Dental Negligence Claims

> £50,000 For Vicky due to care resulting in the loss of 10 teeth

> £47,000 After 8 teeth lost due to poor long-term care

> £20,000 Mrs Pieta after pain from a substandard root canal

> £10,000 For Natasha after poor care led to extensive surgery

> £5,500 For a pensioner due to substandard treatment

Dental Negligence Compensation: Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different types of dental negligence?

Dental negligence refers to pain, injury or trauma suffered because of substandard treatment or dental malpractice. The most severe cases can have a dramatic impact on a person’s health, leading to the onset of permanent nerve damage, lifelong pain, or, in some cases, the progression of mouth cancer.

If you’ve experienced any of the following, you could be entitled to dental injury compensation.

• Misdiagnosis: A false diagnosis or misdiagnosis occurs when a problem is misjudged, leading to worsening symptoms and unnecessary treatment. Misdiagnosis can include things like removal of a healthy tooth due to error, or incorrect drugs administered due to misdiagnosis.
• Delayed diagnosis: If your dentist takes too long to diagnose a problem with your oral health, to the point where avoidable complications occur, this is delayed diagnosis. Delayed diagnosis can include delays in treating decay or acting upon signs of gum disease or delays in diagnosing serious conditions like abscesses, periodontal disease, and oral cancer.
• Dental malpractice and substandard treatment: Malpractice can include things like inadequate fillings, crowns, or root canal treatment, incorrect fitting of implants, failed implants, nerve damage, or failure to offer suitable alternative treatment such as root canal treatment prior to extraction.
• Poor long-term care: You may be entitled to compensation if your dentist has provided inadequate care over a long period, resulting in the onset of serious issues with your mouth.
  Prolonged inadequate treatment can have significant consequences, increasing the risk of serious health problems like premature tooth decay and periodontal disease.

What can I make a dental claim for?

If you believe you’ve been a victim of negligent dental care, you may be able to claim compensation for the following:

• General damages: For any pain and suffering you have experienced
• Expenses: Any expenses you’ve incurred as part of your claim. This may include further treatment, transport or prescriptions
• Loss of earnings: Due to time off work
• Remedial costs: For any treatment to repair the damage done by negligent treatment

Compensation can help with the cost of rectifying your dentist’s mistakes to get your life back on track. A dental negligence settlement isn’t for financial gain, but to help cover the cost of ongoing treatment and care, and any loss of earnings which you may have incurred by taking time away from work to attend additional appointments.

What does the law say?

There are plans to bring in legislation which will make insurance a legal requirement, but it is not clear when this is set to come into effect.

Thankfully, most cases are resolved out of court with a settlement, and your solicitor will ensure all settlement offers are given the correct consideration.

Meet Our Clinical Negligence Solicitor Specialist

Guidance from the General Dental Council states that all dental practitioners in the UK should be insured against negligence – but there is no law to enforce it. This lack of firm legislation means that many dentists practising in the UK are not insured, placing a large responsibility on patients to do their research before receiving treatment.

Patients fail to realise that dentistry is loosely regulated, leaving them at risk from substandard treatment and large bills for remedial work should their treatment go wrong.

We campaign for greater regulation over dentistry and work hard to ensure the victims of substandard care are properly represented, and fully compensated for their pain and loss.