Yorkshire woman wins £25,000 payout from dental surgery after eight years of 'agony'

Audra Weston, 55, who was unable to speak, eat or work following multiple procedures, said it had felt like a "living nightmare" as a patient at Clifton Dental Practice in York. The cleaner first had discomfort in her teeth back in 2010, with dentists going on to prescribe her emergency extractions, root canal surgery and different medications.

But eight years later, Aundra said she was "scared to leave the house" and was unable to chew properly as she was left with only a couple of teeth in her top jaw. And despite having dentures fitted while being put on a "constant stream" of antibiotics, she suffered numerous infections, making it too painful to put them in her mouth.

Crushingly, she even missed part of her daughter's wedding as she was too "self-conscious" and "anxious" about her appearance to stay for the photos. Audra was then forced to wait four years without functioning teeth as she struggled to find another NHS dentist who was taking on new patients.

She said: "It got to a point where I was basically left with no teeth - I couldn't keep the denture in so I was left with my gums. I couldn't eat anything as my gums were so painful it made it impossible to chew and I felt so self-conscious of my mouth that I was scared to leave the house. I felt so self-conscious of my mouth that I was scared to leave the house. I didn't like going out because it was so embarrassing.

"It really has been a living nightmare. I went through so many treatments…and still ended up with no teeth and have essentially suffered four years of agony before it could be resolved. My daughter got married during this time, and I had to leave early and couldn't be in any of the photos because I was so anxious about my appearance. I was on a constant stream of antibiotics as I experienced infection after infection. It was miserable."

Audra, from York, contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2019 after feeling at her wit's end with the service that she had received at her local surgery. And their investigation revealed a catalogue of dental errors, with staff failing to acknowledge and appropriately treat issues early enough, which led to her traumatic experiences.

Further inspections of her teeth also showed the remnants of roots from extractions, which had never been spotted and which had been the cause of recurrent infections. The case was successfully settled last year when Ms Weston was paid £25,000 in an out-of-court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability. Audra was finally able to receive new pain-free dentures that fitted correctly in her mouth this year, drawing to a close over a decade of dental misery.

Jane Littlewood of the Dental Law Partnership said: "The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided the correct preventative treatment at earlier signs of decay, her problems could have been avoided."

Jonathan McCarthy, from Clifton Dental Practice said: "While I do not accept the accuracy of the facts conveyed by The Dental Law Partnership, I am limited in what I can say because of patient confidentiality. I am pleased the matter has been brought to a satisfactory conclusion and that all parties can now move on."