A WOMAN has won a £40,000 payout after ‘bad’ dental treatment ‘ruined her smile and destroyed her confidence’.
Lynne Haines, 56, claims she suffered for more than a decade after suffering from severe undiagnosed gum disease.
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The HR consultant said she lost several teeth, had huge gaps in her mouth and poor mental health due to the lack of treatment.
She said the ordeal allegedly “ruined my smile, me and my confidence”, so she took a claim against her dentist.
The case was settled for treatment he gave while working at a practice in Aberdare between 2001 and 2014.
The dentist, who has since retired, did not admit responsibility.
Lynne claimed that despite regular check-ups, she was never given any advice or indication that there was anything seriously wrong with her teeth.
During this time, she said a gap in her front teeth had started to appear.
Four years after she last saw her dentist, she was referred to specialists who reportedly discovered she had severe periodontal disease and referred her for treatment to address the extreme bone loss.
Lynne, from Penarth, South Wales, said: “I had a huge gap in my front teeth and a lot of teeth were wobbly.
“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.”
She contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2020, who took up her claim that her gums should have been treated as far back as 2001.
Lynne said: “I was so angry that I had put all my trust in the dentist who had ruined my smile, me and my confidence.
“My job requires me to do a lot of face-to-face meetings and I hated doing video calls with my camera on throughout the pandemic.
“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 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.”
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What is gum disease?
AROUND 45 per cent of people in the UK have some level of gingivitis or periodontitis.
An estimated 10 percent of these people have the most severe form.
This can result in shrinking or receding gums, gaps between the teeth and tooth loss.
Some patients also report difficulty eating.
The first stage of gum disease, known as gingivitis, is treated by improving oral hygiene.
Periodontitis requires a visit to the dentist and a more intensive course of treatment, usually to remove tartar around the gum line and also deep scaling below the gum line.
If your condition does not improve after this, you may be referred to a specialist.
Source: Diabetes UK
