Dental pain & unnecessary tooth extraction

Our client, Ms L, sought treatment from her dentist for tooth pain.  The dentist failed to note problems with one tooth on an x-ray, leaving the tooth in place, and causing Ms L to have ongoing pain for a further two months.  He also misdiagnosed a second tooth as having a root fracture leading to an unnecessary extraction.

Ms L, was 46 years old at the time when she attended for a consultation with her dentist complaining of pain in her upper right teeth 4 and 5 (UR4 and UR5).  X-rays were taken of her teeth and the dentist told Ms L that her upper left teeth 6 and 7 (UL6 and UL7) and her lower right tooth 5 (LR5) needed fillings.  The fillings where carried out a week later.

Two weeks later Ms L returned to her dentist to have a further filling completed and complained again of intermittent pain at her UR4 tooth.  She x-ray was taken and showed that Ms L had problems with the UR4 but no further action was taken.

A month later Ms L went back to her dentist complaining of pain at her UL6 tooth.  The dentist examined the tooth and said she had a root fracture.  An x-ray was taken and he extracted the UL6 tooth the next day.  A small fragment of the tooth was left behind in the gum.

Two months later Ms L went back again and complained once again of pain in her UR4 tooth.  On this occasion the dentist diagnosed a vertical fracture of the tooth and this was extracted.

Ms L complained to the NHS.  Her complaint was that the dentist had failed to spot the vertical fracture to the UR4 and this had caused a further two months of pain.  It was also argued that the diagnosis of a root fracture to UL6 was incorrect, and therefore the extraction had been unnecessary, as Ms L could have been treated with root canal and a crown.  Instead she had had an extraction and had to pay for an implant to be fitted.

Our team of specialist medical negligence lawyers acting for the claimant successfully negotiated an out-of-court settlement of £4,750 to compensate Ms L for her injuries.