Teenager wins £10,000 in damages from her dentists after having her two teeth removed without spotting her tooth decay

A teenager has received £10,000 in damages after having two teeth removed - because her tooth decay wasn't spotted. The 16 year-old Matilda Bruchard suffered months of pain before they were taken out. said she was five-years-old when she first went for treatment with Dr Robert Pridding, based at the Wood and Woolfstein Dental Practice.

By the age of nine, she was already suffering from tooth decay and was treated with a filling in a back molar. But her family said the decay continued to worsen, despite Matilda attending regular check-ups. She was eventually forced to return with sore gums and what she described as 'the worst stabbing toothache ever.'

The tooth was sealed and Matilda was prescribed toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

After repeated visits due to pain, she returned in April 2014 - aged 14 - and was finally given an X-ray which showed extensive decay in her left molar. She requested an X-ray of the right side as this was also causing her discomfort, but said she was told that 'this could wait.' Matilda eventually moved to another dentist who was forced to remove two of her back teeth as they were beyond saving.

The family contacted solicitors at the Dental Law partnership and they were successful in securing £10,000 in damages.

Dr Pridding neither admitted nor denied liability in the case, though the figure was agreed and ratified by a judge at Manchester County Court.

Speaking after the hearing, Matilda said the experience had left her feeling self-conscious and dented her confidence.

'I had been going to that dentist ever since I was little,' she said. 

'I had terrible pain in my teeth on a number of occasions. I am so upset that it turns out that all of this could have been avoided.