A Visit To the Dentist Could Result In a Medical Negligence Claim
It used to be that the maxim of most dentists was to save teeth wherever possible, using extractions as a last resort. Figures from the General Dental Council suggest that those values are being eschewed in favour of more lucrative procedures.
There is no doubt that the dental surgery is a stressful place - for the dentist as well as the patient. Dental professionals work against time and financial constraints, carrying out technically precise work on patients who can, on occasion, be very demanding. Technological advances in dentistry are providing further long-term options for those with poor oral health but, typically, these choices can be very expensive. With many procedures, such as the inserting of implants and the use of cosmetically capped root-canal treatments unavailable on the NHS, many patients are turning to private dentists for treatment. However, a growing number of these professionals seem to be looking to see just how much money can be made from teeth, rather than employing preventative measures.
In 2006, the Dental Contract was introduced, which gave dentists guidelines as to how much patients should be charged for work carried out on their teeth. Some more involved procedures, such as root canals, were put into the same price brackets as more straightforward ones, such as fillings. On average, an NHS dentist can expect to earn around 75 pounds for a root canal procedure, which isn't much more than a filling, although the procedures involved are much more difficult. By comparison, a private dentist can charge as much as 850 pounds for the same work. Without the incentive to carry out such measures, it seems that many NHS dentists are opting to extract, rather than protect. From 2006 onwards, figures from the British Dental Journal show a marked increase in the number of extractions and a significant drop in the number of procedures designed to save teeth.
In addition, there is growing concern that the lack of financial incentive is causing dentists to invest only the minimal amount of time in less lucrative procedures; a study by the British Dental Journal showed that dentists can spend anywhere from 10 to 180 minutes to carry out a root canal. Professor James Steele, head of the Dental Sciences School at Newcastle University said, "Some dentists might see it as their professional duty. Others might see it as a loss leader. Some might think it's only worth their while if they take 20 minutes over it."
Ultimately, it is the patient who loses out, both financially and in terms of the quality of treatment. However, as more become aware that extractions might be unnecessary or that the treatment they have received is sub-standard, more and more are seeking redress by launching medical negligence claims against dental professionals. According to the Medical Protection Society, the number of medical negligence claims has practically doubled since 2009 and 25% of those cases were to do with sub-standard root-canals. While commercial pressures may be enticing dentists to opt for costlier measures or rush through less-lucrative procedures, more and more dental patients are showing that they are not prepared to take it lying down.
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We deal in a range of claims, including medical negligence and compensation.
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