A man was paid thousands in compensation after his tooth split when he bit into a steak.
Telecoms engineer Ian Hatchard, 30, from Lydiate, felt a crack in his mouth while eating steak and roast potatoes in September 2021. He had an emergency appointment the following day at Marian Square Dental Clinic in Bootle, where he had been treated his entire life.
Mr Hatchard was told he needed a temporary filling by Dr Ming Chu, who had treated him since 2017. However, when he went to a different practice for a check up two months later, he found that severe tooth decay had been left untreated, meaning he had to undergo a tooth restoration.
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He went to a law firm with his case and was eventually paid in an out-of-court settlement. However, the dentist involved in his original treatment did not admit liability.
Mr Hatchard said: "In September 2021, I was having dinner when I felt and heard a crack in my mouth. I spat out the food I had been eating and half of my tooth came with it.
“I had an emergency appointment the next day where I was advised my tooth had fractured and I needed to have a temporary filling as, due to Covid restrictions, I was unable to have a permanent filling installed.”
He continued: “After this incident, I tried to book an appointment with Dr Chu, as I’d expressed concerns with my mouth earlier in the year, but was told he had left the practice, and I was unable to get another appointment while they hadn’t hired a replacement.
“In November 2021, I ended up going to a different practice for a check-up and came away from this appointment extremely shocked as I was diagnosed with severe decay in some places and advised to have a number of fillings.
"I had never been given any advice from Dr Chu to suggest there were issues with my teeth, but my new dentist explained one of my teeth had decayed the whole way to the centre of the tooth, which should have been spotted sooner.”
Mr Hatchard contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2021. Their analysis revealed the progression of dental decay could have been prevented had the correct treatment been provided.
He said: “The untreated decay meant that I had to undergo a restoration of the tooth, all of which could have been avoided. When I visited the new practice, I realised how poor the treatment provided by Dr Chu had been - it felt like they actually wanted to help.
"In contrast, my previous dentist had been disinterested and had constantly told me my dental health was fine. I feel extremely let down by Dr Chu.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Mr Hatchard’s case in 2021 and it was settled in February 2023 when Mr Hatchard was paid £8,000 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability.
Nicholas Hampson of the Dental Law Partnership said: “The distress and discomfort our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If Dr Chu had provided more sufficient treatment and diagnosed issues at an earlier stage, Mr Hatchard’s problems could have been avoided.”
Marian Square Dental Clinic said it would not be commenting on the case.
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