DENTAL NEGLIGENCE SOLICITORS

Poor dental care can have a significant impact on your life. If you've placed your trust in a dental professional and have received negligent treatment in return, you may be entitled to receive financial dental negligence compensation.

At Smith Partnership, we offer a specialist medical negligence team with extensive experience in dealing with dental negligence cases. Our expert dental negligence solicitors can help you claim compensation for dental negligence and help pursue justice on your behalf. Contact our expert medical negligence team today to find out how we can help.

WHAT IS DENTAL NEGLIGENCE?

When a dental healthcare professional fails to provide a patient with adequate care, this can be classed as dental negligence.

There are some common examples of medical negligence which we have explained below to give you further context.

WHAT IS CLASSED AS DENTAL NEGLIGENCE?

Dental negligence can take on many forms and may relate to any injury that was caused, worsened, or overlooked by a dental professional. Common examples of injuries that may occur due to negligent dental treatment include:

  • An incorrect, delayed or missed dental diagnosis
  • Dental surgery that falls short of an acceptable standard
  • Errors relating to restorative or cosmetic dentistry
  • Infections resulting from a lack of appropriate care
  • The incorrect or unnecessary extraction of teeth
  • Complications resulting from a failure to diagnose or treat a dental condition
  • Failure to apply anaesthetic in the correct way

There are many other circumstances in which you may be able to claim dental negligence compensation. This includes cases where negligent dental care has affected your physical or mental wellbeing. Whatever the case, our experienced legal team of dental negligence solicitors can advise you on the best approach to suit your circumstances.

HOW DO I SUE A DENTIST?

If your dentist has failed to provide you with adequate dental care, then you may have the grounds to sue them for dental negligence.

Whether this has occurred via treatment through the NHS or through a private dental professional, you are well within your rights to sue for any damage or injury you may have incurred as a result of the malpractice.

To begin your claim, you should get in touch with a dental negligence solicitor to discuss your case and determine your next steps.

Should your solicitor feel you have the grounds to bring a claim against your dentist, they will begin the process for compensation.

WHAT SHOULD I CONSIDER WHEN MAKING A DENTAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM?

You can make a claim against a negligent dentist or other dental healthcare professional regardless of whether the treatment was provided by the NHS or a private healthcare provider.

As with most other personal injury and medical negligence claims, your claim will usually be subject to a three-year time limit starting from the moment at which you were aware that you may have received negligent care (commonly referred to as the 'date of knowledge').

These time limits are different if you're making a claim on behalf of a child under the age of 18 or a person who lacks mental capacity, so if in doubt, contact us to discuss the circumstances that give rise to your potential claim.

HOW MUCH COMPENSATION FOR DENTAL NEGLIGENCE?

The amount of compensation you can reasonably expect to receive is dependent on many different factors, including the severity of the injury you sustained and the financial loss you have incurred as a result.

Generally speaking, the compensation awarded to successful claimants will be split into General Damages and Special Damages. The first of these is concerned with compensating you for the avoidable pain and suffering caused by the injury itself, whilst the second is intended to cover any past or future financial losses.

If you're looking to find out more about the strength of your case and the extent of compensation you may be entitled to, speak to our team to arrange a hassle-free consultation and start your claim.

THE DENTAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIMS PROCESS

In order to assess your claim in the best way possible, our expert solicitors will arrange an initial consultation to discuss the details of your case at a time and place that suits you. From there, we will consider any medical records or documentation that you may have in support of your claim.

The liable party will then be notified of your intention to claim compensation, after which we will enter discussions with them to ensure you are reasonably compensated for your suffering.

Although the vast majority of cases are settled out of court, there may be a need to issue court proceedings if the other party denies liability. If your claim is to be settled in court, our solicitors will be on hand to provide expertise and peace of mind throughout every stage of the process.

REASONS FOR DENTAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIMS

There are many reasons for bringing a dental negligence claim, such as:

  • Either a misdiagnosis or late diagnosis that resulted in you suffering pain or injury as a result
  • Failure of diagnosis of a severe dental condition
  • Injury caused by dental procedures that were performed poorly or incorrectly
  • A financial loss due to paying for dental corrections as a result of poor treatment
  • Physical or psychological trauma as a direct response to dental negligence
  • Any other pain or suffering caused by dental negligence and malpractice

If you are unsure of what you are suffering with counts as a valid reason for a dental negligence claim, you are best to discuss this with a solicitor that specialises in the area of medical and dental law to advise you further.

HOW LONG DOES A DENTAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIM TAKE?

The length of time it takes to complete a dental negligence case varies from case to case, as each person's experiences are unique.

On average, it can take anywhere from 12 months to a couple of years, however, you should always be prepared for the probability that our case may take longer to complete depending on severity and complexity.

NO WIN NO FEE DENTAL NEGLIGENCE SOLICITORS

Our firm offers numerous funding options including No Win No Fee dental claims, which see us pursue your claim with little to no financial risk to you. We also offer actionable legal advice remotely via telephone and email as well as across our offices in Leicester, Derby, Burton upon Trent, Swadlincote and Stoke-on-Trent.

Smith Partnership's medical negligence team is independently recognised by the Legal 500 and is a member of Action Against Medical Accidents (AvMA), ensuring you benefit from exceptional expertise in pursuing your claim. Our approach is sensitive, client-oriented and practical, meaning we focus entirely on securing the compensation you deserve.

Contact our team today

To find out how our expert team of solicitors can help you, contact us today on 0330 123 1229, send us an email via info@smithpartnership.co.uk or complete our contact form.

FAQs

Yes. If you have received sub-standard care from your dentist that has caused you harm, then you may have a claim for compensation against the dentist(s) who treated you.

Yes. If you have received sub-standard care that has caused you harm, then you may have a claim for compensation against the NHS Trust who were responsible for treating you.

A claim for clinical negligence involves any claim against a healthcare provider where the victim has endured avoidable pain and is suffering as a result of the error of their doctor/GP/dentist etc.