Shirebrook gardener awarded £7,000 compensation after dentist 'failed' to treat tooth decay

A Shirebrook gardener who was left unable ‘to sleep or eat’ after his dentist ‘failed’ to detect his tooth decay has been awarded £7,000 compensation.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Kieran Bembridge, 30, from Shirebrook, received the out of court settlement from his local, long-term dentist after he suffered extreme pain and swelling due to undetected tooth decay.

The gardener had to undergo extensive corrective treatment with multiple procedures including root canal treatment and lost a tooth after his dentist allegedly failed to spot and treat his tooth decay that was visible in X-Ray images.

Read More
Suicide verdict on Polish man who burned himself to death at Shirebrook
Kieran Bembridge, a 30-year-old gardener from Shirebrook.Kieran Bembridge, a 30-year-old gardener from Shirebrook.
Kieran Bembridge, a 30-year-old gardener from Shirebrook.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Kieran has been awarded £7,000 in compensation in an out of court settlement this year from the dentist who did not admit liability.

He visited Dr Aikpologwihien Collins Atalor at Market Place Family Dental on Exchange Row in Mansfield between 2017 and 2019.

“Dr Atalor was my long-term dentist so when he told me I needed a filling I wasn’t particularly worried, it seemed fairly routine,” Kieran said.

“But I was slightly surprised when he suddenly informed me I had quite deep decay at one of my teeth as I had always been led to believe my teeth were in good health.

An X-Ray showing Kieran's damaged molar.An X-Ray showing Kieran's damaged molar.
An X-Ray showing Kieran's damaged molar.

"He said I needed a filling close to the root of my tooth.

"But I trusted he knew what he was doing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I was warned there would be a bit of discomfort after the treatment because of the depth of the filling but the pain was excruciating.

“I ended up having emergency appointments and was eventually told that my only options to stop the pain were root canal treatment or to have the tooth extracted.

He added: “It got to the point where the pain was so bad I was having trouble doing everyday things like eating and sleeping, my face was also very swollen.”

Kieran decided to have the root canal treatment recommended to him by Dr Atalor, but his pain didn’t subside and his tooth was also extracted.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The gardener continued: “By this point I’d lost faith in Dr Atalor so decided to seek a second opinion with a different dentist.

"The new dentist indicated Dr Atalor’s root canal treatment was poor.

"It was very frustrating and upsetting to hear.”

Kieran contacted the Dental Law Partnership and analysis of his dental records revealed that Dr Atalor had ‘consistently failed to diagnose and treat decay that was visible in X-rays’, which resulted in the need for ‘avoidable’ root canal treatment which was performed ‘below a reasonable standard’.

“I haven’t been able to live my life properly, even missing out on work,” he said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“All I can hope for is that this kind of thing doesn’t happen to anyone else, I wouldn’t wish this experience on my worst enemy.”

Olivia Mounsey of the Dental Law Partnership added: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary.

"If the dentist had carried out adequate treatment in the first place, his problems could have been avoided.”

The Chad contacted Market Place Family Dental but they declined to comment.

Editor’s message: Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.