A WOMAN from Weston-super-Mare has been awarded £7,000 by her former dentist in an out of court settlement after she was in pain for four years.

Malgorzata Otero-Zambrzycka, a 38-year-old health and safety advisor, had attended D.A. & C. Houston & Associates on Milton Road since 2010, and was treated by Dr Hemal Vadher since 2016.

In 2018, a small cavity noted by the dentist developed into further pain, resulting in advised root canal treatment.

Malgorzata underwent the treatment, but she says she was left with her tooth feeling sensitive, and a growing lump on her gum.

She says she frequently raised concerns about the tooth but was repeatedly told all was in order and that there were no issues with the root canal or crown.

“I continued experiencing pain for more than three years after the root canal, which often left me in tears and feeling extremely stressed,” Mrs Otero-Zambrzycka said.

She moved to a new practice at the end of 2021, and was immediately notified of an abscess at the tooth which had previously had the root canal.

The new practice surgically removed the tooth just weeks later - "The pain I’d been experiencing stopped almost immediately,” Malgorzata said.

Frustrated with the experiences she had gone through, Mrs Otero-Zambrzycka contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2021 prior to the tooth extraction.

Mrs Otero-Zambrzycka claimed further analysis revealed that decay at the problem tooth could have been diagnosed earlier, which would have avoided the need for the root canal treatment, which was also not provided to a sufficient standard.

"It was a frustrating experience as I knew something was wrong with my tooth, but my concerns were repeatedly ignored and it felt like there was a complete lack of interest and care from Dr Vadher,” Mrs Otero-Zambrzycka affirmed.

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

"If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided.” 

The Dental Law Partnership took on Mrs Otero-Zambrzycka’s case in 2021.

The case was successfully settled in August 2023 when Mrs Otero-Zambrzycka was paid £7,000 in an out of court settlement.

The dentist involved did not admit liability.

In response, Dr Hemal Vadher said: “I would like to make it clear that I do not agree with many of the inaccurate claims made by the Dental Law Partnership and the patient.

"However, I cannot provide details of this patient’s treatment and management because of my professional duty to protect the confidentiality of my patients.

“This claim was resolved by way of an out of court settlement, with no admission of liability on my part.

"I take pride in providing the highest standards of treatment and care to all my patients, and I have only ever done my best for this patient."