A Lancashire resident has won a legal battle worth £18,000 after botched dental surgery, that was deemed to have not been needed in the first place, left him with severe pain in his mouth for 10 year.. The pain has heavily hindered his enjoyment of his retirement, missing special occasions including grandson’s christening.
Unnecessary surgery
In 2003, James Clay was told by his dentist, Dr Roger Hughlock, owner of a Leyland surgery named after him, that he required extensive restoration work on his teeth. This followed concerns that Mr Clay was struggling to eat using his dentures.
The restorative work, which was performed by Dr Hughlock himself, has been since deemed unnecessary and to have caused more damage in the process, because of an untreated gum disease which was present when the work was done. Mr Clay has been informed by another surgeon that he has suffered bone loss and will now require further surgery, which will involve extracting the current implants, replacing them with new implants and bone grafting.
Expensive mistakes
Dental surgery is one particular treatment which can cause extensive and expensive complications should something go wrong. We use our mouths every single day from birth to death. Pain in the mouth (particularly from dentistry work) can cause havoc and in the case of Mr Clay it has robbed him of many moments during his retirement, including his grandson’s christening, which he was forced to miss due to being in extreme pain.
The settlement in Mr Clay’s case will help him pay for the surgery he needs to resolve the problems. However, the victory is bittersweet following 10 years of pain that was completely avoidable in the first place.
Like any personal injury case, the damages awarded cannot erase the prolonged after effects of an injury. The main goal of any injury claim is to attempt to place the claimant in the same position they were in prior to the incident taking place.
With medical negligence claims like this, it can be difficult to do so even if restorative surgery is performed. As previously stated, the pain suffered before further surgery is performed is something that cannot be reversed. Damages usually reflect this and must always take into account factors affected by an injury, including emotional anguish, time taken from work and impact on lifestyle.
Scott Rees & Co has helped a number of clients with dental claims like Mr Clay in the past. We offer a no win no fee service; ensuring clients will not pay should a claim be unsuccessful.
We understand that medical claims can be very serious and will strive to make the claim process as quick and stress free as possible. You can call us today for free, impartial advice on 0808 223 2543. Alternative you can make a claim right away by filling in our online form.
Our phone lines are open weekdays from 9am to 7pm.