A CALNE dentist has been forced to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation to one of its clients after they failed to spot and treat tooth decay for more than two years.

Richard Jones, who suffered excruciating toothache and endured endless trips to the dentist, will have to have a tooth removed because of the negligence he received from Kerry Crescent Dental Practice between 2012 and 2015.

As a result of the pain, which was caused by the dentist fitting fillings over decaying teeth, Mr Jones was awarded £7,000 in compensation with the help of The Dental Law Partnership.

"I'd been a patient of Dr Pacanowska's for nearly two years and I always believed I was in good hands," the 49-year-old legal representative said. "Even when my filling broke in 2014, I wasn't particularly worried, I just thought it was a one-off. I made an appointment and trusted she would fix it."

However, alarm bells started to ring for Mr Jones when he was told he would need an inlay, despite receiving two fillings in just six months. As he continued to endure painful toothache and his trust in the dentist wavered, he sought a second opinion.

X-rays revealed that the pain was caused by severe decay and that the fillings were breaking due to the weakness of the tooth. Another tooth, which will need to be removed, was also found to have extreme decay.

“It's unbelievable,” Mr Jones said. “All the time and money I'd spent on appointments with Dr Pacanowska had been pointless. Thankfully my new dentist quickly discovered what was wrong, but it never should have come to this and I shouldn’t be losing a tooth. It's all because Dr Pacanowska didn’t do her job properly. I'm paranoid whenever I go to the dentist now."

The Dental Law Partnership took on Mr Jones' case in November 2015 and was it concluded in April 2017 when the dentist paid an out-of-court settlement without the dentist admitting liability.

Tyla Westhead, of The Dental Law Partnership, said: “What our client went through is completely unnecessary. If the dentist had treated the decay in the first place all the problems he experienced could have been avoided. We hope the compensation he receives goes some way towards paying for the remedial treatment that is now required.”

This week Dr Pacanowska said: “While I do not accept the accuracy of the facts conveyed by The Dental Law Partnership, I am limited in what I can say because of patient confidentiality.

“I am pleased the matter has been brought to a satisfactory conclusion and that all parties can now move on.”