Portslade woman awarded £10k over botched root canal

A Portslade woman has been awarded almost £10,000 in compensation after her dentist perforated her tooth during root canal treatment.

Reina Hawkes, 57, saw Dr Jose Sebastian at the Portslade branch of Sussex Dental Group for a routine repeat root canal treatment in 2020.

But he perforated her tooth, leading to it going grey and which means it now needs to be extracted and an implant replacement fitted.

Mrs Hawkes, who now suffers from extreme dental anxiety, has been awarded £9,250 after seeking the help of specialist dental negligence solicitors the Dental Law Partnership.

She said: “In 2020, I was experiencing issues with a tooth where I had a previous root canal performed, so I went to see my family dentist.

“He examined it and prescribed a course of antibiotics. However, I continued to experience pain.”

Two weeks later, Mrs Hawkes had repeat root canal treatment in an attempt to resolve the issue. When she continued to experience discomfort a fortnight later Mrs Hawkes returned to see Dr Sebastian for an X-ray.

She said: “Dr Sebastian suggested I have an apicectomy where damaged tissue is removed to try and save the tooth which involved him cutting into my gum.

“He didn’t explain what the procedure would entail and I’m not sure I would have agreed to it if I did.”

“I had so many injections that I was bruised black and blue. I was in significant pain.”

Following this traumatic experience, Dr Sebastian suggested that Mrs Hawkes see a specialist.

She said: “He gave me the specialist’s contact information and said that he would pay for the treatment. Dr Sebastian then began ringing me at unusual hours, even at 9pm at night, to try to speak to me about my treatment.

“I had put my faith in Dr Sebastian and I felt massively let down.”

She then went for a second opinion because she was still experiencing discomfort, when she discovered Dr Sebastian had perforated her tooth and that it needed to be extracted.

She said: “The tingling in my gums is only just stopping. My tooth turned grey because the nerve died which made me self-conscious.

“I am now getting the tooth extracted to make room for an implant but have long-lasting dental-related anxiety.”

Mrs Hawkes contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2022. Further analysis of her dental records revealed that if Dr Sebastian had treated her with adequate care, she may have avoided the loss of her tooth and the need for implant replacement.

Rebecca McVety of the Dental Law Partnership said: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary.

“If the dentist involved had undertaken adequate examinations, and provided more appropriate treatment, much of the extensive remedial treatment Mrs Hawkes has had to undergo could have been avoided.”

The case was successfully settled in August 2023 when Mrs Hawkes was paid £9,250 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved admitted liability.

Any patients who believe they may have received negligent dental care should visit dentallaw.co.uk.