extracted as a result of the disease and afterwards she started to feel ill.
She went to hospital and had an MRI scan and was then kept in hospital for emergency surgery as it showed an abscess on the brain, which the hospital staff believe was as a result of the oral infection.
The successful claimant argued that if her dentist had provided good care such as regular periodontal examinations and regular x-rays, then the CAP could have been minimised instead of being allowed to progress to the extent it did.
The Court heard that tests carried out in 2002 showed she had 25% bone loss in her mouth which can be a sign of CAP. However her dentist made no notes or acted upon this information.
Since her hospitalisation and surgery the woman suffers weakness on her left side and requires regular physio. She now also has a greater chance of developing epilepsy.
She was awarded £40,000 in damages by the High Court who agreed the dentist was responsible.
She said, ‘I could have been dead if it burst,’
‘I fought six-and-a-half months to get back to work and to be able to walk again, to go to the toilet on my own again.’
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 claims 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
