Possible Dental Complaint

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:55:01 +0000

Email received from a concerned dental patient

“I hope that you don’t mind that I have sent you this email, but I really didn’t know who to ask about this, and would really appreciate your advice about something, please. Excuse me that it is a bit long-winded, but I will endeavour to explain my situation.

I am a family carer, and I care for 3 members of my family; for this reason, it is often quite difficult to put myself first, even when it comes to pre-booked appointments. I am an NHS patient and, until recently, I was undergoing treatment between my Dentist and the Hospital, as I am suffering drastic bone loss in my gums, and I am slowly losing my teeth. Unfortunately, due to my role as a carer I have had to cancel dental appointments on a few occasions, as something has happened with one of the people who I care for, where they have been unwell, etc. As I don’t have anyone to turn to for support at these times, I have had no alternative but to put whatever I have to do for myself on hold. As I cannot plan ahead for unforeseeable events like this, on two of the occasions, I have only been able to give them two and a half hours notice of cancellation.

Ultimately, I recently received a letter from my dental practice saying that they were ‘deregistering’ me for missing appointments, to make way for new patients. They argued that they cannot be expected to accept 2 hours notice, as it was not enough time to fit anyone else in the slot. As I already suffer with stress and anxiety, this has only added to my worries. I emailed the Practice Manager, explaining that I am a carer, but they wrote back to me basically saying that they are a ‘busy practice’ and they are not changing their mind.

I feel very strongly that I am being discriminated against because I am doing the job of being a carer, and have to put others before myself. I am at a real loss now as to what to do, because a temporary dental prosthesis has already been made for me, which was supposed to be fitted so that the hospital could see how I tolerate it (I suffer with globus hystericus) so that they could cut back on it’s size. Unfortunately, I now can’t go back to see my own Dentist, so don’t know what to do now!! Therefore, any advice that you could give me as to what, if anything, I can do about this (ie. If I can make a complaint to anyone) would be very much appreciated.

I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.

Many thanks”

How to make a complaint about dental treatment

admin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:30:51 +0000

Common Dental Complaints

Badly done treatment
Broken crowns and bridges
Excessive fees

Was the treatment NHS dental treatment or was it private dental treatment? The process is different.

NHS Dental Treatment

Complain to the dentist/dental practice. You may do this verbally if you wish but it is much better to do it in writing. According to the NHS Primary Care Trust’s contract with the dentist you should get an acknowledgement of your complaint within 3 days and a full written response within 10 days. Your letter to the dental practice should be brief and concise, use bullet points and headings, do not ramble on and do not accuse anyone at this stage. Stick to the facts – what is wrong, when did you first notice the problem and what do you want the dentist to do to resolve the situation. The dental practice should have a formal complaints procedure – ask to see a copy of this if you would like to. Your complaint should normally be within 12 months of the work or as soon as the problem came to your notice.
If you cannot resolve your problem with the dental practice then write to your local Primary Care Trust (PCT) who will investigate the complaint.
If you are still not happy you should then contact The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS www.pals.nhs.uk ) PALS provide help, advice and support on NHS services. There is a PALs associated with every NHS trust and they will make sure your complaint is properly investigated. If necessary they will help you get in touch with the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS). ICAS is a free service and they will help you to make a formal complaint.
If you are still not happy then next in line is the Health Service Ombudsman.

[Note: Previously the Healthcare Commission were the people to contact before you went to the Ombudsman with your complaint however they ceased to exist on 1 April 2009. The Care Quality Commission are now the regulators of health and social care (in England) and the complaints system is now different and is listed above]

Private Dental Treatment

Complain to the dentist/dental practice as detailed above.
If you are not satisfied then complain to the Dental Complaints Service (this is an independent service funded by the General Dental Council) www.dentalcomplaints.org.uk . You can create a complaint letter online at the above website. The Dental Complaints Service will investigate both sides of the complaint and give their recommendations. Although they have no formal powers and can only offer recommendations they say that their recommendations are almost always followed.
Then it’s the courts if you still think you have a case against the dentist.

[Note the General Dental Council (the dental regulator) will only investigate complaints that concern serious patient safety issues]

Is it always the dentist’s fault

It is important to remember that when things don’t go according to plan it is not necessarily the dentist’s fault. For instance a particular tooth might be diseased or damaged so much that nothing any dentist can do will save it.

Dentist Forum » Complaints

Possible Dental Complaint

How to make a complaint about dental treatment