A dental patient who will lose thirteen teeth due to a misdiagnosed case of gum disease has won a £35,000 pay-out from the two dentists that treated her. Hannah Berry, 28, spent two years fighting for justice after her symptoms were overlooked and although she has won compensation neither dentist has admitted liability.
Ms Berry, of Exeter, Devon, said that she ‘nearly fainted’ when she was told that her condition could lead to tooth loss on a large scale. She told The Telegraph that she felt ‘so angry and upset’ at the misdiagnosis, which came despite her visiting the dentist several times due to tooth sensitivity. Initially, Ms Berry was diagnosed with a hyper-sensitive nerve by Dr Michael Espach of Broadway Dental Practice in East Sussex but was not informed that she was already showing signs of gum disease. Several years later, Ms Berry moved to the Clock Tower Dental Practice in Exeter and was told that her oral health was good by Dr Carme Turcu-Iorga, and that she should brush more gently to stop her gums from bleeding.
It was not until Ms Berry moved again in 2014 that she was told by her new dentist in Guilford, Surrey, that she was in fact suffering with a serious case of gum disease; she will now need ’12 to 18 months of treatment’ to deal with the consequences of the negligent treatment. Ms Berry added that without the pay-out, she would have been in a much worse position in terms of repairing the damage and replacing teeth.