Overview
The complainant (Ms C) attended her dentist (the Dentist) with toothache. She believed the pain was coming from a particular tooth, but the Dentist removed the neighbouring tooth. She said the pain continued until a dentist at another dental practice removed the one which she considered should have been removed. She felt this was proof that the Dentist had taken out the wrong tooth.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) the examination of Ms C's mouth was inadequate (upheld); and
- (b) the record-keeping was inadequate (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Dentist:
- (i) apologises to Ms C for the shortcomings identified;
- (ii) ensures adequate investigation of patients with toothache; and
- (iii) improves his record-keeping to the standard described in this report.
The Dentist has accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.