Luton man awarded £17,500 after dental treatment left him struggling to eat and talk

A Luton man has been awarded a £17,500 payout after dental surgery left him struggling to eat and speak.

Robert Wildey from Barton hoped the Marsh Road surgery – now Bupa Dental Care – would help fix overcrowding in his mouth.

But the ‘short term’ treatment took more than a year and dramatically affected the 58-year-old’s ability to eat and speak, leaving him with a life changing overbite.

In March 2017, before Bupa took over the surgery, Mr Wildey visited Dr Fayaz Rashid to discuss treatment.

It was agreed that two teeth would be extracted, followed by ‘short-term’ braces – but the braces were still being adjusted 18 months later.

Mr Wildey says: “It transpired that my lower teeth had been pulled further back while my upper teeth had been pulled much further forward, leaving me with a large overbite.”

He expressed his concerns to the surgery but received no support so decided to seek a second opinion .

He recalls: “I was informed I had periodontal disease – which had never been mentioned by Dr Rashid – and that the braces had been fixed in the wrong place.

Analysis of the records by the law firm revealed failures in assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning.

The repercussions have affected Mr Wildey’s life in every way as he explains: “I’m no longer able to do martial arts – a sport I’ve loved for 36 years – because of the risk of impact to my jaw. I’ve had to drastically alter my diet as I can’t bite meat or fruit.

"I even avoided face-to-face meetings at work because my speech and pronunciation were affected to the point where people couldn’t understand me.”

This in turn affected his mental health – as he was constantly self-conscious and anxious – and his ability to sleep.

Andrew Thompson of the Dental Law Partnership said: “The considerable distress and pain our client experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more sufficient treatment, Mr Wilde’s problems could have been avoided.”

Mr Wildey was paid £17,500 in an out-of-court settlement.

Bupa said that as it took over the practice after the incident happened it was unable to comment. Dr Rahid, a self-employed associate, was also contacted for comment.