Undiagnosed Oral Cancer Claims Solicitors in Manchester
Failure to diagnose oral cancer at an early stage may amount to dental negligence and could entitle you to compensation.
Failure to diagnose oral cancer at an early stage may amount to dental negligence and could entitle you to compensation.
Being diagnosed with cancer is devastating. Learning your dentist should have spotted it months earlier raises serious questions about the care you received. Dentists have a duty to screen for oral cancer at every routine appointment. When they miss obvious signs of cancer or dismiss your concerns, the delay in treatment can be life-threatening.
If your dentist missed oral cancer that should have been detected, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact us to learn about your legal options.
Oral cancer claims can be high-value because the consequences of late diagnosis are usually so severe. Claims can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of pounds in the most serious cases. More serious cases typically involve much higher compensation, as extensive treatments and long-term care can be costly. And patients may also be compensated for reduced life expectancy.
Your compensation should cover general damages like pain and suffering, and special damages (financial losses) you experienced due to a late diagnosis of oral cancer.
You could also claim for lost earnings if you’ve been unable to work during treatment and recovery. If your life expectancy has been reduced by the late diagnosis, that’s factored into the valuation, too.
When a patient has died from oral cancer, families can claim for loss of financial dependency, funeral costs, and the impact on the family under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976.
Screening for oral cancer is part of every dentist’s duty of care under General Dental Council standards.
A proper oral cancer screening takes time. Your dentist should visually examine your lips, gums, tongue (top, bottom, and sides), the floor and roof of your mouth, your throat, and the inside of your cheeks. They should also feel your neck and jaw for lumps or swelling that might indicate cancer.
Oral cancer screening is an essential part of dental care. Dentists see inside your mouth more regularly than any other healthcare professional. They are also trained to spot the signs of oral cancer, putting them in the best position to detect cancer early. And if your dentist finds something suspicious, they should refer you urgently to a specialist.
If your dentist dismissed your concerns, failed to properly examine you, or delayed referring you, they may have been negligent.
Here are some of the warning signs your dentist should be looking for at every check-up:
If you reported any of these symptoms and your dentist told you not to worry without properly examining you, that could be dental negligence. They could also be negligent if they didn’t spot visible signs during examinations.
Many patients don’t realise something is wrong because early oral cancer usually doesn’t hurt. That’s why dental screenings matter so much. You’re relying on your dentist to spot what you can’t see or don’t recognise as serious.
The earlier it’s caught, the better the outcome. According to the NHS, survival rates of oral cancer (five years post diagnosis) can reach over 85% if it’s caught early. But when caught late, the survival rate drops to around 50%.
Treatment with early detection usually involves removing the tumour with surgery. Recovery is typically quicker, and the surgery is less invasive. But when oral cancer is diagnosed at a later stage, treatment often becomes more aggressive and may require a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy.
If oral cancer has already spread to other parts of your body (advanced stage), treatment mainly focuses on controlling the cancer and managing symptoms, and the prognosis is far more serious. Late diagnosis can also affect your quality of life, as advanced cancer treatment may impact your ability to eat, speak, and swallow.
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.
Poor dental care can leave you in pain, facing further treatment, and with substantial unexpected costs. If that’s happened to you, you may have the right to make a dental negligence claim.
Your dentist was supposed to fix a problem. Instead, you’re dealing with the consequences of dental treatment that left you worse off, like suffering constant pain or needing further procedures. You want to know: do I have a dental negligence claim?
If you’ve been diagnosed with oral cancer that should have been caught earlier, take these steps to protect your rights:
Speak to a solicitor handling dental negligence claims. Seek legal advice as soon as possible, as undiagnosed oral cancer claims can be complex.
You have three years from your “date of knowledge” (when you discovered that your dentist failed to diagnose oral cancer) to start a claim under the Limitation Act 1980. Date of knowledge means when you learnt your dentist should have spotted the cancer earlier, not from when you first attended the dentist.
Yes, you may still claim. Even if you smoked or drank alcohol, your dentist still had a duty to screen you for oral cancer. In fact, if they knew you had risk factors, they should have been more vigilant, not less. Having a lifestyle that increases your cancer risk doesn’t excuse a dentist from missing visible cancer signs during examinations.
You may still have a case even if you got a specialist referral. Dentists should urgently refer suspected cases of oral cancer in line with NHS guidelines. You should be seen by a specialist within two weeks. If your dentist delayed for weeks or months without a valid medical reason, that delay could have worsened your prognosis, and you could have a compensation claim.
Your dental records will show what they noted during examinations. An independent expert can review whether signs of cancer were visible and whether your dentist should have spotted them or referred you. If lesions, ulcers, or patches were present for weeks or months during multiple check-ups, they should have been investigated.
Yes. You can bring a claim on behalf of a deceased family member within three years of death. We understand this is an incredibly difficult time for your family, but filing a fatal accident claim against a negligent dentist can provide answers about what went wrong and help your family financially. You could recover compensation for your loved one’s suffering before death and for the impact their death had on your family.
We understand that discovering your dentist missed oral cancer is upsetting. You trusted them to protect your health, and now you may be facing aggressive treatment and an uncertain prognosis. You may even be grieving a family member who might have survived with earlier detection.
We know that compensation can’t turn back time, but it can help pay for the treatment and care you or a loved one needs. It can also provide answers about what went wrong and hold your dentist accountable.
Speaking to a solicitor as soon as possible gives you the best chance of securing the evidence you need for a strong claim while you focus on treatment and recovery. We work on a no-win, no-fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless we win your case.
Time limits apply to oral cancer claims, so contact us today to discuss your case.
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.
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