There are very few of us who relish a trip to the dentist, but most of us accept it as a part of life. Sadly, for some it is not just the fear of the drill that worries us; what if the dentist makes a mistake, misses a diagnosis, or their equipment fails leaving you in a worse predicament than when you arrived?
Dentists have to undergo an enormous amount of training to become qualified, but they are still human beings and they can make mistakes. There are three main types of dental negligence:
Delayed diagnosis
Sometimes your dentist might take too long to diagnose a problem with your oral health. This has the potential to lead to further complications which could have been avoided had they been suitably thorough in their investigations.
Misdiagnosis, or false diagnosis is when a dentist misjudges a situation and can lead to worsening symptoms or even unnecessary treatment such as removal of a healthy tooth, or administering the wrong drugs.
Substandard dental work
Issues such as inadequate fillings, incorrect fitting of dental implants and poor standards of hygiene are all indicative of substandard dental work. There is a wide range of issues that can occur as a result of substandard work; each would be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
What can be done?
Whether your dentist works for the NHS or a private company, they have standards that must be reached in terms of the quality of the care they provide. If they fail to provide suitable quality of service you can claim for compensation for:
General damages – any pain and suffering you have endured
Expenses – any money you have spent as part of your claim,
Remedial costs – any money you have spent repairing the damage done
Loss of earnings – if you have to take time off work
Who can help?
The General Medical Council guidance suggests that all dental practitioners in the UK should be insured against situations of negligence, but there is no law to enforce it. Our solicitors have years of experience in dealing with claims of dental and medical negligence and have a great track record of successfully getting compensation for our clients. Contact us today to talk through your situation for free – we’ll help you identify whether you are entitled to make a claim for compensation, and if so, how much that claim could be worth.