A dentist did not properly investigate toothache which led to pain, inconvenience and further treatment

What happened

Mrs Q went to the dentist twice, in autumn and early the next year, with pain in one of her teeth. The dentist examined her teeth and took an X–ray but found no problems. The dentist recommended that Mrs Q use special toothpaste, and this gave her some relief from the pain.

Mrs Q returned to the dentist in early summer with severe pain. The dentist did some tests and found decay in an upper molar tooth. The dentist referred Mrs Q for root canal treatment but this could not be done as the specialist said the tooth could not be restored. Mrs Q decided to have the tooth taken out. She complained to the Practice the next month but the Practice did not respond for five months.

What we found

Mrs Q and the dentist had very different recollections of what happened during her first two appointments. The dentist did not carry out adequate tests at those appointments and these might have led to the dentist finding the tooth decay at an earlier stage.

The dentist took correct action at the third appointment. We could not say whether Mrs Q could have avoided having her tooth taken out if the problem had been found earlier. Nevertheless, she experienced pain and discomfort and could not eat and drink normally over a long period of time. She could also have had her tooth taken out earlier, avoided the pain and discomfort, and not have had so many investigations.

The Dental Practice's complaint handling was poor, which led to Mrs Q losing faith in it.

Putting it right

The Dental Practice wrote to Mrs Q acknowledging and apologising for the failings and the injustice. It paid Mrs Q £300. It agreed to prepare an action plan to explain what the Practice has done and/or intends to do to avoid a recurrence of the failings we found.