Legal News

A father of two has been awarded £42,500 in compensation, after a dentist failed to treat decay in his teeth, despite regular check-ups.

Ian Lisle, 51, had to have 11 teeth extracted – and said his mouth was left looking “like a building site” despite frequent dental check-ups.

Mr Lisle had attended check-ups with dentist Michael Garside in Oldham, Greater Manchester – but when he attended a check-up with another dentist for a single dental implant it was discovered that his teeth has been left to rot and had decayed “beyond repair”.

Mr Lisle faces having costly treatment to replace the 11 teeth which had to be extracted, the Daily Mail reports.

Tyre fitter Mr Lisle took legal action against Dr Garside for negligent dental treatment – and the case has been settled out-of-court after a four-year legal battle.

Mr Lisle, also from Oldham, said that losing his teeth had not only affected his appearance but also his confidence:

“I've still got a long journey ahead of me, but I'm trying to move on now,” said Mr Lisle.

“Hopefully when I have the work done my smile will be back to normal,” he added.

“I am very conscious about the state of my teeth now and I find it difficult to smile – and I don't like being photographed.

“Your teeth can form the shape of your face and are very precious – what happened to me really affected my confidence.

“I'll never know how Dr Garside could have let things get as bad they did.”

“I was led to believe my oral health was much better than it was – when, in fact, the complete opposite was true.”

Mr Lisle discovered the extent of his dental problems after he decided to have an implant to replace a tooth he had had knocked out while playing rugby when he was younger. He had been wearing a denture which he “hated”, but when he visited another dentist to have the implant fitted, X-rays of his mouth showed the true state of his dental health.

Mr Lisle said the X-rays revealed “metal scaffolding” in some areas of his mouth where Dr Garside had allegedly made mistakes in treatment. He had attended check-ups with Dr Garside for 14 years from 1994 onwards.

“As far I knew, everything was fine with my teeth because I barely got any treatment for well over a decade. I went for regular check-ups and went ahead with treatments when he said I needed them,” said Mr Lisle.

Dr Garside denied liability and said he was unable to comment on the case because of “the rules of patient confidentiality”.

Mr Lisle’s solicitor said that Dr Garside had failed to provide “a reasonable standard of care” in treating Mr Lisle.

Duncan Lewis Dental Negligence Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors and can advise on how to make a no win no fee compensation claim for negligent dental treatment.

Dental patients who have suffered negligent treatment under the NHS or as a private dental patient have three years from the date of the injury or when the injury became apparent in which to claim compensation.

For expert legal advice on making no win no fee Dental Negligence Claims, contact Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.