A 72-year-old woman has been given a £25,000 hospital pay-out over claims a tooth procedure left her with permanent nerve damage.
Hospital bosses have apologised to Marlene Robinson, of Gedling, who struggles to eat and drink because of numbness after a tooth extraction at the Queen's Medical Centre.
She said she regularly bit her lip and cheek because she can't feel what's going on.
She added she'd spent more than £800 on chewing gum because she was left with a bad taste in her mouth.
The problems arose after a tooth extraction which took place in January 2014 because she suffered with toothache.
“Almost immediately after the extraction my mouth was numb,” Miss Robinson said.
“I couldn’t feel parts of my lip, jaw, chin and gum – I was really worried."
“My mouth and lips felt numb and I couldn’t eat or drink properly because I couldn’t feel anything," said Miss Robinson.
"If anything it was getting worse. There was also this constant bad taste in my mouth that wouldn’t go away.
"But according to the dentists I saw, nothing could be done."
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After the procedure, Miss Robinson said she was left with permanent nerve damage and she contacted the Dental Law Partnership for help.
NUH bosses have now confirmed £25,000 has been paid to Miss Robinson in the form of a litigation risk settlement decided out of court.
Hospital bosses did not admit liability.
Miss Robinson added: “I frequently bite my lip and cheek because I can’t feel what’s going on. The bad taste has been horrible to adapt to as well," said Miss Robinson.
"The only thing I’ve found that can relieve it is by constantly chewing gum.
"My job as a market research interviewer means I have to talk all the time, so chewing gum isn’t very professional. I’ve spent over £800 on chewing gum since this hell started.
"Even the lightest touches to my face are painful. The fact I’ve been left like this is unbelievable.”
Tim Armitage, of the Dental Law Partnership, said: “The distress and pain our client experienced was completely unnecessary.
"All her problems could have been avoided.”
Dr Keith Girling, medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are sorry that Marlene was unhappy with the outcome of her treatment at NUH.
"We strive to provide outstanding care to all patients, and we are sorry that Marlene feels that we have fallen short.
"I wish Marlene the best in her recovery.”
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