Wrong Tooth Extraction Claims Solicitors in Manchester
If a dentist mistakenly extracted the wrong tooth and this caused avoidable pain, further treatment, or tooth loss, you may have grounds for a dental negligence claim.
If a dentist mistakenly extracted the wrong tooth and this caused avoidable pain, further treatment, or tooth loss, you may have grounds for a dental negligence claim.
Having a tooth extracted by a dentist is generally a fairly straightforward procedure, but things can sometimes go wrong. If you have the wrong tooth extracted it can be upsetting and stressful, and there’s a chance that you could be able to make a wrong tooth extraction claim.
A wrong tooth extraction claim will be based on the stress and upset caused by the wrongful extraction, as well as the fact that it could mean a healthy tooth has been extracted and you’ll need a further extraction. The team at TJL know how upsetting dental negligence of this kind can be, and if the wrong tooth was extracted because your dentist was negligent then we’ll work with you to claim the compensation we think you’re entitled to.
You can make a claim for wrong tooth extraction if a dental professional extracted the wrong tooth in the form of a healthy tooth, or a tooth other than the one which you were led to believe would be extracted.
A dentist extracting the wrong tooth is referred to as a ‘never event’. This means that it is something that should never happen as it is a completely avoidable error.
In these circumstances a wrong tooth extraction will almost always form the basis of a dental negligence claim, with compensation being sought for the physical and psychological impact of having the wrong tooth extracted and any direct financial costs associated, such as having to pay to have the right tooth extracted.
Alternatively, it can sometimes be based on a dentist removing a tooth which could still have been saved through alternative treatment.
In most cases a wrong tooth extraction claim will be based on the fact that you visited a dentist expecting one tooth to be removed and emerged from the treatment having had another tooth taken out. Clearly this is an upsetting and confusing experience, and in many cases of wrong tooth extraction you’ll still be left with an unhealthy tooth which needs to be extracted.
If you make a wrong tooth extraction claim with TJL our team will pull together any evidence you aren’t able to access prior to contacting us.
You should ask for a copy of your dental records to establish the condition of your teeth before and after the wrong extraction took place. You should have photographs taken of the result of the wrong tooth extraction and keep copies of any correspondence with the dental practice, such as any complaint you have made and their response.
You should also keep a record of any expenses directly related to the negligent dental treatment, including any earnings lost if you have to take time off work. You should also ask for a statement from friends and family who will be able to describe the impact the wrong tooth extraction has had on you.
The dentist, or the insurer representing them, may claim the following:
We’re used to dealing with a wide range of dental negligence claims and we’ll build a claim which proves negligence even if your dentists put forward arguments of this kind.
A little pain after dental work is normal, and most of it settles down within a few days. But if the pain lingers or gets worse, something may have gone wrong during treatment. And if your dentist made a mistake or treated you carelessly, you may have grounds for a legal claim.
A woman in her mid-forties won a £40,000 settlement after losing five teeth through 20 years of poor treatment from the same private dentist.
Most personal injury claims follow a similar process, whether you were hurt at work, in a road traffic accident, while cycling, or in a public place. But no two claims are exactly the same.
A personal injury claim can arise when someone else’s negligence causes your injury. This could be a careless driver, an employer, or a business that failed to fix a dangerous condition. But whether you have grounds to make a claim depends on how the accident happened and who is responsible. Not every accident necessarily leads to a valid personal injury claim.
After an initial free consultation we’ll have a clear idea of whether your dentist was negligent.
In the case of a ‘never event’ like wrong tooth extraction it’s highly likely that your dentist acted negligently. We’ll explain how the claims process works and what we can do to win the compensation you could be entitled to.
We know that having the wrong tooth extracted is an upsetting and stressful experience, and we take on the work of building a claim so that you can concentrate on getting over the physical and psychological distress caused by dental negligence.
We’ll start the claims process by taking a detailed statement from you, describing how the wrong tooth was extracted and how this has impacted you.
We’ll arrange for a dental expert to examine you to establish the full impact of the wrong tooth extraction and the nature of any treatment – such as replacing the missing tooth and extracting the intended tooth – you may need as a result.
We’ll bring together any evidence you’re able to bring to us, and will get hold of anything else which helps to make your wrong tooth extraction claim as strong as possible. The evidence will include but not be limited to:
We’ll contact the other party to tell them that you intend to claim compensation for the wrong tooth extraction. Our emphasis on dispute resolution means that the majority of the wrong tooth extraction claims we handle are settled at this point, with the other party accepting liability.
We always work to settle claims as quickly as we can and without involving the time and stress of going to court. Once liability has been admitted we will negotiate a fair compensation payment.
Our experience of wrong tooth extraction claims means that we know exactly what you will be eligible to claim for and how much compensation you should be entitled to. Armed with that knowledge we never settle for less than 100% of the compensation we think you deserve.
If yours is one of the tiny number of wrong tooth extraction claims which have to be settled in court we will be by your side throughout, offering support and arguing your case in the strongest possible terms.
This treatment could include the extraction of the correct tooth as well as corrective dental work such as implants or cosmetic procedures to repair the damage caused by the wrong tooth extraction.
The compensation you could receive for a wrong tooth extraction claim will be made up of general damages and special damages, and is likely to range from around a thousand pounds for the most straightforward case up to tens of thousands for a case in which multiple teeth are impacted with long-term effects.
General damages are intended to cover the physical and psychological impact of the wrong tooth extraction, and the degree to which it has stopped you living your life as you otherwise would have.
Special damages deal with the financial impact of a wrong tooth extraction, and cover the cost of any remedial treatment needed, both now and in the future, as well as any earnings lost through having to take time off work. They will also cover any expenses, such as travel costs, which are directly related to the wrong tooth extraction.
Following an independent evaluation by a dental expert and your own detailed statement we will have a clear idea of the nature of your injury and how it has impacted you. On this basis we will be able to estimate the range of compensation we think you are likely to receive.
Yes, there is a time limit of 3 years on wrong tooth extraction claims, after which you will no longer be able to seek compensation. The 3 years is counted from the date that the tooth in question was extracted or the date on which it became clear that the wrong tooth was removed.
Exceptions to the 3 year rule include the following:
Although the 3 year limit is in place we would always recommend starting a wrong tooth extraction claim as soon as possible after the treatment took place. Your own memories of the treatment you expected and the treatment that was provided will still be clear in your mind, and the sooner you claim, the sooner you will get any compensation you’re entitled to.
A simple tooth extraction claim could take around 6-8 months to settle whereas more complex claims could take more than 18 months. Factors which might cause a claim to take longer would include the other party denying liability, multiple independent examinations of complex injuries being required or a failure to agree a fair compensation amount.
Throughout the process we will keep you fully informed of how long we expect your claim to take, based on past experience of similar claims.
Yes, you can make a no win no fee tooth extraction claim with TJL. This means that you won’t have to pay anything for an initial consultation, or as we gather the evidence for your claim, arrange a dental examination and negotiate with the other party.
Under the no win no fee system you will only be charged by us if your claim is successful and the compensation has been paid. If the claim fails then costs such as the other party’s legal fees will be covered by insurance which we take out on your behalf.
Yes, you can make a wrong tooth extraction claim against an NHS dentist or a private dental practice.
As well as the possible removal of a healthy tooth, a wrong tooth extraction could cause the following:
Any additional issues will be taken into account when the compensation paid for a successful wrong tooth extraction claim is calculated.
Yes, we will claim for interim payments to cover on-going costs and ease the recovery process if negotiations on a final compensation amount become prolonged. Any interim payments made in this way will then be deducted from the overall compensation amount agreed.
You should come to TJL for your wrong tooth extraction claim because our numbers speak for themselves:
Our expertise and specialist knowledge when it comes to dental negligence means that we’ll know straight away if you’ve been treated negligently and will always seek 100% of the compensation we think you’re entitled to.
In addition to the reassurance of our expertise and experience, making a wrong tooth extraction claim with TJL means that you’ll be treated as a person rather than simply another case number. We understand how distressing dental negligence cases of this kind can be, and we tailor our service to provide one to one support in a caring and empathetic manner.
If needed we can help you to access any additional support required, and any questions you have will be answered immediately in clear, jargon-free English. We take on the stress and work of building a wrong tooth extraction claim so that you have the time and space needed to recover from what happened.
If you’ve had the wrong tooth extracted then get in touch with the team at TJL. Our no win no fee approach means that you can claim the compensation you could be eligible for without worrying, safe in the knowledge that our experts are right by your side.
Our team of solicitors will handle your case personally.
We are based in Manchester and all our work is done in-house.
Our solicitors are fully trained and qualified to handle your case.
We are dedicated to winning your case and there are no hidden fees.