WHEN Katie Granger started to suffer with sensitive teeth, she did what most would do and went to the dentist.
But, started as a routine trip turned into a horrific ordeal for the 38-year-old.
SUPPLIEDKatie Granger started to experience sensitive teeth back in October 2017[/caption]
SUPPLIEDShe was told that she would have to have root canal surgery in order to fix the issue[/caption]
SUPPLIEDHowever, she was left with severe nerve damage from the procedure (above), which meant she was unable to feel half her lip or her chin[/caption]
Katie, a care worker from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, was told that she would need root canal surgery to treat the sensitivity she was experiencing in her lower teeth.
But from that moment, things went from bad to worse, and resulted in Katie losing feeling in her face.
The 38-yaer-old has now received £45,000 in compensation, and still has no feeling in half her lip or chin.
Katie said she started to feel uneasy during the treatment.
“It seemed like the dentist was aware that something wasn’t quite right,” she told Sun Health.
“It wasn’t until I got home and began to experience excruciating pain in my mouth whilst simultaneously not being able to feel my lip properly that I thought something had gone wrong.”
The next day, Katie was still experiencing the pain alongside numbness, so she booked in for an emergency appointment.
However, she was told she would have to be put on the waiting list for the root canal to be redone, or for her tooth to be extracted.
“I just wanted the pain to end as soon as possible so I opted for the tooth extraction,” she added.
Two days later, Katie was still feeling unwell and returned to the practice in Tring once more.
“The dentist then diagnosed me with dry socket infection, which is like a really intense toothache, but this didn’t explain why the feeling in my lip and chin still hadn’t come back,” Katie said.
It was only once she had visited a new dentist at the same practice, that the problem became clear.
Straight away the other dentist said that errors had been made during the initial procedure, Katie said.
“The root canal treatment had hit one of the nerves in my mouth, which has caused damage, and there is a chance of the feeling in my lip never coming back,” she added.
Following her treatment, she instructed the help of the Dental Law Partnership.
The team there investigated her files and found a catalogue or errors before the root canal, and concluded that Katie’s suffering could have been avoided.
Katie has already lost three teeth, and will lose a further two due to the work that must be done to fix the initial errors.
“The errors made by the dentists have massively affected my ability to eat, and I often find myself biting my lip or dribbling without being able to control it because of the numbness,” she said.
“I’m too scared to visit the dentist now because I can’t bear the thought of having to go through another root canal or tooth extraction.”
Justine Jones of the Dental Law Partnership said: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary.
“If the dentists involved had undertaken more sufficient examinations throughout her time as a patient and provided better care, her problems could have been avoided.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the practice told The Sun: “We would like to apologise for the experience Ms Granger has had.
“Providing the highest quality dental care to our patients is our first priority and we’re disappointed that on this rare occasion it fell below our expectations.”