Decision Report 201401913

Summary

Ms C complained about her dentist. In particular, she said that his care and treatment had been unreasonable and inappropriate and that this caused her pain and upset. Ms C also said that the dentist had delayed in making a referral for her to a dental clinic and that when she attended the clinic, the referral was unnecessary. She further said that unsuccessful work had been carried out on one of her teeth which then had to be extracted at her own expense.

We took independent advice from a senior dental practitioner and our investigation showed that when Ms C first saw the dentist it was for an emergency appointment. She was immediately given appropriate treatment. She attended again and after an x-ray, treatment options were discussed and Ms C made decisions about her preferred treatment. Later, because a problem with one of her teeth was not settling, it was agreed with Ms C that she should be seen at a dental clinic and a referral was immediately made. However, the dental clinic had problems with their email and it was not received. As soon as this was discovered, the dentist made a further referral and Ms C was seen. Although she complained about her treatment it was established that it had been reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances.