19-year-old Londoner awarded thousands for poor orthodontic treatment

Miss Sherrise Stewart, a 19-year-old retailer who recently left school, from Muswell Hill, London, was awarded £2,750 by her former dentist with the help of specialist dental negligence lawyers, the Dental Law Partnership. The payment was given after he had to endure the pain and suffering of wearing a fixed brace for four years and still the treatment was ineffective.
Miss Stewart attended Park Vue Dental Practice in Wood Green, London in 2017 when she was 13 and was referred to Dr Fyeza Noor Janjua Sharif for orthodontic treatment. “I wanted braces as I had a small gap in my front teeth and my bottom and top row of teeth were misaligned,” Miss Stewart recalls. Dr. Sharif had two teeth extracted before getting her braces, but over the course of two to three years, there was little progress.
“My teeth weren’t getting any better. I developed an extra gap on the side of my teeth that wasn’t there before – if it closed, the front tooth gap would widen, and if the front tooth gap closed, the side gap would widen,” Miss Stewart explained. She saw another dentist at the practice after Dr. Sharif went on maternity leave. “He advised me that I will always have a cross bite and closing the space will be difficult.”
“After multiple appointments where I complained about too much space, in 2021 I had another tooth removed,” he continued. “He still assured me that the treatment was going as planned, but my mum saw that things weren’t getting better and the negative effect it was having on my well-being.”
“Finally, when it came time to get my braces off in 2022, I still had the gap in the side. I was so upset and unhappy. I was crying at the dentist, worried I would have a gap for life as after four years of braces my teeth still didn’t look right,’ Miss Stewart recalled.
Frustrated by her experiences, Miss Stewart contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2021. Further analysis revealed that the treatment should have been carried out and completed within one to two years, but ended up taking more than four. Had she received better dental treatment, Miss Stewart would have avoided the inconvenience of wearing a fixed brace for an additional 30 months.
“I always felt so insecure and self-conscious wearing braces for four years, with my gap constantly showing up and never getting better. At school I didn’t want to smile and had to cover my mouth when I talked or laughed. It was embarrassing,” Miss Stewart explained. “After all this time, the gaps in my teeth were still not completely fixed. I had a wire placed in the back of my teeth, which is very uncomfortable and bothersome to this day, and I have to wear retainers every day. There’s still a little bit of a gap and I’m worried it’s never going to go away.”
Jennifer Paine of the Dental Law Partnership commented: “The suffering, distress and pain our client experienced at such a young age was unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Miss Stewart’s case in November 2021. The case was successfully settled in November 2023 when Miss Stewart was paid £2,750 in an out-of-court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability. All patients who believe they may have received negligent dental care should visit dentallaw.co.uk.

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