Company secretary wins £12,000 payout after dentist left her suffering ‘irreparable’ tooth decay
- Office worker Joanne Russell had to undergo extensive repairs
- Her dentist left her with ‘irreparable’ tooth decay
- She received more than £12,000 in settlement
A secretary has won more than £12,000 in an out-of-court settlement after her dentist left her with ‘irreparable’ tooth decay.
Office worker Joanne Russell, 52, was forced to undergo extensive repairs due to an undersized crown, faulty fillings and untreated tooth decay.
Mrs Russell, from Tiptree, near Colchester in Essex, had to have two teeth extracted, causing weeks of pain and discomfort after her teeth decayed beyond repair.
The construction company secretary was treated by Dr Isra Mujahid at South Benfleet Dental Care in South Benfleet, Essex, between 2017 and 2019.
Mrs Russell said: ‘I have always made an effort to look after my teeth and went to the dentist regularly.
Office worker Joanne Russell, 52, (pictured) was forced to undergo extensive repairs after poor dentistry
Mrs. Russell is likely to lose more teeth in the future
Her teeth were left in a state of ‘irreparable’ decay
The case was successfully settled in March 2024 when Ms Russell received £12,500 in an out-of-court settlement
‘I thought you should be able to believe what your dentist says and trust that everything will go well, unless he tells you otherwise.’
Between 2020 and 2022, Ms Russell was treated by another dentist at the practice and the true extent of her dental problems became clear.
She said: ‘During that time I suffered from a number of problems, including a broken filling previously placed by Dr Mujahid and an individual broken tooth.
‘I was completely surprised to hear that there were further problems with my teeth, when previous work had been done so poorly.
‘I had trouble flossing between two of my teeth and found out it was because there was adhesive left from a filling and one of the teeth was also broken.
‘I subsequently required two separate tooth extractions because my teeth had decayed irreversibly.
‘Both extractions caused weeks of bruising and swelling afterwards, which affected what I could eat.
‘I have several cavities in my mouth that require further repair work, but I suffer a lot from dental anxiety, and I am really afraid of having to undergo any more treatments to place implants to replace the lost teeth.’
Ms Russell contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2023 after it became clear she was losing teeth as a result of the dental treatment she had undergone.
Further analysis of her data revealed errors dating back to 2017, where decay could not be treated. This caused irreversible damage and resulted in the loss of two existing teeth.
Mrs Russell is likely to lose further teeth, requiring the installation of expensive implants as well as further root canal treatments to control the tooth decay that had yet to progress.
She explained: ‘I found the whole experience extremely stressful and painful.
‘Before I was told by Dr. Mujahid was treated at Together Dental, I never needed any dental work.
“Over the past few years, it felt like any treatment I needed was a result of the poor care I received.”
Rebecca McVety of the Dental Law Partnership commented: ‘The distress and pain experienced by our client was completely unnecessary.
‘If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been prevented.’
The case was successfully settled in March 2024 when Ms Russell received £12,500 in an out-of-court settlement. The dentist involved has not admitted liability.
