£19,000 awarded for failure to diagnose periodontal disease

Katie Parr acted for T in a claim against his dentists for failing to diagnose and provide treatment for the decay on his teeth which led to and/or exacerbated his severe periodontal disease.

T had remained at the same dental practice throughout his life. He had regularly attended from 1990 to 2011 and had a few fillings placed during this time and his UL7 was extracted. T had only ever been seen by two dentists, both of which failed to take regular radiographs to assess the bony support of his teeth and the appropriate examinations to check his gum line levels which would indicate if there was decay under the gum line in need of removal.

After having one tooth extracted in 2007, T had a few more fillings over the following years until in 2011 when he was seen by a different dentist. This dentist diagnosed that he had aggressive periodontitis and immediately referred him to a specialist for treatment. T had to have specialist periodontal treatment and suffered from pain and discomfort as the decay was deep and debridement caused sensitivity. T had already lost one posterior tooth and it was determined that T would lose two more teeth.

T’s anterior teeth had also already moved due to the lack of bony support as a result of his periodontal condition. T would therefore need protracted orthodontic treatment to move his teeth.

T received £19,000 in an out of court settlement for his pain, suffering and future treatment costs in replacing his lost teeth and having orthodontic treatment.