Wrong Tooth Extraction – How Much Compensation Can I Claim

Have you experienced a wrong tooth extraction due to the negligent actions of a dentist? Have you suffered harm as a result? If the answer is yes, please read our useful guide on dental negligence claims and learn about how much compensation for wrong tooth extraction you could potentially receive.

Ultimately, this guide aims to provide you with all the information you will need about making a dental negligence claim. Firstly, we look at the different forms of compensation that could be awarded when making a claim for a wrong tooth extraction. We further explore the eligibility requirements you will need to start your claim.

Furthermore, we discuss the different types of evidence that you could provide to prove a wrong tooth extraction occured, such as dental records and photographs. This guide lastly explores the time limits for dental negligence claims, and how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you.

Our advisors are available 24 hours, 7 days a week to answer any questions you may have about starting your claim. As part of the free services we provide at UKLaw, our advisors can give you an eligibility assessment to decipher the strength of your claim. Therefore, you could be connected with one of the experienced No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel. To get in touch:

Woman in pain in a dentists chair

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How Much Compensation For Wrong Tooth Extraction Could I Get?
  2. Why Should I Claim Compensation For A Tooth Extraction Gone Wrong?
  3. Am I Able To Claim For A Wrong Tooth Extraction?
  4. What Evidence Do I Need For A Wrong Tooth Extraction Compensation Claim?
  5. Is There A Time Limit To Claiming For A Dentist Pulling The Wrong Tooth?
  6. Get Help From UK Law’s Advisors
  7. Learn More About Dental Negligence

How Much Compensation For Wrong Tooth Extraction Could I Get?

In successful dental negligence claims, you could be awarded with two types of compensation known as special and general damages. General damages provide you with compensation for any pain and suffering you experienced as a result of the dentist’s negligent treatment.

The Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) are commonly referred to by legal professionals when assigning compensation values to different types of harm that patients have experienced when making a dental negligence claim. Within this document are various guideline compensation brackets for many different types of harm.

All compensation brackets in the list below, aside from the first bracket, have been taken from the JCG for common types of harm following a wrong tooth extraction. Please note that the JCG are solely guidelines and do not provide a guarantee of how much compensation you will receive.

  • Multiple serious injuries with special damages – such as loss of earnings and medical expenses – up to £200,000+
  • Fractures of jaws (i) – this harm includes serious multiple fractures with prolonged treatment and permanent consequences, including severe pain and a restriction in eating – £37,210 to £55,570
  • Fractures of jaws (ii) – this includes serious harm with permanent consequences such as difficulty in opening the mouth or paraesthesia of the jaw – £21,920 to £37,210
  • Fractures of jaws (iii) –  immobilisation is required for a simple fracture, where recovery is complete – £7,880 to £10,660
  • Damage to teeth – this harm includes tooth pain that is significant and chronic, extending over many years with general deterioration in the overall condition of teeth – up to £46,540
  • Damage to teeth (i) – this includes the loss of or serious damage to several front teeth – £10,660 to £13,930
  • Damage to teeth (ii) – this type of harm includes the loss of or serious damage to two front teeth – £5,310 to £9,310
  • Damage to teeth (iii) – the loss of or serious damage to one front tooth – £2,690 to £4,820
  • Damage to teeth (iv) – the loss of or damage to back teeth: per tooth – £1,330 to £2,080

Determining Tooth Extraction Error Compensation

Each dental negligence claim is unique, and therefore, compensation is calculated on a case-by-case basis. For example, the following factors may influence the amount of compensation you may receive:

  • Your recovery period
  • The severity of harm
  • The effect on your quality of life
  • The impact on your daily activities

To find out how your personal factors could affect your dental negligence claim, please contact our advisors today.

Why Should I Claim Compensation For A Tooth Extraction Gone Wrong?

Making a dental negligence claim could help you achieve a sense of justice for the harm you experienced. If you’re claim is successful, the compensation pay-out could finally provide you with a sense of comfort and reimbursement after your unfortunate experience.

In addition to compensation for the harm you suffered,  you could also claim for financial losses you incurred as a result of the dental negligence. This head of loss is known as special damages, and it aims to reimburse you for any financial burdens you experienced. For example, you may have needed to pay out-of-pocket for medical appointments and travel expenses.

Please see the examples below of special damages that you could include in your claim:

  • Costs for further dental treatments
  • Loss of earnings
  • Prescription costs
  • Travel expenses

To start your claim for a wrong tooth extraction, please contact our helpful advisors.

Am I Able To Claim For A Wrong Tooth Extraction?

To claim for a wrong tooth extraction , you will need to satisfy the eligibility criteria:

  • You were owed a duty of care
  • A dentist breached this duty of care
  • You suffered avoidable and unnecessary harm as a result of the breach 

All dentists owe a duty of care to each patient that they care for. As part of their duty of care, dentists must meet the minimum expected standard when providing treatment to patients. Examples of dentists adhering to their duty of care may include assessing allergies when providing treatment and giving patients the correct advice.

Therefore, if you suffered a wrong tooth extraction due to a dentist’s negligent actions or inactions, you could be entitled to make a claim.

To find out more about how much compensation for tooth extraction you could receive, please contact our advisory team today.

A dentist checks a young woman's teeth in a clinic

Could I Claim For Other Negligence During My Tooth Extraction?

You could also claim for any other avoidable types of harm as a result of the negligent actions of a dentist. Ultimately, a wrong tooth extraction is an unnecessary surgery, which may result in a range of difficulties. Therefore, a wrong tooth extraction could cause some of the following effects:

  • The gum around the infected tooth could become abscessed or infected due to it not being removed. This may cause greater pain and psychological injuries, such as PTSD.
  • A patient could suffer from nerve damage from the remaining infected tooth, leading to increased pain and a permanent loss of feeling.
  • Unnecessary damage to surrounding teeth may result from an extraction of the wrong tooth. This may therefore cause further dental treatment, financial losses and psychological injuries such as depression. Moreover, damage to surrounding teeth may cause issues for a person’s appearance.

If you want to find out about what other types of negligence you could claim for, contact our friendly advisors today.

Can I Claim On Behalf Of My Child?

Yes, you could claim on behalf of your child if they experienced dental negligence due to a wrong tooth extraction while under the age of 18 (as minors cannot make their own claim). Ultimately, you could apply to become a litigation friend, and you could navigate the claim on your child’s behalf. Litigation friends are often parents, guardians or even solicitors who help protect a child’s best interests throughout the claims process.

Moreover, litigation friends can also represent those lacking mental capacity as they are unable to claim for themselves. To find out more, please contact us today.

What Evidence Do I Need For A Wrong Tooth Extraction Compensation Claim?

To make a wrong tooth extraction claim, it is essential that you provide evidence of your negligent treatment. Ultimately, it must be proven that a dentist’s breach in their duty of care directly resulted in the harm you experienced. Consequently, please see the following examples of types of evidence you could provide:

  • Your dental records which detail your diagnosis and treatment plan
  • Contact details of anyone who witnessed the negligent treatment to later support your version of events
  • Correspondence with the institution that you received your treatment from
  • X-rays or scans which shows the location of the tooth that required a removal
  • Photographs or videos of the harm you suffered

If you’re connected with one of the solicitors from our panel, they could help to collect evidence on your behalf to build a strong case.

For more information about what types of evidence you could provide, please contact our friendly advisors.

A man suffers with toothache

Is There A Time Limit To Claiming For A Dentist Pulling The Wrong Tooth?

Generally, you will have 3 years to begin your claim for dental negligence compensation. The claim time limit runs from:

  • The date that the negligence occurred
  • The date of knowledge. This essentially means the date that you first realised that the harm you suffered was caused by a dentist’s negligent actions.

The above time limit was established by the Limitation Act 1980. However, the following exceptions apply:

  • If the claimant is a minor, they cannot claim by themselves. From their 18th birthday, the 3-year time limit will begin.
  • If a person lacks mental capacity, the time limit will be frozen indefinitely. If they regain mental capacity, the 3-year time limit will begin from this recovery date.

For both of the above situations, a litigation friend could claim on their behalf while the time limit is frozen.

To find out more about how long you have to make a dental negligence claim, please contact us.

Get Help From UK Law’s Advisors

To find out how much compensation for wrong tooth extraction you could be entitled to, please contact our advisory team. If you have a strong claim, you could be connected with one of the experienced No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel to help you claim. Through a Conditional Fee Arrangement (CFA), you could experience:

  • Not having to pay your solicitor’s service fees should your claim be unsuccessful.
  • You won’t be required to pay for any ongoing or upfront solicitor fees.
  • Should your claim be a success, you will only be required to pay a small success fee for your solicitor’s work. Furthermore, the percentage of this fee will be subtracted from your compensation and is capped by law, so you will always receive the bulk of the compensation.

Contact Our Panel Of Solicitors

Our advisors are available around the clock to provide advice and answer any questions you may have about making a claim.To find out more information about the benefits of claiming with a No Win No Fee solicitor from our panel, please contact our advisory team:

A solicitor helps a client with their dental negligence claim

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Thank you for reading our guide on how much compensation for wrong tooth extraction you could receive.