Dudley woman awarded £9,000 over dental ordeal

Emma Hill, aged 42, has been told she will lose her front tooth in the future as a result of the work at a Stourbridge dentist.

The charity shop worker underwent root canal treatment for swelling around her front tooth.

The work was carried out by her regular dentist Dr Ollie Smart at South Road Dental Practice. He has since left the practice.

After being left in pain she was told she needed to have surgery in hospital to have the root removed and sealed with a filling.

Mrs Hill, from Netherton, said: “I was rather confused because Dr Smart was supposed to have fixed the problem with my tooth.

“The surgical procedure wasn’t a pleasant experience to say the least. To fix the problem they had to reach the root of my tooth, which meant cutting the top of my gum open. I was left with stitches in my mouth. It was painful and distressing.”

Mrs Hill’s tooth has also been so badly damaged it will need to be extracted in the future.

She said: “This is the most upsetting part of the ordeal.

“Nobody wants to lose their front tooth, and I wouldn’t be losing it if Dr Smart had been more careful. It already feels loose so I doubt it will be long until it needs to be extracted. It will then need to be replaced with an implant which will mean yet more trips to the dentist.”

She decided to take action and contacted the Dental Law Partnership, who claimed Dr Smart had failed to use reasonable skill and care when undertaking the procedure.

The case was settled out of court when the dentist agreed to pay £9,000. The dentist did not admit liability.

Mrs Hill said: “What’s most frustrating is all this could have been avoided.

"I’ve experienced pain intermittently for five years. I’ve missed work because of the numerous dental appointments I’ve had to attend, and will miss more as I attend appointments for corrective treatment. Overall, I just wish I wasn’t going to lose my front tooth.”

Dr Smart said: “It is unfortunate that the treatment provided on this occasion did not go as well as we had both hoped. I am limited in what I can say because of patient confidentiality. However, I am pleased the matter has been brought to a satisfactory conclusion and that all parties can now move on."