Cosham dentist pays £6,000 after 'avoidable' braces leaves Fareham woman with gap teeth and partial dentures

A dentist in Cosham has settled out of court after ‘things didn’t go as planned’ for a patient whose gap teeth became worse following expensive orthodontic work.
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Sarah Shaw, a book keeper in Fareham, has been awarded £6,000 in compensation from Dr Gunter Flatischler at the Cosham Orthodontic Centre, in St John’s Road, Portsmouth, with the dentist not admitting liability.

The 45-year-old said she ‘trusted' the dentists when he said she could get braces to straighten her teeth.

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She said: ‘I had gaps between my front teeth and wanted them closing but thought it was too late to get braces

Sarah Shaw has been paid £6,000 after dental work made the gaps in her teeth worse. Sarah Shaw has been paid £6,000 after dental work made the gaps in her teeth worse.
Sarah Shaw has been paid £6,000 after dental work made the gaps in her teeth worse.

‘So when Dr Flatischler said I could have braces to bring my teeth together and straighten them I was a little surprised. But I trusted he knew what was best for me.’

But instead of developing a perfect smile, the mum-of-two was ‘back at square one’ after the three-year treatment made the gaps worse – and meant she required two teeth removed.

She said: ‘After wearing the braces for a while these black triangles began appearing between my teeth and my gums, which I was concerned about as it didn’t look like things were going to plan.

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‘I had spent all this money and ended up back at square one.

‘I was eventually in a position to see another dentist about the problem, who ended up extracting two of my teeth to make way for a partial denture, which I was suddenly told I needed.’

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In 2017, Sarah contacted the Dental Law Partnership to take a case against the dentist, with the company finding that her dental records showed her gum disease meant her teeth couldn’t withstand braces.

Christopher Dunn of the Dental Law Partnership said: ‘Our client underwent an entirely avoidable course of private orthodontic treatment from which she derived no discernible benefit and which caused her unnecessary pain and suffering.

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‘If the dentist had provided appropriate advice in the first place, her problems could have been avoided.’

Sarah was left ‘depressed’ and in pain from the ordeal, with the case against the dentist taking more than two years to resolve

She said: ‘I was upset about the appearance of my teeth for years.

‘To go through all of this for absolutely nothing is so frustrating, but I trusted Dr Flatischler as a professional.’

Cosham Orthodontic Centre was approached for comment.

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