A police officer has won £10,000 after a dental nightmare left her in agony for eight years.
Gemma Wardley couldn’t smile, sleep or eat properly after a dentist attributed her problems to a sinus infection.
The 36-year-old, from Swintonfirst visited the practice in 2013 after experiencing pain in the upper left side of her mouth.
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Although the dentist performed a root canal on one of her teeth, it did not stop the pain, forcing the sergeant to return months later for the same treatment on an adjacent tooth.
But when the pain persisted, Gemma returned to the surgery in 2015, where the dentist noticed the root canal wasn’t deep enough.
He did the same procedure again – this time without any pain relief.
“It was so painful it made me get out of my chair and I cried,” she said. “He also did two more root canals on the upper and lower left side of my mouth, but none of that relieved the pain.”
Despite her discomfort, the dentist insisted that there was nothing wrong with Gemma’s teeth and that it was just sinusitis that was causing her toothache. Sinusitis is where the sinuses, which are in the hollow spaces behind the cheekbones and forehead, become swollen. It is usually caused by an infection.
Gemma was prescribed antihistamines and sinus washes in hospital, but nothing seemed to ease her pain.
“For years he was adamant about it, but none of the trick treatments helped,” she added. “I even saw a facial specialist who said there was nothing wrong with my sinuses. It was all so confusing and frustrating.”
In 2018, the Gemma tooth that had two root canals was cracked with a hairline fracture. The dentist had not put a crown on him after doing the procedure.
“Even then he still said it was just advanced sinus problems causing inflammation and tooth pain,” she continued. “It was incredible.”
Gemma finally decided to visit another dentist’s office when a throbbing sensation took over the left side of her face, pain radiating to her forehead, cheeks and eye sockets.
“The dentist exclaimed, ‘What the hell happened to your teeth?'” Gemma claimed. “She was in such bad shape.”
Gemma was treated with antibiotics but was unable to eat on the left side of her mouth for two years. She was then referred to hospital where she had two teeth extracted in 2022, leaving her feeling uneasy about her smile.
“It was horrible and I cried,” she said. “The gap it left was awful and I didn’t feel comfortable smiling anymore.”
Frustrated by her experiences, she contacted the Dental Law Partnership who began investigating her case.
The analysis claimed that the dental treatment he had received resulted in eight years of persistent pain, futile sinus treatments, repeated inadequate root canal treatments on several teeth, a fractured tooth and a need for further treatment that could have been avoided.
“I was in constant pain for several years and, every time I pointed it out, [the dentist] he fired me,” he said.
“I feel so angry as I went to him in confidence and believed everything he told me when in fact the vaginal advice was completely useless.
“I’ve always taken care of my teeth, they’ve always been my pride with people complimenting them, so this completely knocked my confidence.
“I already suffer from PTSD and anxiety, but it got worse from this experience and I had sleepless nights.”
Heather Owen, of Dental Law Partnership, said: “The anguish and pain our client experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, many of her problems could have been avoided.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Gemma’s case in 2021. The case was successfully settled in December 2023 and she was paid £10,000 in an out-of-court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit responsibility.
