Circumstances of accident
We acted on behalf of a client who required to have nine teeth extracted due to significantly delayed diagnosis of caries or periodontal disease.
She attended her dentist on a regular basis for several years. The dentist failed to take radiographs to screen for caries and assess bone levels. Had the dentist done so, periodontal disease would have been identified at a much earlier stage and extraction of the nine teeth would not have been required. Had there been earlier diagnosis, our client would have received treatment to stabilise the condition of the teeth. Unfortunately, due to the significantly delayed treatment, our client’s remaining teeth had a poor prognosis and would likely need to be extracted in the future.
In addition to the nine teeth extractions, our client suffered from significant psychological symptoms, including social anxiety disorder. This was due to the client’s perception of her facial appearance due to the loss of her teeth.
The dental practice did not admit liability for what happened but made a very low offer by way of compensation.
How we helped our client
We raised a Court action to ensure that our client was appropriately compensated.
We obtained expert reports from various disciplines. The expert dentist concluded that the client’s treating dentist had breached multiple duties of care. The periodontal expert concluded that the client required removable implant restorations, the cost of which would be approximately £25,000. The psychiatric expert provided an opinion on prognosis for the psychological symptoms, all of which were expected to resolve once the dental treatment had taken place.
Settlement
The offer received before raising a Court action was £2,000. We were able to obtain a settlement in the sum of £65,000 for all heads of claim. This provided sufficient damages for our client to arrange the treatment she requires to restore her teeth and additional damages to compensate her for the significant pain and suffering she has sustained both physically and psychologically.
