Compensation for nerve damage caused by dental implant procedure at London practice
York based medical negligence specialists Pryers Solicitors, have recently reached a substantial settlement for London-based client Kee Wong Shum, whose dental implant procedure resulted in permanent nerve damage.
This comes hot on the heels of warnings from the British Dental Association, that the government’s ambition to ‘level up’ health services failed to take into account the ‘precarious state of NHS dental services’, concern is rising, that more cases like Kee’s will be emerging in the coming months. Over 30 million NHS appointments have been lost in England since the start of the pandemic, and the BDA warn of a ‘postcode lottery of care’ that is leading many patients to embark on DIY dentistry.
With COVID restrictions having slashed capacity in dental services – a service already experiencing severe ongoing pressures - the BDA have urged the government to look at ‘reforming a broken dental service’.
Kee Wong Shum’s story
56-year-old Kee was unhappy with the appearance of his teeth. As it was affecting his confidence, he contacted a dental practice in London specialising in cosmetic dental procedures. The practice suggested an implant in place of his lower right 5 tooth, claiming there was only a small risk of nerve damage.
Kee had the surgery under anaesthesia, but as the anaesthesia wore off, he noticed that the right side of his face felt completely numb. Kee began to panic. He suffered from an extremely altered sensation in and around his mouth; his speech had changed, and he could no longer feel the lower section of one side of his face. Kee was devastated; the surgery he thought would help him gain confidence, did the exact opposite. Not only did it cause him to lose confidence in his appearance, but the surgery had also affected his communication.
Kee told the clinic how unhappy he was with their work and they arranged an appointment to have the implant removed. 16 months later he returned to the practice for the removal, but the symptoms persisted, and he became more depressed.
Kee said: “I felt so upset that it had all gone wrong. I put my trust in the practice and its surgeons. I now wish I hadn’t done. They offered a refund, but I didn’t think it fairly compensated the impacts on my life and my self-esteem.”
Kee contacted Pryers and dental negligence specialist Hannah Cazaly took the case on. During the case, the practice were obstructive, slow to produce medical records and refused to identify the dentist responsible for Kee’s treatment.
Despite the lack of cooperation, Hannah persisted: “I obtained evidence from a restorative dentist who confirmed that the implant had been placed too close to the mental foramen, which had caused nerve damage. They advised that Kee’s symptoms would be permanent.”
Thanks to Hannah’s persistence, Kee received £11,000 and felt relieved to have received compensation for the permanent nerve damage suffered during the dental surgery.
Read Kee’s full story here:
https://www.pryers.co.uk/success-stories/dental-negligence/nerve-damage-during-dental-surgery/
ENDS