Kenneth Taylor's agony after visit to Worcester dentist Dr Peter Osztrogonacz at Oasis Dental Care

Kenneth Taylor was left with permanent numbness to his lip, chin and gum after suffering nerve damage during the procedure.

The 57-year-old also suffered from excruciating pain and damage to the dental bridge which had to be replaced.

The sales director was left struggling to eat and sleep properly, losing a stone in weight as a result of the ordeal.

Mr Taylor was a patient of Dr Peter Osztrogonacz’s at Oasis Dental Care in Worcester, now called Bupa Dental Care, between September 2011 and February 2017.

At an appointment in September 2016 they agreed that one of his wisdom teeth needed to be removed because it was at 'a funny angle'.

But when Mr Taylor returned to see Dr Osztrogonacz in November 2016 to have the tooth extracted, things started to go wrong.

“The attempted extraction procedure itself was terrible,” Mr Taylor said. “It must have gone on for at least 40 minutes. I just sat there with my eyes shut and tried not to think about what was happening. Then I suddenly heard a loud crack which was alarming. But Dr Osztrogonacz said it was just a crown that had previously been fitted on my tooth and that there was nothing to worry about.”

Dr Osztrogonacz said he could not complete the extraction and that Mr Taylor would need to see a specialist.

He said: "I remember feeling a bit confused as to why he’d attempted the extraction in the first place, but there wasn’t anything I could do. My mouth was also numb from the anaesthetic Dr Osztrogonacz had used, but the dentist assured me it would wear off. "Then on my walk home excruciating pain began to kick in. I’ve rarely been overcome by pain, but when I got home I ended up in a ball on the floor.

"I shut myself in my bedroom with the curtains closed trying to get over the pain. I couldn’t eat or sleep. Then, to make matters worse, I thought that the anaesthetic hadn’t worn off because my chin and gum were still numb."

Mr Taylor went back to see Dr Osztrogonacz to complain about the pain and numbness.

“He just told me what I was experiencing was normal and nothing to worry about,” Mr Taylor said. “He prescribed antibiotics and said the pain and numbness would soon subside. But a week later there was still no improvement, so I was referred to hospital."

Another dentist provided a herbal remedy which helped control the pain and got him through Christmas but the numbness remained.

When he returned to hospital for a follow-up appointment in January 2017, he was told the roots of his tooth needed to be surgically extracted, and that Dr Osztrogonacz’s attempted extraction had caused permanent nerve damage.

Mr Taylor said: "I have found myself dribbling without realising and often biting my lip. I’ll just have to learn to live with it. But to think it’s all because Dr Osztrogonacz wasn’t doing his job properly is soul destroying.”

Mr Taylor contacted the Dental Law Partnership in May 2017 to begin legal proceedings.

Analysis of his dental records revealed that Dr Osztrogonacz had failed to use reasonable skill and care when attempting to extract his tooth.

The dentist should have referred Mr Taylor to a specialist oral surgeon instead.

"I now have to live with nerve damage he caused for the rest of my life," said Mr Taylor.

Heather Owen of the Dental Law Partnership said: “The lifelong damage our client has been caused was completely unnecessary."

The case was successfully settled in 2019 when the dentist paid £17,500 in an out of court settlement in June this year. The dentist did not admit liability.

A spokesman for Bupa Dental Care said: “We put our customers at the heart of everything we do and providing high quality dental treatment is our number one priority. We always endeavour to work with our clinicians and patients to look into and resolve any complaints or concerns.

"Bupa acquired this practice in early 2017 and therefore cannot comment on the specifics on this case.”

We understand Dr Osztrogonacz still works at the practice.