Dentist gave poor care

What happened

Mrs G went to the Practice in summer 2012 and the dentist took X–rays.

She went back to the Practice in early 2013 complaining of a chipped tooth and a hole in her crowned tooth. The dentist told her to keep the hole clean and he put a white filling in the other tooth.

Mrs G went back in autumn 2013 and the dentist removed the crown but the tooth beneath could not be saved. Mrs G said she thought it could have been saved if the dentist had taken earlier action and said she was distressed at having a noticeable gap in her mouth. The white filling fell out just a year after it had been put in.

She complained at the end of that year, but the Practice did not give her a proper response, because it could not contact the temporary dentist to ask him about the treatment.

What we found

The dentist should have examined Mrs G's X–rays in summer 2012. Her dental records did not show that the crowned tooth had been properly examined.

We could not say the crowned tooth could have been saved, but we recognised it was a missed opportunity to treat it earlier.

The dentist should have given her a more thorough examination in early 2013 and discussed all the options for the filled tooth, giving her a choice of a white or amalgam filling (as white fillings do not last as long).  We could not say it was a failing that the white filling fell out, but the dentist did not give Mrs G the choice of fillings. The dentist should have also made better notes of the appointment.

The Practice should have responded to Mrs G's complaint because it was the responsible for the locum dentist.

Putting it right

The Practice apologised to Mrs G and paid her £799 to compensate her for the replacement filling, the poor complaint handling and the loss of opportunity to treat the crowned tooth.

It also agreed to draw up an action plan to explain how it would stop this happening again.