A man who lived for over 17 years with a broken drill bit in his jaw from previous dental treatment has recovered damages with the assistance of M R Law.

Mr D had undergone dental implant surgery in 2003 following which he continued to feel a sensation of an object in his jaw. However, he thought little of it believing it to be the consequence of the implant treatment.

Some 17 years later Mr D underwent further dental treatment including a scan that demonstrated a foreign object within his lower jaw. Following further surgery, the item was removed from his jaw and identified as a tungsten carbide drill bit commonly used in dental implant surgery.

Mr D sought damages for the consequences arising from the drill bit having remained in his jaw for a protracted period.

Tracy Brimelow of the Medical Negligence team at M R Law who dealt with the case comments:

“This was an interesting and factually unusual case. At the time of undergoing the original implant surgery our client had no idea that a foreign object had been left in his jaw. This only became apparent over 17 years later therefore although the original treatment had taken place many years ago he was still in time to bring a claim for negligence.

The records arising from the treatment were no longer available. However, we were able to locate the original dental surgeon and demonstrate that the drill bit could only have been left in his jaw during that treatment.

Following further investigations and consideration of our client’s additional symptoms since undergoing the original implant surgery we were able to resolve the claim speedily to our client’s satisfaction by way of a negotiated settlement.

Any litigation in respect of a potential medical negligence claim must be commenced within 3 years of treatment or 3 years from when the claimant might have reasonably gained sufficient knowledge of the injury. The case highlights that it is possible to bring claims for medical negligence even where treatment might have taken place many years ago if the alleged negligence only became apparent at a much later date.”

If you have suffered injuries or additional symptoms arising from negligent dental treatment, please contact our specialist medical negligence team to speak directly to a qualified and experienced lawyer.