Mr F sought emergency dental treatment because of pain in a tooth that supported a bridge.
What happened
The dentist carried out root canal treatment, which resulted in the bridge debonding.
Eventually the tooth went black.
What we found
Mr F's treatment was reasonable but there were no records to show that treatment options and associated risks had been properly explained to him, so Mr F had not given valid consent for the treatment to go ahead. However, we could not say that the outcome for Mr F would have been different if the treatment options had been fully explained.
Putting it right
The dentist wrote to Mr F to acknowledge failings, apologise and explain what action will be taken to learn from these events.
A dental practice
Cambridgeshire
Did not apologise properly or do enough to put things right
Did not explain how to take complaint further
Replied with inaccurate or incomplete information
Apology