With about 479 complaints made against dentists every day in UK it’s hardly surprising that many of us harbour a slight fear or anxiety about going to the dentist. Where a routine check up turns into a dentistry nightmare many victims are often unsure of where to turn for advice or the correct channels to follow.

According to the Family Health Service, there were 6,793 patient complaints about dental care in 2013-14. This accounts for 11.5 % of all NHS complaints received in the same period.

Some believe that access to insufficient care is the cause of such high levels of complaints. Prior to 2006 dentists were paid according to the nature of their work. However, this was replaced by the UDA, which pays dentists on the amount of work they do and the number of patients seen; altering the way dentists manage their workload.

In turn, this has had a knock on effect with the amount of time dentists are able to spend with patients, with many dentists seeing up 40 in a day, adding time constraints to an overly heavy schedule. Statistics indicate on average, the normal visit time per patient is all of 20 minutes. All of this has had a detrimental affect on the quality of care available at the cost of the patient.

Cases of dental negligence most commonly occur as the result of an error during a check up or surgery, which in turn can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort to the patient, in severe cases causing permanent damage.
The most frequent cases of dental negligence we deal with arise from:

• Administration errors
• Misdiagnosis
• Cosmetic Errors
• Substandard treatment

When trying to bring about a claim of dental negligence it is crucial you report the incident at the earliest opportunity by placing an initial complaint directly to the practice and contacting an experienced medical negligence solicitor. Reporting the incident early will significantly increase your chance of making a successful claim.

Here at Farleys our specialist Dental Negligence team are experts in this area of law, successfully securing compensation and medical care for clients who have suffered dental negligence. For a free initial claim assessment contact Farleys Solicitors on 0845 287 0939 or alternatively please complete an online enquiry form.