Last updated on April 24th, 2019 at 02:50 pm

Dentist removes wrong tooth

Ms P went to her dentist as she had toothache in the top left back of her mouth.  The dentist removed a tooth.  She was still in pain for the next couple of days, so she went back to the dentist. She was told to take paracetamol.

Ms P was going away that weekend to stay with her daughter.  The pain continued.  The weekend was ruined as she was in so much pain & couldn’t do anything because she felt so ill.  She spent most of the weekend in bed.

She returned home and went straight from the train to see the dentist.  He gave her a prescription for antibiotics and told her to use mouthwash and salt water.

There was no improvement and she was still in terrible pain.  She attended the NHS walk-in centre and saw a dentist who told her that the wrong tooth had been taken out. The emergency dentist took the correct tooth out and the relief was instant.  The pain started to subside.

Graysons claims breach of duty

Ms P contacted Graysons to see if she could claim compensation for the negligent treatment she had received from her dentist.  Graysons’ solicitors claimed that the dentist had breached its duty of care and medical evidence was obtained.  The following breaches of duty were argued:

• The wrong tooth was taken out.
• The loss of one or both teeth could have been prevented with better treatment.
• Root canal treatment on two other teeth fell below the standard expected.
• Decay in another tooth would have been diagnosed if the correct x-rays had been taken.
• There was a two-year failure to act on x-rays resulting in a delay in diagnosing a failing crown.

This resulted in Ms P suffering unnecessary pain and the premature extraction of four teeth.  She needed further treatment as a result of the negligence including root canal treatment and a larger partial upper denture fitting.

Case settled out of court

The dentist did not admit to breach of duty but Graysons was able to settle the claim without going to court for £15,000.  Ms P was delighted with the outcome.

If you have suffered due to substandard care from a dentist or other dental practitioner, you may be able to claim compensation.  Contact one of our experts to arrange a free of charge meeting in which we can discuss your claim.

You can find out more about making a claim against a dentist on our web pages.