Pontefract woman awarded £17,500 after poor treatment from childhood dentists costs her teeth

Adele Waterworth, 45, showed symptoms of gum disease and tooth decay for years without her dentist treating the issues.

The damage is so severe that she will eventually lose teeth, having already suffered years of trauma and discomfort

The pub manager has now been awarded the money from her dentist with the help of specialist dental negligence solicitors the Dental Law Partnership after decades of mistreatment led to irreversible damage.

She visited Dr Nicholas White at Ropergate Dental Practice in Pontefract for nearly three decades, from the age of 16, and considered him to be her family’s trustworthy dentist.

Her mother and other family members were also his patients.

While under his care, she experienced a number of issues including bleeding gums and bone loss due to periodontal disease.

She also underwent a tooth extraction.

It wasn’t until her mother visited another dentist, leading Mrs Waterworth to do the same, that the extent of the treatment issues became clear.

“I was experiencing a lot of pain and sensitivity with two teeth in particular and ended up having fillings in both and later a root canal for one of them,” she said.

"Generally speaking, I had always just been given a quick scale and polish and told that everything will be fine with my teeth.

"Dr White actually tried to reduce my visits from every six months to once a year.”

Following an examination from her new dentist, it was revealed that Mrs Waterworth was suffering from chronic, long standing gum disease and bone loss.

She said: “My two teeth which had the fillings and root canal treatment required replacement.

"Due to the state of my teeth, and the incorrect guidance I received from Dr White, I had to at first go in for a deep cleaning every other week, then once every two months and now I go every three months.”

“I now experience receding gums, although I will keep trying the preventative measures advised.

"What I’m suffering from is irreversible and I will eventually lose more teeth in the next 10 years.

“I just feel so let down. You put your trust in a dentist and this one in particular was a family dentist we all went to, including my mum, partner and step-daughter.”

Mrs Waterworth contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2019.

Analysis of her dental records revealed that, if Dr White had had properly assessed and advised Mrs Waterworth, the decay in her two teeth would have been identified and treated at an early stage.

Her periodontal disease would also have been identified and treated at an early stage and she would not have experienced significant bone loss and the subsequent need for extensive remedial treatment.

Amanda Pietrusiak of the Dental Law Partnership commented: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist had carried out adequate treatment in the first place, her problems could have been avoided.”

The Dental Law Partnership took on Mrs Waterworth’s case in 2019.

The case was successfully settled in August 2022 when Mrs Waterworth was paid £17,500 in an out of court settlement.

The dentist involved made an admission of partial liability.