A woman who claims she faced years of errors at the hands of dentists said she needlessly lost three teeth, which in turn resulted in mental health and confidence issues.
Joanne Ashley, 55, was a patient at Frankel Dental Care, a dental clinic in Ascot, Berkshire, for more than 10 years. The clinic has since changed its name to Eledent Smiles. She was treated by Dr Jonathan Frankel and Dr Aman Babber between 2008 and 2019, but claimed that her issues weren’t addressed properly, meaning that they got worse over time and she was left in pain for years.
The retail worker, from Ascot, claims she made numerous visits to Dr Frankel failed to deal with her problems. She told The Mirror: “I visited Dr Frankel several times over a number of years as I was experiencing discomfort in the upper right side of my mouth.
“I had ongoing issues with infections and an abscess, and was always given antibiotics and sent home again, but the root cause of the pain was never addressed.” Joanne said she then began being treated by Dr Babber in 2013, and under the dentist’s care, she had a tooth extracted, a temporary filling and then a crown placed.
However, the patient said the area where the crown had been placed continued to be sore, leading to “ongoing issues with pain and swelling.” The problems were so bad that at times she couldn’t sleep or eat properly, Joanne claims. Since her problems didn’t improve over time, Joanne felt frustrated and in October 2021 she decided to start visiting a new dental practice.
The woman said she lost three teeth as a result of errors made at the dental clinic and had to have implant treatment to fill the gaps. Joanne said: “Ultimately, I’ve lost three teeth as a result of the errors made at Eledent Smiles and had to have implant treatment to fill the gaps.
“My husband had to take a loan out of his business so we could afford my treatment, and the pain I experienced whilst I had infections during this period was so bad at times that I couldn’t sleep or eat properly.” Concerned with the experiences she had gone through, Joanne decided to contact the Dental Law Partnership in 2022.
The firm, which specialises in dental negligence, said that analysis of Joanne’s records revealed “decay and defective restorations should have been diagnosed at an earlier stage.” According to the Dental Law Partnership, if the issues had been diagnosed early, Joanne would have avoided the “significant pain and inconvenience” she experienced between 2014 and 2021, including the need for root canal treatment, food trapping and the loss of three teeth.
“I wish the whole thing had never happened,” Joanne said. “So much time and money has been spent in pain and on costly restorative treatment, all of which could have been avoided. The whole thing was traumatic, especially as I had a young child at the time. It massively affected my self-confidence and mental health, and tainted several years of my life.”
In June this year, Joanne was awarded £16,250 in an out-of-court settlement, even though the dentists involved did not admit liability. Nicholas Hampson, of the Dental Law Partnership, said: “The significant distress, pain and inconvenience our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentists involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided.”
According to new research carried out by the Dental Law Partnership, a fifth of dental patients in the UK (20 per cent) have experienced “possible or probable” dental negligence in the past three years. It also emerged that 21 per cent of people polled had not visited their dentist over the past three years, mainly as they were unable to get an appointment or they were worried over potential costs.
The specialist firm said the main forms of dental negligence experienced by dental patients in the UK are a delay in treatment that led to avoidable injury, pain or suffering (10 per cent), sub-standard dental work (six per cent), mismanagement or delay in treatment of gum/periodontal disease (five per cent), poorly executed orthodontic work (five per cent) and incorrect diagnosis or treatment (four percent). To help patients understand if they may have been a victim of dental negligence themselves, the Dental Law Partnership has created a self-assessment tool that can be accessed for free online.
Chris Dean, a dentist and solicitor with the Dental Law Partnership, said: “Dentistry in the UK is in a shocking state. While millions of patients find themselves unable to get any appointment whatsoever, those who are able to get one are worryingly likely to experience poor treatment. The research paints a worrying picture and is corroborated by our own data, showing a significant increase in successful negligence cases since 2020.
“It is very likely that the increase is down to overworked dentists not taking the proper time and care, leaving patients suffering. The research demonstrates that around half of those who likely experienced dental negligence were not aware if they had – as such, we have created a short self assessment tool to help patients quickly understand if they may have been a victim.”
On its website, Eledent Smiles says it offers several treatments including fillings, root canals, air polishing, dentures and gum disease care. The dental clinic, which has mostly positive reviews on Google, also carries out cosmetic treatments such as crowns and bridges, dental implants and braces.
A Frankel Dental Care spokesperson told The Mirror: “The dental surgery would like to make it clear that it does not agree with the facts as conveyed by the Dental Law Partnership, but cannot provide details of any patient treatment and management because of its professional duty to protect confidentiality. We take pride in providing the highest standards of treatment and care to all our patients.”
