Boston dentist in £20k pay-out to patient

Jacqueline Mills, 58, from Boston, had six crowns fitted by Dr Raj Mistry at the Dentcare 1 Smile Clinic in Pen Street - but she claims soon after she was experiencing problems.

“I was surprised because I only had problems with one tooth,” Mrs Mills explained. “I’d had four crowns for about 20 years, and never had any problems with them. But Dr Mistry said I should have them replaced because I’d had them for a long time and it would enhance my smile.”

Mrs Mills said she went ahead with the treatment in October 2013 and Dr Mistry replaced existing crowns and fitted an additional two. However, Mrs Mills said she knew something was wrong immediately.

“My teeth started to hurt almost straightaway,” Mrs Mills recalls. “They were throbbing and extremely painful. My bite also felt completely different and uncomfortable. It felt strange eating and just didn’t feel like my mouth at all.”

Desperate to resolve the problem Mrs Mills returned to see Dr Mistry.

“He didn’t admit anything was wrong with the crowns,” Mrs Mills claimed. “He just filed down my bottom teeth to accommodate the top in an apparent attempt to bring my bite back to normal. I was told the problems I was experiencing weren’t due to the crowns, but because I must grind my teeth at night. I know I don’t grind my teeth, but somehow I ended up paying for and wearing a gum shield. I trusted he was right and took his advice.”

But the problems did not subside, and in April 2014 Mrs Mills was back to the Dentcare 1 Smile Clinic because of an aching in her lower tooth. She claimed that Dr Mistry advised that a crown should be fitted on this tooth as well.

“It felt far too big,” Mrs Mills explained. “I was still experiencing extreme pain above all the crowns and difficulties with my bite. To make matters worse a gap had formed between my front teeth that didn’t look nice and made me feel very self-conscious. I just wasn’t prepared to accept nothing was wrong, so I saw a new dentist my mother recommended.”

When Mrs Mills visited the new dentist he advised that the crowns needed to be removed because they would soon lead to infection.

“As soon as he removed and replaced the crowns the pain disappeared,” Mrs Mills explained. “I remember thinking this is how it should have felt all along, and realised the suffering I had experienced was completely unnecessary. Aside from the pain and gap in my teeth, the poor treatment had cost me many thousands of pounds.”

At this point Mrs Mills contacted the Dental Law Partnership. According to the law firm’s analysis of her dental records it revealed that in addition to being defective, Dr Mistry had fitted the two new crowns for no clinical reason.

Georgina France, of the Dental Law Partnership, said: “If the dentist had made the correct diagnosis and undertaken the right treatment in the first place, the distress caused to our client could have been avoided.”

Last month Dr Mistry paid £20,000 in an out of court settlement.

The dentist did not admit liability.

When The Standard attempted to contact Dr Mistry and Dentcare 1 Smile we were told by the practice no-one would discuss the case due to patient confidentiality.