A dental surgery has paid out £5,000 in compensation after a complaint of botched treatment by a woman called Miss Tooth.
Johanna Tooth, 37, had been awarded the sum in an out of court settlement following a four-year ordeal.
Lawyers claim she experienced painful infections, unnecessary loss of a tooth and difficulty eating after dentists failed to spot and treat decay.
Ms Tooth, from Rudruth, Cornwall, was a patient of three different practitioners – who all allegedly missed the problem.
Ms Tooth, from Rudruth, Cornwall, was a patient of three different practitioners – who all allegedly missed the problem
The admin worker’s difficulties began in 2016 but it was only in 2020 that she decided to get a second opinion.
It was then that she was told she had been suffering with decay and had a large infection which meant a tooth had to be extracted.
Ms Tooth then contacted the Dental Law Partnership, who secured her compensation.
Her former dentists – Dr Joseph Fitzgerald, Dr Michael Cox and Dr Dayan Charesboro Jesuthasan at Bond Street Dental Practice – have not admitted liability.
She said: ‘I was a patient at the practice for a long time.
‘I trusted the dentists knew what they were doing and they always led me to believe my teeth were in good health – so I didn’t think there was anything to worry about.
‘I suppose the first signs of any problems were back in 2012. One of my teeth fractured so I made an appointment with Dr Cox.
‘He placed a filling and I thought that would be the end of it. But the filling actually felt strange – it just felt rough.
Her former dentists – Dr Joseph Fitzgerald, Dr Michael Cox and Dr Dayan Charesboro Jesuthasan at Bond Street Dental Practice (pictured) – have not admitted liability
‘So I went back to see Dr Cox and he adjusted it. It seemed to do the trick so I didn’t think much more of it.
‘I continued to have regular check-ups, including with Dr Jesuthasan.
‘But, in 2016, I suddenly had excruciating toothache. I remember being up all night in agony. The pain was just throbbing.
‘So I saw Dr Fitzgerald who placed what I thought would be a permanent filling, but it was actually only a temporary filling for some reason.
‘It didn’t really resolve my problems and I was back in the dentist’s chair having yet more fillings only a couple of months later.’
It was then that Johanna sought a second opinion – and was apparently confronted with the upsetting truth.
She said: ‘It’s unbelievable really. I’ve been through all this just because the dentists weren’t doing their jobs properly.
‘I only wish I’d got a second opinion sooner. I still suffer from toothache now, and it often hurts when I eat.
‘There is always this dull pain that just doesn’t feel right. Then of course, there is the gap where my lost tooth used to be.
‘I am an absolute nervous wreck before seeing the dentist now, I panic before appointments.’
Dean Mohring, of the Dental Law Partnership, said: ‘The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary.
‘If the dentists had undertaken the correct treatment in the first place, all her problems could have been avoided.’
The Dental Law Partnership took on Johanna’s case in 2018.
It was successfully settled in 2020 when the dentists paid £5,000 in an out of court settlement, without admitting liability.
The legal firm said that analysis of Johanna’s dental records revealed that the dentists had consistently failed to spot and treat decay that was clearly visible in X-rays taken as far back as 2011.
This led to the majority of the problems she experienced including her tooth fracturing, infections and the loss of her tooth.
Inadequate restoration work was also performed, the Dental Law Partnership said.