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Hi
I wonder if anyone could advise please, bear with me as I have tried to make the events as concise as possible:-
My sister paid for dental implants in 2017 - 2 teeth - £995 each plus £300 bone graft.
They were both done around July 2017 (they did the implants and placed a temporary substance on the implant awaiting the crown for the implants).
She went for a check up in Oct 2017. They delayed treatment further pending the bone graft growth.
In 2018 she went for another check up and they removed the implant from the right hand side as the consultant said that he had not used enough bone graft and this would need to be repeated.
They had only received one crown which was for the right hand side - he used this for the left with some adaptations and she was not happy with this and told him so (it was twisted and she was left with a gap). He said he would check this and sort it on her next appointment.
She continued to contact them and the consultant said that her jawbone needed to repair before he completed her replacemenbt implant (due to him not using enough bone graft).
She attended again in late 2019 and he said that the vome was still not repaired enough to allow further treatment and he would be in touch when he felt that enough time had elapsed for this.
She called numerous times after this and she was informed that Dr X would be in touch.
Meanwhile, covid hit and when she called she was told that they weren't conducting face-to-face apointments and they would be in touch when this altered to continue her treatment.
She developed an infection in the implant in Jan 2022 and had an x ray at her dentist who informed her that the implant was only in her jawbone by 2mm and prescribed her anitbiotics.
She, again, called the clinic (in Feb 2022) and was informed that unfortunately, Dr X had passed away!
My sister then asked where that left her in terms of her unfinished treatment and the receptionist suggested that my sister obtain quotes to get her treatment finished, but she (the receptionist) would have to escalate this further and promised to call her back on several occasions - this didn't happen, my sister chased this numerous times.
My sister then received a letter stating that the practice are seeing 'routine' patients using locum dentists, however, they have no specialist implantologists. It states that they are unable to arrange follow up treatment or review appointments for patients whose treatment had been completed before Dr X passed away.
Basically, they are saying that she has to pay again and source her own clinic.
There was a clause in the contract saying that any implants that did not take were not covered, however, Dr X admitted that he failed to use enough bone graft in one of her implants (the one he removed ) and he also bodged the other crown (as this was meant for the implant on her other side - as they only sent one) to make it 'fit' - as they use impressions for the tooth crown for the implant.
Can anyone advise where this leaves her legally please?
Many thanks in advance.
I wonder if anyone could advise please, bear with me as I have tried to make the events as concise as possible:-
My sister paid for dental implants in 2017 - 2 teeth - £995 each plus £300 bone graft.
They were both done around July 2017 (they did the implants and placed a temporary substance on the implant awaiting the crown for the implants).
She went for a check up in Oct 2017. They delayed treatment further pending the bone graft growth.
In 2018 she went for another check up and they removed the implant from the right hand side as the consultant said that he had not used enough bone graft and this would need to be repeated.
They had only received one crown which was for the right hand side - he used this for the left with some adaptations and she was not happy with this and told him so (it was twisted and she was left with a gap). He said he would check this and sort it on her next appointment.
She continued to contact them and the consultant said that her jawbone needed to repair before he completed her replacemenbt implant (due to him not using enough bone graft).
She attended again in late 2019 and he said that the vome was still not repaired enough to allow further treatment and he would be in touch when he felt that enough time had elapsed for this.
She called numerous times after this and she was informed that Dr X would be in touch.
Meanwhile, covid hit and when she called she was told that they weren't conducting face-to-face apointments and they would be in touch when this altered to continue her treatment.
She developed an infection in the implant in Jan 2022 and had an x ray at her dentist who informed her that the implant was only in her jawbone by 2mm and prescribed her anitbiotics.
She, again, called the clinic (in Feb 2022) and was informed that unfortunately, Dr X had passed away!
My sister then asked where that left her in terms of her unfinished treatment and the receptionist suggested that my sister obtain quotes to get her treatment finished, but she (the receptionist) would have to escalate this further and promised to call her back on several occasions - this didn't happen, my sister chased this numerous times.
My sister then received a letter stating that the practice are seeing 'routine' patients using locum dentists, however, they have no specialist implantologists. It states that they are unable to arrange follow up treatment or review appointments for patients whose treatment had been completed before Dr X passed away.
Basically, they are saying that she has to pay again and source her own clinic.
There was a clause in the contract saying that any implants that did not take were not covered, however, Dr X admitted that he failed to use enough bone graft in one of her implants (the one he removed ) and he also bodged the other crown (as this was meant for the implant on her other side - as they only sent one) to make it 'fit' - as they use impressions for the tooth crown for the implant.
Can anyone advise where this leaves her legally please?
Many thanks in advance.
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