A woman who was left in "excruciating pain" after undergoing botched dental work by an East Yorkshire dentist has received £13,000 in an out of court settlement.
Vivienne Dixon, 75, had six teeth removed, and four dental implants and a temporary bridge fitted at Castle Park Dental Care in Cottingham, on the recommendation of Dr Chris Branfield, after she attended the surgery with "issues with her teeth".
The treatment left Vivienne in agonising pain in her mouth as well as suffering from headaches, Hull Live reports.
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She described the after-effects of the dental work as "traumatic", as her mouth began to "bleed uncontrollably" while she attended her best friend's funeral.
She also reported that she was unable to eat properly and was existing on a soup-only diet, which in turn caused her to lose weight.
Following the initial treatment, Vivienne returned to the practice a week later in agony, where she was prescribed strong painkillers and assured that her implants were okay.
Yet a month later, the pain had not subsided, so she made an appointment with her doctor, who diagnosed her with a dry socket infection.
She said: "I was informed that I was experiencing a dry socket infection where a blood clot either doesn’t form or is dislodged after tooth removal. The bones and nerves in my mouth were exposed and that was what was causing me so much pain."
Vivienne was prescribed antibiotics, before she went back to Castle Park Dental Care to have her implants removed and new ones installed, which caused her mouth to bleed uncontrollably.
She was advised by the practice that she would need the implant removed again.
It was at a later appointment that she was advised to have a bridge placed.
After having the bridge fitted, Vivienne tried to make another appointment as the treatment hadn't resolved her issues, however she claimed that Dr Branfield wouldn't see her.
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She said: "I felt as though he had washed his hands with me and went to the practice, where I was advised that my diet wasn’t soft enough. It was at that point I lost it because all I was eating was soup.
"Two months later my bridge was fracturing and I was sending photos into the practice which were being ignored. It really seemed like they didn’t want anything more to do with me," she said.
Vivienne sought another dentist's opinion, which spurred her to contact the Dental Law Partnership for help.
Analysis of her dental records revealed that Dr Branfield had failed to properly assess and advise her, and that she should not have had implants placed due to poor bone levels.
Tim Armitage of the Dental Law Partnership commented: "The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist had carried out adequate treatment in the first place, her problems could have been avoided."
The case was settled in May 2022, when the dentist paid £13,000 in an out of court settlement, however the dentist did not admit liability.
The dentist was contacted for comment but did not provide one.
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