A woman has been awarded £12,500 in an out-of-court settlement after a dentist left her suffering "irreparable" tooth decay.
Joanne Russell, 52, was forced to undergo extensive remedial work as a result of a substandard crown, defective fillings and untreated dental decay. Ms Russell, from Tiptree, near Colchester in Essex, had to have two extractions which caused weeks of pain and discomfort after her teeth became irreparably decayed.
The secretary for a construction company was treated by Dr Isra Mujahid at South Benfleet Dental Care in South Benfleet, Essex, between 2017 and 2019. Ms Russell said: "I've always made an effort to look after my teeth and attended regular dental appointments. I thought you should be able to believe what your dentist says and trust that things are okay, unless they tell you otherwise."
Between 2020 and 2022 Ms Russell was treated by another dentist at the practice and the true extent of her dental issues became apparent. She said: "During that time, I began to suffer a number of issues, including a broken filling that had previously been placed by Dr Mujahid and a separate broken tooth.
Joanne's decayed tooth after extraction (Joanne Russell/SWNS)"I was completely taken aback to be told there were multiple further issues with my teeth where previous work had been done so badly. I'd struggled to floss between two of my teeth and found out it was because glue had been left there from a filling and one of the teeth was also fractured.
Mum wins £25,000 after years of dental treatments left her with almost no teeth
"I've subsequently needed two separate tooth extractions because my teeth were irreversibly decayed. Both of these extractions caused weeks of bruising and swelling afterwards which affected what I could eat. I've been left with multiple gaps in my mouth which require further remedial work, but I suffer a lot from dental anxiety, and I'm really scared about going through even more treatment to install implants to replace the lost teeth."
An x-ray of gross decay in Joanne's upper left first molar (Dental Law Partnership/SWNS)Ms Russell contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2023 after it became apparent she was going to lose teeth as a result of the dental treatment she had received. Further analysis of her records revealed errors going back as far as 2017 where decay had failed to be treated. This caused irreversible damage and resulted in the loss of two existing teeth.
Ms Russell is likely to lose further teeth, requiring costly implant installation, as well as further root canal treatments to manage the decay that was left to progress. She explained: "I've found the whole experience extremely stressful and painful. Before I was treated by Dr Mujahid at Together Dental, I had never needed any dental work. Over the last few years it's felt like every treatment I've needed was as a result of the bad care I received."
Joanne Russell's swollen face (Joanne Russell/SWNS)Rebecca McVety of the Dental Law Partnership said: "The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided."
The case was successfully settled in March 2024 when Ms Russell was paid £12,500 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability.
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