Woman Gets £20,000 Settlement Payout From Childhood Dentist
Amy Matthews, a learning support assistant from Whitehaven, has been awarded £20,000 in settlement after negligent dental treatment from her dentist who failed to diagnose and treat her tooth decay causing her to eventually lose the teeth.
The lady, 27, won the case with the help of expert dental malpractice solicitors.
According to Ms Matthews, she had been visiting the Dental Clinic- Normanby Dental owned by Dr Richard Neil Kerruish in Middlesbrough for thirteen years. During this time and over the course of many appointments, she had received multiple treatments.
She said she never thought that the treatment she was receiving wasn’t substandard as she didn’t notice any problem. Her problems began when her temporary filling fell out leaving her in so much pain that even painkillers were ineffective. She was given a temporary filling and antibiotics by an emergency dentist who said she would need a permanent tooth filling as well as root canal therapy.
She said; “I spoke to my usual NHS dentist who said that due to Covid they couldn’t do anything at that time. I called the emergency dentist again who said to take the temporary filling out to air it. This helped temporarily, however, due to the gaping hole in my infected tooth it then became very painful”.
“I went to my usual dentist who put another temporary filling in, however this soon resulted in more pain so I returned to the practice to be told they couldn’t take out the tooth and instead needed to chisel the temporary filling down.”
Ms Matthew’s face became swollen at the left side while she was unable to sleep and was bedridden for a week. She eventually had the root canal done in two parts- the first at a private practice which cost £150 and the second half at the NHS costing her £60 excluding costs of the crown.
She added: “I contacted the Dental Law Partnership at the start of Covid and they investigated my case. It came to light that my issues were from the treatment I’d received from the dentists at Normanby Dental. After thorough examination of my records, they discovered that ten different teeth had been badly treated and the gradual deterioration of them was not picked up. It was also found that I should have been given treatment like fluoride toothpaste years before I eventually had it”.
At the moment Ms Matthews not only has to worry about the fact that within ten to 15 years, she would lose more teeth, she also complains of a problematic tooth having a massive gap. She has the desire to visit her dentist but the ordeal she passed through recently is still very fresh in her mind so she continues to live in pain.
While making investigations, her dental records show that her dentists failed in their duty of care by providing her substandard treatment leading to avoidable loss of tooth, tooth infections, the embarrassment due to a large gap at the front of her mouth as well as difficulty in eating.
Although liability was denied, the case which started in 2020, was successfully settled on November 2022 with the practice paid £20,000
No one should suffer as a result of dental negligence and so if you are experiencing injuries, infections or other complications, you can reach out to our dental negligence solicitors via our helplines for legal help and to ensure you are well compensated and get the treatment you need.
Call us today or fill out our online free claims assessment form to get started.