dental negligence

Although dental treatments are an incredibly common part of modern life, many of us still have anxieties and reservations about going to the dentist. Aside from the drills, needles and general uncomfortable nature of a dental visit, there are instances where things can go wrong which can add to our fears.

To help quell any concerns or worries about visiting the dentist, it can be helpful to know that, if something does go wrong, you could be eligible for compensation, particularly in a case of dental negligence. We are going to look at what dental negligence is and what types of issues can result in compensation.

What is dental negligence?

Dental negligence is the act of a dentist performing inadequate dental care or treatments on a patient. There are lots of procedures and incidents that fall under the term of dental negligence, as it covers physical, mental and financial suffering brought on by inadequate dental work.

With 14,485 clinical negligence cases being registered in 2020/21 and over £20 million in recovery fees for patients, it is clear that there is a suitable framework for claiming back compensation following dental negligence in the UK.

What falls under dental negligence?

Due to the nature of dentistry, there are a lot of procedures with no guaranteed success rate. Root canal treatment, for example, has a failure rate of at least 5 %. This is true for many dental treatments, which can make defining dental negligence difficult. Generally speaking, dental negligence requires some form of medical malpractice to have occurred, such as:

Poor root canal treatments

Although root canal treatments are incredibly common, they are not without risk. Even taking failure rates into consideration, there are a lot of situations where dental negligence can occur. Things like failure to sufficiently remove bacteria from the tooth before attaching a crown would be classed as negligent and fall under medical malpractice.

Badly fitted crowns, fillings and bridges

Standard procedures such as fitting crowns and bridges should be completed without issue. If there is a problem with the fitting, then patients will experience discomfort, an irregular bite and possible damage to other teeth. If you have been affected by this, then you would be eligible to make a dental negligence claim.

Oversights and accidents during a procedure

Any sort of treatment should be explained to you clearly, including any risks that may arise from the dental work. If you receive an injury from an oral procedure and did not receive sufficient warnings about the risks, then that will fall under the remit of dental negligence.

If you feel like you have received improper dental care and would like to discuss making a claim for dental negligence, contact us today at Mulderrigs Personal Injury Solicitors today.