Hetton-le-Hole man's poor treatment at Durham Claypath dentist

Driving instructor Anthony Straughan’s crown kept falling out, including once while walking down the street after a dentist appointment.

He was back and forth to Dr Mehil Patel at Claypath Dental Practice in Durham but went to another dentist when he got a severe toothache in another tooth due to decay his dentist had failed to spot.

Anthony, 59, from Hetton-le-Hole, said: “Dr Patel did a root canal on my upper right tooth and placed a crown. It kept falling out or fracturing and was never properly replaced.

“The crown was constantly re-cemented but they just never seemed to last - one even dropped out while I was walking down the street after an appointment.

Anthony had gross decay in his upper right second molar and a defective crown on his upper right pre-molar. (Image: DENTAL LAW PARTNERSHIP) “I repeatedly visited the practice, six times over a few years to address this, but there was no solution. Dr Patel just kept giving excuses and blaming my teeth.

“The crown was so loose and didn’t sit right so it was constantly painful when I was biting down. There was also a gap between the crown and the tooth, so food kept getting trapped there.

“While all that was happening on that tooth, I was also experiencing a severe toothache in another upper right tooth. I went to a different dentist about this, who extracted the tooth as it had too much decay. So I lost a good tooth because Dr Patel failed to identify and treat the decay.

Anthony Straughan. (Image: ANTHONY STRAUGHAN)

“I also had pain in another tooth which Dr Patel failed to treat properly. When I joined a new practice they said it was unrestorable and I’ll lose it in the future.”

He turned to lawyers in 2023 and further analysis found the loss of two of his teeth and the futile crown treatments could all have been avoided.

Recommended reading:

• Son clung to roof of submerged Land Rover in rescue bid during river tragedy
• 'We have to fight at every turn' - Mum of ill teen told family to pay for equipment
• Family of teen murdered by ex say crime should be classed as domestic violence

Get more from The Northern Echo with a digital subscription. Get access for five months for just £5, or get 30% off an annual subscription with our latest offer. Click here.

He received £13,000 in an out-of-court settlement in June this year. The dentist did not admit liability.

Nicholas Hampson from the Dental Law Partnership said: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, his problems could have been avoided.”

A spokesperson for the practice said Dr Patel has not worked there since March 2023.