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A retired paramedic has been awarded £50,000 by a dentist after a heart attack which could have cut his life short by five years after a root canal treatment cost him weeks in hospital.
Gerry White, 65, of Stockport, Greater Manchester, received £50,000 in February after having dental treatment at a local dental practice in 2012.
The infection left the father-of-three hospitalized for six weeks in November 2017 and required heart valve replacement surgery in June 2018 – as a result of which doctors told him his life expectancy could be shortened by up to five years.
Specialist dental negligence solicitors, the Dental Law Partnership, said its investigations revealed poor root canal treatment carried out by the dentist in 2012 was responsible for the life-threatening infection – which also led to tooth extractions and means Gerry now wears dentures. means
Although the practice says it cannot comment on the actions or clinical decisions made by an individual self-employed dentist, it wishes Jerry a “speedy recovery”.
Gerry, who lives with his wife Louise, 66, and has two grandchildren, feels “lucky” to have been diagnosed with his condition and wants to encourage others to “not give up” if they suspect something is wrong with their teeth.
“Can’t believe it all started with a little bump above my tooth,” Gerry told PA Real Life.
“It would have been nice if something had been done sooner – knowing that it could have been prevented in the first place.
“I didn’t realize there was anything wrong with my heart at the time, so if I hadn’t gone to the doctors it could have been more serious.”
Speaking about the impact of the compensation, he added: “It’s amazing, we’ve got a good amount of money left over that we’ve saved for now.
“We bought one or two things we promised ourselves, like a new TV, but this means we don’t have to worry too much about money.”
Gerry explained that he had never experienced any major dental problems other than “crowded out his teeth” when he was young, which led to several extractions.
He then began attending a dental practice in Manchester, where he said he received regular treatment between 2009 and 2017.
In 2012, Jerry said he went to practice for a check-up with a dentist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, after discovering a “small lump” on his upper gum.
Jerry said the dentist gave him root canal treatment — though he claims the procedure wasn’t explained to him at the time — on one problem, the upper molars.
“I knew (the dentist) was going to dig and I’m used to fillings, so I didn’t worry too much and the little bump just disappeared,” Jerry said.
“As a former paramedic in the health care business, I talk to doctors and nurses and you would believe what they say and what they do.”
In the years that followed, Gerry said he experienced ongoing problems with the opening in his mouth around the root canal tooth.
“I sometimes get swelling and the occasional abscess that leaves a foul taste in my mouth,” he said.
“It was quite annoying, but I didn’t think too much of it at the time because the dentists never paid much attention and told me to keep an eye on it.”
However, in November 2017, Gerry said he suddenly started experiencing pain in his joints and systems, like a fever, and then had trouble breathing and struggled to climb stairs.
He went to see doctors, who found that his hemoglobin level was extremely low and his temperature was 39.8 degrees Celsius, and he was referred to Stepping Hill Hospital for further tests.
He said he was transferred to A&E at Wythenshawe Hospital as he had difficulty breathing.
“The rest is history,” Jerry said.
“I vividly remember a doctor doing tests and asking me how long I had a heart murmur, but as far as I know I didn’t have one.
“They eventually found that I had an infection in my blood, and I had a lot of signs of infection around this problem tooth in my mouth.
“I was admitted to hospital on the 17th of November and didn’t come out for weeks until Christmas Eve – I had the tooth extracted on the 7th of December and then my infection started to subside.”
Gerry underwent surgery at Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle, Greater Manchester in June 2018 to replace one of the valves in his heart due to infective endocarditis.
“It was scary — I was told it could shorten my life by about five years, and then I’d need another valve replaced,” Jerry said.
After his surgery, Jerry was driving with his wife, Louise, when they heard an ad for a dental law partnership on the radio and decided to contact them.
With a “nothing tried, nothing gained” mentality, Gerry didn’t expect anything to materialize — however, the Dental Law Partnership said it made several discoveries.
Analysis of Gerry’s records revealed that the root canal treatment in 2012 was poorly administered and the dentist failed to clearly explain the procedure. The dentist did not use appropriate precautions and did not properly clean the tooth; This led to the development of a chronic abscess over the years that went untreated.
This produced the bacteria that led to the infective endocarditis heart infection, all of which could have been prevented, says the Dental Law Partnership.
Gerry has a gap in his front teeth as a result of tooth extractions, which makes him extremely “conscious” of smiling or laughing, and he now wears dentures.
He takes blood pressure pills, aspirin and medication to regulate his heart rate, but otherwise feels healthy again.
The Dental Law Partnership took on Gerry’s case in 2018 and successfully settled it in February 2024 when it paid Gerry £50,000 in an out-of-court settlement – although the dentist involved allegedly did not accept liability.
The dental practice has not confirmed whether the dentist is still working in the practice.
Justin Jones, of the Dental Law Partnership, said: “The significant distress, pain and life-changing consequences our client suffered was completely unnecessary.
“Had the dentist involved provided more satisfactory treatment, his significant problems could have been avoided.”
A spokesman for the practice said: “We are committed to providing clinical excellence and exceptional care for all our patients.
“Our goal is to ensure that doctors are adequately trained to provide the highest quality dentistry every day and to provide the best support for our practices.
“We are sorry for this patient’s experience and wish him a speedy recovery.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on the actions or clinical decisions made by a self-employed dentist.”
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