Dental Negligence
Everyone hates going to the dentist. Thankfully most of the time our worries are unfounded. However, things can and do go wrong and we don’t get the outcome we expect. This doesn’t necessarily mean the dentist has been negligent but dental negligence can arise where a dental condition or injury is made worse or directly caused by a dentist or orthodontist whether NHS or private.
Mistakes in dental treatment can be painful and traumatic. If you have suffered due to failures in your dental treatment then we are here to help you.
Our dedicated dental negligence solicitors can help you claim compensation. We’ll gather advice on your care needs and consult with professionals to make sure that you receive the compensation you deserve as well as an understanding as to what went wrong with your initial treatment.
Dental negligence compensation claims include: cosmetic dentistry, tooth extraction, crowns and bridges, root canal treatment, gum disease, restorative dentistry, dental implants, wisdom teeth, veneers, tooth decay or failure to diagnose oral cancer.
You may be able to make a dental negligence compensation claim if you have been given:
- A delayed diagnosis: it is important for your dentist to identify problems as quickly as possible. If they haven’t, this can delay treatment and make a problem worse.
- Incorrect treatment: for example, if they remove the wrong tooth.
- Misdiagnosis: if your dental problem is misdiagnosed then this may lead to unnecessary treatment and more complications.
- Poor standard of treatment: if your dentist or orthodontist has carried out the treatment poorly, causing further problems.
Dental Negligence
If your dentist has been negligent and their treatment has caused an injury or pain you can claim compensation for this and any related loss or expense such as medical treatment to put things right, lost earnings for time off work etc.
Compensation can help with the cost of correcting your dentist’s mistakes and to help you get over the injury. You may need long term or repeat treatment. Even NHS treatment requires the patient to pay a contribution so it is important to make sure you have funds for the future.
The first step in complaining about any poor treatment is to contact your dentist or the practice manager directly. If the treatment was carried out by an NHS provider then the dentist should follow the NHS complaints procedure. If you received private treatment then the practice should have its own complaints procedure. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this complaint then the Dental Complaints Service can assist with resolving private treatment complaints.
All dental negligence claims are not the same and each claim is assessed on its own merits and many factors can affect the eventual compensation figure. It is important to use an experienced lawyer to make sure you get the maximum level of compensation.
The following will be taken into account when dealing with your claim:
- Contributory negligence: this will look at whether you contributed towards your own injury.
- Dental history: this will be needed in assessing a claim.
- Type of injury: these are looked at according to their level of seriousness.
- Severity of pain: the level of pain suffered and the persistence of the pain.
- Treatment costs: Any specialist work required to rectify the negligent treatment.
- Prognosis: whether the injury is temporary, long-term or permanent.
Talk to Tollers
Get in touch with our team of specialist dental negligence lawyers are here to support you in making a claim against a dentist or orthodontist. Our initial consultation is free and we can see you either at home or at our office. We will listen to your story and make sure we understand what you want to achieve with your claim.We will then advise you on the chances of success and if we believe you have a reasonable claim,we discuss funding options with you, including a risk-free ‘No Win No Fee’ arrangement.
