Student awarded £10,000 for pain of bad dental braces

A STUDENT has been awarded more than £10,000 after a dentist allegedly incorrectly fitted braces on her teeth which she wore for four years.

Daniella Riches, 18, said she was left with severe jaw pain after she received orthodontic treatment in 2012 when she was 12. Nicholas Waldron, her dentist, told her it would take 12 to 18 months for her teeth to straighten. But she said over the next four years she had trouble eating and became increasingly self conscious as school friends told her that her teeth looked “wonky”.

In 2016 a different dentist told her she would need new braces and 18 months of treatment to align the crooked teeth. Lawyers from the Dental Law Partnership working for Miss Riches compiled a report detailing allegations of poor treatment by Dr Waldron at the Braceland West Surrey Orthodontic Centre in Woking.

The case was settled this year when the dentist paid £10,500 in a settlement out of court.

Dr Waldron did not admit liability. Miss Riches, who is studying criminology and psychology at Surrey University, said she had “lost all faith” in Dr Waldron.

Tim Armitage, of The Dental Law Partnership, said: “The distress and pain our client experienced was completely unnecessary.”

Dr Waldron said: “While I do not accept the total accuracy of the facts conveyed by The Dental Law Partnership, I am limited in what I can say due to patient confidentiality.

“I always aim to provide the best possible care to all my patients”.