A dental patient was left ‘looking like Nanny McPhee’ after thirteen of her teeth fell out, following botched dental treatment. Alexandra Walkden, 62, was left almost toothless after treatment for gum disease failed miserably; the grandmother was forced to pay thousands of pounds for implant surgery to replace the teeth.
Mrs Walkden, of Preston, Lancashire, has now won £35,000 in damages in an out-of-court settlement after she took her dentist to court following the disastrous dental work. Mrs Walkden told Mailonline that she resembled someone ‘who had been in a car crash’, describing black eyes and a swollen mouth that stopped her from eating comfortably. She added that this situation had all but ruined her life.
Speaking about her dentist, Dr John Musgrave, 57, she said that over the thirty years she was a patient with him, she trusted his judgement ‘implicitly’ and believed everything he told her. However, she claims she was never told she had gum disease and was never offered an appointment with an oral hygienist. The truth about her dental condition was only revealed when she visited a local dentist whilst on holiday in 2013; a different dentist confirmed the serious diagnosis when Mrs Walkden returned home and she learned that she would lose all over her top teeth because they were basically rotting from the inside out.
Although she won the compensation, Mrs Walkden says that is it not a ‘pay out’ because she feels that ‘no amount of money’ can compensate for the struggle she has gone through for the past few years. Dr Musgrave did not admit liability and has made no comment on the case.