Wrong tooth costs £9000

Wrong tooth costs £9000
A patient has been awarded £9,000 in compensation after a dentist removed a healthy tooth by mistake. James Lacey, 44, was referred to Manchester Dental Hospital after being struck down with agonising pain. Three teeth should have been removed but afterwards Mr Lacey noticed that another tooth had been extracted.

Central Manchester University Hospital NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, agreed an out-of-court settlement. The hospital admitted a mistake in their records meant the wrong tooth was extracted. The mistake has left James facing a £2,200 bill for a new implant crown, which will need to be replaced every 15 years.

James said: “I first visited the hospital after my dentist referred me to have three teeth removed under sedation. After the procedure, however, I noticed that the wrong tooth had been taken out. Having teeth removed, especially under sedation, requires a lot of trust and I feel let down that the hospital made such a huge mistake. I’m glad that this is now settled and that I can begin to move on. The money I have been awarded will go towards the remedial treatment I now need.”

Mr Lacey’s solicitor Tim Armitage, from the Dental Law Partnership, described the blunder as ‘unacceptable’. He said: “The hospital noted that a tooth on the lower left side of James’s mouth was to be extracted, when in fact it was a tooth on the lower right side. It is imperative that records and notes like this are double-checked and it is unacceptable that this one wasn’t. As a result my client has suffered irreversible damage.”


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