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£50,000 awarded over dental errors

A female patient has been awarded £50,000 in medical negligence compensation after botched dental treatment left her in constant pain and unable to eat.

In 2007, Manchester dentist Dr Oscar Kwame Gagoh promised to correct 75-year-old Jean Wall's front tooth and improve her smile. But mistakes left the patient with "life-changing" injuries and victim to severe pain months after the treatment had finished.

Injuries included burnt, swollen lips and nerve damage after Dr Gagoh had begun a course of treatment which was scheduled to include bleaching, crowns, veneers and white fillings at a cost of £10,000.

In addition, an inability to eat forced the pensioner to lose weight and become withdrawn and eventually, following more than £30,000 in corrective treatment to fix Dr Gagoh's mistakes, Ms Wall filled for compensation against his practice.

"I looked like a mess. I had nerve damage - the pain was unbearable, I couldn't eat, drink or swallow properly," Ms Wall told the Manchester Evening News.

"I had to have a full restoration of my teeth, costing over £30,000 and taking more than a year to complete."

After solicitors spent three years tracking Dr Gagoh, who fled the country to avoid separate county court judgements and now practices in the US, compensation was secured to help refund Ms Wall's treatment and soften the harrowing experience.

Confronted with Ms Wall's claims, Dr Gagoh said he had done nothing wrong and insisted she was happy with her treatment.

But solicitors were able to secure a payout from the Medical Protection Society, after its bosses admitted that even they hadn't been able to contact Dr Gagoh.

"She had placed her trust in Dr Gagoh and that trust was obviously misplaced. Not only did he give her negligent treatment, he has refused to address the claim," said Ms Wall's legal team.

"Despite the difficulties caused by his refusal to deal with the claim, we were able to secure a substantial sum. Jean has not had to go through the difficult and risky process of pursuing Dr Gagoh personally."