04 September 2023 , 15:23
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A woman has won more than £9,000 after she received dental treatment that changed how she bit and left her with “significant” dental errors - and the problem is still being fixed years later.
Carol Ann Williams, from Bontnewydd near Caernarfon, had been treated at the City Dental Practice, in Bangor, for almost a decade. She had trusted them with her dental treatment but was left horrified to learn they had made noticeable errors when she received a poor dental bridge consultancy and treatment.
It left her in considerable pain and she was diagnosed with periodontal disease. The nutritionist and personal trainer said the disease was so severe that it caused her considerable mental distress and discomfort.
An investigation by Dental Law Partnership found defective bridge margins in Carol's x-rays (Dental Law Partnership)WalesOnline reports that Dr Behnam Aminenejad treated the 67-year-old for almost a decade at the City Dental Practice, from January 2012 to August 2021. He did not admit any liability. She said: "I've looked after my teeth my entire life and always made sure to attend appointments regularly, despite being nervous about the dentist, and followed dental advice for looking after my teeth."
During one appointment, Carol was told by Dr Aminnejad that the bridge – a fixed dental restoration that had been in her mouth since she was 19 years old – was coming loose and needed to be replaced. Over the course of the next three months Mrs Williams, from Bontnewydd near Caernarfon, attended multiple appointments with Dr Aminnejad to remove her old bridge and install a new one across five teeth.
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However, by mid-2019 she was beginning to experience regular issues with her gums around the bridge and noticed that her bite had changed, meaning she bit her lip when eating.
The law firm found numerous dental errors in her treatment which could have been avoided (Dental Law Partnership)
Carol Ann Williams was left horrified after the shoddy dental treatment (Carol Ann Williams)"Despite my concerns, I was reassured that everything in that region of my mouth was fine. In April 2021 I attended an emergency appointment as the gum around the bridge was red and sore, but was again told I was fine. Then, whilst attending an appointment to treat an abscess that was making my gums bleed, Dr Aminnejad diagnosed me with severe periodontal disease, telling me I was at risk of losing some teeth.
"It was the shock of my life – I couldn’t understand how this had never been mentioned before. I wondered how I could possibly have lived with gum disease for all these years whilst I had constantly been attending the practice for considerable amounts of dental work. I was hysterical about the whole thing and was referred to a specialist who couldn’t understand why Dr Aminnejad had installed a five-tooth bridge when only a three-tooth bridge should have been required, which has caused so many dental issues for me."
The restorative treatment Mrs Williams has required has continued into this year and cost her thousands of pounds as well as considerable distress. "I still can’t resolve the issues with the bridge as the gum disease needs to be resolved first. The bridge causes me significant discomfort, makes it harder to eat, and is difficult to clean," she said.
Frustrated with the experiences she had endured Carol decided to contact the Dental Law Partnership in 2021. The specialist firm of dental negligence solicitors analysed her records and found that if reasonable skill and care had been exercised by Dr Aminnejad in placing Mrs Williams’ bridge and in monitoring her gums the considerable amount of remedial work required could have been avoided.
The case was successfully settled in June 2023 when Carol was awarded £9,250 in an out-of-court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability.
Although being compensated, Carol said that she still felt "cheated". "No one wants to worry about losing their teeth. I’m a fitness person and how I look is important," she said. "Despite the compensation, nothing can make up for the mental distress the experience has caused me and I feel cheated that issues were never treated by my former dentist."
Kyle Padley of the Dental Law Partnership said: "The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment her problems could have been avoided."
The Mirror contacted City Dental Practice for comment.