The majority of people see their dentist twice a year as part of a normal routine and think nothing else about it. But what happens if a recommended treatment goes wrong? And what if it was avoidable? Chloe Hayter from Dutton Gregory’s Clinical Negligence Team knows what to do.
Unfortunately, like all areas of healthcare, there are times when people have a dental procedure that goes wrong. Sometimes it can be due to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, but sometimes it can be due to neglect in procedure, information or care. As a result, dental negligence cases do exist and is something that myself and the team see quite frequently.
These types of claims usually arise if you have suffered physical or psychological harm and/or a financial loss as a result of treatment provided by a dentist either on the NHS or privately.
A few examples of common dental negligence claims that we have recently dealt with include
- Delays in diagnosing a dental condition
- Delays in providing needed dental treatment
- Mistakes made during treatment that have led to an adverse outcome (including further treatment which would not have been necessary if the original treatment was provided correctly)
- Errors in cosmetic dentistry (for example braces or veneers)
The result of these and any other case of dentistry going wrong can affect the life of a patient in so many different ways. From the way that you communicate and talk to other people, to how you smile and the food that you can or cannot eat, it can hugely inhibit your daily life, affect your mood and really take a toll on wellbeing and mental health.
At Dutton Gregory we understand the pain and difficulty dental negligence could impact on your life. Our role is to make sure that you are given the resources to have any extra treatments to correct what went wrong and/or overcome any difficulties you now face.
If you believe that you have received substandard dental treatment and wish to discuss this further with us at Dutton Gregory Solicitors please call us for free on 0800 5999 999 or send us an email at contact@duttongregory.co.uk.
