Success Stories

Read the latest success stories from the Dental Negligence team

Peter knew something was wrong – and we helped him prove it

When Peter Freegard found out he’d need a dental implant put in, he wasn’t aware of the difficult journey he’d be about to start on.

In December 2015 Peter visited his dentist, who fitted the implant without the stent or implant drilling guide usually used in these procedures. In April 2016, Peter returned to have the crown fitted onto the implant. When the dentist went to fit the crown, a cement-retained crown was tried, but Peter had previously been informed that the restoration would be a screw-retained crown. The crown was, therefore, returned to the laboratory to be remade. This spurred Peter to note down his experiences, as he wasn’t sure what was happening.

In May 2016, Peter returned for the crown fit and it was noted that the crown was slightly high. The crown was adjusted, but 2 weeks later, the crown was still too high and Peter was advised to let the crown settle for a few weeks.

Over the next several months, Peter continued to have problems with the crown and regularly attended the practice to have the crown adjusted. After 18 months the crown then began to come loose. However, due to the way in which the dentist had fitted it, it could not be unscrewed – the fitting itself was actually loose, not the crown. They were therefore unable to fit another as the seating had failed.

It was at this point that Peter was asked to pay to have it all fixed, something he was rightly unwilling to do given the poor treatment he had received up to this point. Instead, he decided to seek legal advice.

With his notes on what had happened, Peter approached our team of specialist dental negligence solicitors. An expert was instructed and advised that the dental implant had been placed too far back and the crown construction had been inappropriate.

After his claim had concluded, he had this to say:

“They dealt with the whole process for me – I didn’t have to do anything – and they were very good and efficient at what they did. It really was an excellent service, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone who finds themselves in the same position.”

Peter was awarded £4,100 for the pain and suffering he had experienced through the process of having his implant and crown fitted, and £2,400 to cover the costs he had incurred.