Lynne Haines, a 56-year-old HR consultant, said she had suffered for more than a decade from severe undiagnosed gum disease.
The case was settled against Dr John Graham for treatment he gave while working at Croft Dental Practice in Gadlys, Aberdare, between 2001 and 2014.
Dr Graham, who retired in 2014, has not admitted responsibility.
“Ruined my smile, me and my confidence”
During Ms Haines’ treatment, she claims periodontal disease was ignored for more than a decade, resulting in huge gaps in her mouth and the loss of several teeth, as well as a significant impact on her mental health.
Despite seeing Dr Graham regularly, Ms Haines says she was never given any advice or indication that there was anything seriously wrong with her teeth.
During this time, she says a gap in her front teeth had started to appear.
In 2018, after complaining that her gums were receding, Ms Haines was referred to specialists where it was revealed she was suffering from severe periodontal disease.
He was then referred for treatment to address the extreme bone loss.
Ms Haines, who, after moving to Penarth, traveled 44 miles round trip for the dental surgery she had been attending all her life, said she had never missed an appointment.
She remembered the moment it became too much and she was really worried about the state of her mouth.
“I had a huge gap in my front teeth and a lot of teeth were wobbly,” Ms Haines said.
“The treatment was painful and invasive and my mouth was constantly sensitive.
“I felt so self-conscious that I never smiled and worried all the time. It was a horrible experience and it really affected me every day.
“(Then) in 2020, for the first time in my life, I moved to a private dentist for another round of intensive periodontal treatment.
“They were shocked at how I had taken it, saying I had been subjected to years of abuse and advised that the periodontal disease was so severe that I was likely to lose all my teeth – which was devastating.
“At every appointment, I ended up in tears as I was embarrassed about the state of my teeth, especially as I always took good care of them and I was shocked that this would be a problem for the rest of my teeth. ZOE.”
Ultimately, Ms Haines contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2020.
The analysis reportedly revealed that the periodontal disease should have been diagnosed and treated as early as 2001, which would have prevented the devastating progression of bone loss Ms Haines experienced.
“I was so angry that I had completely trusted the dentist who had destroyed my smile, me and my confidence,” Ms Haines said.
“My job requires a lot of face-to-face meetings, and I hated doing video calls with my camera on throughout the pandemic.”
For now, the disease is back under control, but Ms Haines says the experience has left her with “deep mental scars”.
“The disease is under control for now, but I will never get my bone density back and I have to be extremely careful about taking care of my gums and keeping up with my appointments.
“I have had some composite bonding done now which has fixed the appearance of my upper teeth, but I know this is not a permanent solution and will need to be replaced in a few years.
“While I’m happy with how I look at the moment, the whole experience has left a deep mental scar.”
Attempts to contact Dr. Graham were unsuccessful.
Croft Dental Practice did not respond to requests for comment.
