A man who has a missing tooth after his dentist failed to diagnose and treat decay has been awarded £6,000. Jonathan Green, 54, started experiencing pain and swelling in his mouth after part of his lower left tooth broke.
His tooth was then fixed by a dentist but the civil servant was left in pain a few months later. But because the dentist failed to diagnose and treat Jonathan’s decay, he lost his tooth which has made it difficult for him to eat properly.
Jonathan said: “It’s so embarrassing having a tooth missing. I’m definitely more self-conscious and feel like a haggard old man with this gap.
“I still can’t chew properly on the left side, as this hole causes food to just press on my gum. It’s very weird and I don’t like it, but I’m stuck with this for the rest of my life. I suffered a year of pain and now a lifetime with a hole in my mouth. It’s annoying and unpleasant, and it’s all because someone didn’t do their job properly.”
He visited the dentist for a routine appointment in 2021, where he was told that his teeth were “fine” but then he started experiencing pain a few months later. The dentist repaired the tooth with a composite filling but Jonathan was still in pain.
He said: “At the routine appointment he said my teeth were fine and didn’t mention anything about decay. But a few months later, I was in a lot of pain and booked an emergency appointment as a part of my lower left tooth broke. The dentist repaired the tooth with a composite filling but it didn’t feel right in my mouth. After the appointment, I was still in pain.”
Jonathan went on holiday in April 2022 but his filling had fractured which “ruined his holiday.” He then struggled to eat hard foods and was unable to speak properly at a public event.
Jonathan said: “A few months later in April 2022, when I was on holiday in France, my tooth felt really painful, which ruined my holiday. When I got home, the dentist found the filling had fractured so she had to restore it again. But this time was no better. When I closed my mouth, it didn’t shut right as the filling wasn’t fitted in properly. Despite these multiple restorations, I was still in so much pain and discomfort.
“I had difficulty eating hard foods, it impacted my ability to work and I found myself unable to speak properly at a really important public event. It was really wearing me down. My gums were so swollen by this point and they recommended that the tooth be removed. So I got the tooth extracted in that same appointment. After that I changed practice, where my dental health vastly improved.”
Jonathan contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2023 and further analysis revealed the extent of the poor dental treatment he had received. The fractures which caused pain, discomfort, swelling, and the loss of the tooth could have been avoided.
Nicholas Hampson of the Dental Law Partnership said: “The distress, discomfort and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, his problems could have been avoided.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Mr Green’s case in 2023 and Jonathan was paid £6,000 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability.
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