Dental Implant Claims
Have you experienced pain and suffering as a result of an incorrectly fitted dental implant? Perhaps the implant failed as the dentist did not correctly assess or forewarn that you were unsuitable for surgery. If so, the experts at Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors can help you to make a dental implant claim for the compensation you deserve.
As the first legal practice in England and Wales to specialise in cosmetic surgery and dental negligence, Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors is ideally placed to assist you with your dental implant compensation claim.
Operating on a no win, no fee basis, we have recovered more than £4 million in compensation for our clients, and we have a 95% success rate in all cases we have taken on, after obtaining medical evidence.
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To find out how we could help you make a claim for dental implant compensation on a no win, no fee basis, call our specialist team of solicitors for free on 0800 634 0285 or request a callback from the team using our online enquiry form.
Why Choose Cosmetic Surgery Solicitors?
We have years of experience in assisting clients who have been left in pain and lacking confidence due to teeth implants or veneers going wrong.
Our dedicated team of dental negligence solicitors is led by partner Russell Sutton, who is a member of the Law Society Personal Injury Panel and a Senior Litigator with the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL).
All of our dental implant cases are handled by Russell from start to finish, ensuring you receive the very best care, support and expertise available in this specialist area of law.
Find out more about our client service by reading our testimonials or by discovering our ‘excellent’ approval rating on Trustpilot.
Dental Implant Claim FAQs
What are dental implants?
Dental implants are metal posts that are anchored into the jawbone and used to hold crowns, bridges or dentures when replacing numerous lost teeth.
A dentist who has the proper training and experience in this field of expertise should perform dental implant procedures because they are a complicated and invasive form of dental surgery.
What is the dental implant procedure?
Proper planning is essential for the successful placement of dental implants, and it is important that your dentist has the necessary training to perform the procedure. If they lack the appropriate training, your dentist should refer you to an oral surgeon or a specialist in restorative or prosthodontic dentistry. Be aware that there is no officially recognised 'registered specialist implantologist' title in the UK, and dentists using this title may be misleading their patients.
Before determining if you are a suitable candidate for dental implants, your dentist will assess various factors, such as:
- Your overall medical health, including your smoking history
- The health of your gums and other teeth
- The quality, height, and width of your bone
- Whether there is enough space for the implant(s)
Your dentist will utilise an array of diagnostic tools, including x-rays, to evaluate your eligibility for implants. If these factors are not properly assessed, you may face implant failure or severe complications following dental implant surgery.
The procedure is typically performed under local anaesthesia. Your dentist will drill a hole in your jawbone, where the implant will be inserted. As the jawbone heals, it will fuse with the implant through a process called osseointegration. Afterwards, you will need to return for the fitting of the crown, bridge, or denture.
How long do dental implants take to heal?
The healing time for a dental implant can vary depending on several factors, such as:
- The number of implants placed
- The number of teeth involved
- The individual patient
- How well you manage your recovery process
If you have only one implant and experience minimal post-operative discomfort or swelling, you should be able to resume your normal routine. However, you might be advised to follow a soft diet for a specific duration.
Implant surgery usually requires only local anaesthesia, and it is common to experience minor swelling, bruising, and mild discomfort afterwards. By properly managing these symptoms and maintaining good oral hygiene, you should be able to return to your regular diet within a timeframe of one to six weeks. However, your surgeon should monitor you throughout the process and be able to inform you of this.
What are some common complications of dental implants?
While most dental implants are successful, there can be instances of failure. Some complications associated with dental implants include:
- Inadequate assessment of a patient's medical history before surgery, which can prevent the dentist from identifying pre-existing conditions that may cause ongoing issues with the implant
- Implant loosening due to failure to fuse with the bone, infection around the implant (peri-implantitis), or insufficient jawbone quality to secure the implant
- Smoking, which may impact the likelihood of implant failure. Dentists should advise smokers about their suitability for implants
- Poorly designed or ill-fitting crowns, bridges, or dentures, which can lead to implant failure and/or gum infection
- Sinus cavity penetration
- Nerve damage due to poor care
- Failure to diagnose gum disease before implant placement
- Improper implant positioning
- Implants embedded in the jaw at incorrect angles
- Inadequate implant maintenance, leading to premature failure
- Damage to surrounding teeth caused by poor care
After the treatment, your dentist should ensure you are not experiencing unnecessary pain or discomfort, while also confirming that you are satisfied with the results and that the dental implant feels comfortable.
If you believe your dentist provided an unsatisfactory level of service, or if you suffered due to substandard dental implant surgery, you may be eligible to claim compensation for your injuries. For more information or to discuss your claim with an expert advisor, contact us.
What are the signs that my dental implants have gone wrong?
Some patients are incorrectly advised to receive dental implants, despite not being a good candidate for them because, for example, they have pre-existing gum disease or a lack of bone in the jaw to support the implant. This could lead to the implants ultimately failing and the patient experiencing physical pain and potentially psychological harm as a result.
Other common indications that the dental implant has gone wrong are:
- Screws breaking after being tightened excessively, leaving the jaw permanently damaged, the implant unsalvageable and the tooth missing
- Peri-implantitis, a condition where the gum tissue surrounding the operated area decays, causing severe pain and leaving the implant openly visible. This can lead to the loss of the implant
- The failure of the implant to integrate with the patient’s bone, resulting in bleeding, damage to the bone and potential failure of the implant
- If you are considering undergoing dental surgery, read our guide: How to find a safe cosmetic dentist, to help you make an informed decision.
How do I know if I have nerve damage from my dental implants?
Nerve damage may occur during a dental implant procedure if the dentist positions the implant too close to a nerve or fails to exercise reasonable care during the treatment. Symptoms of dental nerve damage after implant surgery can include:
- Numbness in the tongue, gums, lips, or face
- Tingling or burning sensations in the tongue, gums, lips, or face
- Pain or sensitivity in the area beyond the typical post-procedure healing period (3-5 days)
If you suspect nerve damage resulting from your dental implant treatment, it is crucial to see a dentist as soon as possible. You can consult a different dentist if you prefer not to return to the one who performed the implant surgery.
If you believe that your nerve damage is due to your dentist's negligence or substandard care, you may be eligible to file a dental negligence compensation claim.
How much dental implant compensation could I get?
The amount of compensation you could secure from making a dental implant claim is dependent on the specific circumstances of the claim. Factors taken into consideration when calculating dental implant compensation include:
- The level of pain and suffering you have experienced
- The cost of the losses you have incurred due to this negligence, such as taking time off work
- Any future losses that you may incur, such as further treatment to rectify the issue
As a rough guide, dental implant compensation can range from £5,000 all the way up to £150,000 in extreme cases. Once our solicitors have had an initial consultation with you, they will be able to give you a more accurate estimate of the compensation amount.
How much does it cost to make a dental implant claim?
The cost to make a dental implant claim will again depend on the circumstances of the claim. However, we work on a no win, no fee basis, so unless your claim is successful you will not incur a cost.
If your claim is successful then we charge a maximum fee of 30%, which includes a success fee and unrecovered costs.
How long do I have to make a dental implant claim?
You will have up to three years to make a dental implant claim. The time limit starts from the date when you had the dental implants fitted or from whenit is reasonable to asume that you should have been aware that there was an issue with them, which has caused your suffering.
We would advise you to get in touch with us as soon as you feel that you have suffered due to dental implants gone wrong.
How Long Will it Take to Make a Dental Implant Claim?
The claims process for every dental negligence case will vary according to the individual circumstances of each client. As soon as you get in touch, your dedicated solicitor will assess your case and then be able to provide you with a detailed plan of how long the process will take, and what will be involved.
See the full claims process here.
How Can We Help?
Dentists providing implants have a duty of care to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their patients, meaning they are liable for any unnecessary harm that befalls their patients as a result of dental implant negligence.
As one of the UK’s leading legal experts in dental negligence, we have assisted numerous people who have suffered as a result of botched surgical dental work.
To speak to our expert solicitors about making a compensation claim for dental implant negligence, call 0808 271 9083, or fill in the quick contact form to request a call back.