A Kent mother has received a £10,000 out-of-court settlement after her jaw was broken during a tooth extraction at her former dental practice.
The procedure, which she described as lasting “a good 45 minutes”, resulted in a fractured jaw, a bone fragment in her hand, and a stroke-like drooping of her lip.
Emily Starling, 53, from Canterbury, visited the east Kent practice in 2021 complaining of pain in an upper left tooth.
During the subsequent extraction in May of that year, Starling heard a disturbing “almighty crack”. The dentist, who cannot be named for legal reasons, then informed her that her jaw had been fractured and halted the procedure.
The incident led to a series of complications for Starling, including infections, sinus problems, and pus dripping into her throat.
She eventually underwent surgery in October 2021 to remove the tooth and fractured bone. While the procedure addressed the immediate physical issues, Starling says she remains “paranoid” about her teeth and appearance.
Starling’s case was handled by the Dental Law Partnership, specialist dental negligence solicitors. The case was settled in December 2024 with a £10,000 payment, although the dentist involved did not admit liability.
Speaking about the impacts, Emily told PA Real Life: “I feel the effects of the dentist’s actions to this day, and I have to mentally get used to experiencing these challenges for the rest of my life.
“My facial structure has changed with the left side of my mouth slanted, with the lip drooping.
“People say my face looks like I had a stroke.
“I hate that it feels like these symptoms will never go away.”
Emily had been under the care of her former dentist since January 2021 and decided to book an appointment after noticing pain in her upper left tooth.
When the dentist informed her the tooth was decayed and unrestorable and would need extracting, Emily assumed it would be a simple procedure.
However, when she visited the practice in May 2021, she said it turned into a “nightmare”.
“The dentist was pulling the tooth for so long, at least over 40 minutes, and he was so forceful, but it wasn’t budging,” she explained.
“Suddenly, I heard an almighty crack and thought, ‘Oh my God, has he broken my tooth?’ But instead, he had broken my jaw.”
Emily said the dentist abandoned the extraction after this and told her he could not remove the tooth as it was attached to the bone.
She said she was left in the waiting room on her own, crying in pain, while she waited for further information.
When she was invited back into the room, Emily said the dentist told her he had fractured her jaw, and he gave her a prescription for antibiotics and said to eat soft foods for the week.
However, when she visited the pharmacy, she said the dentist had not stamped the prescription and she was refused the medication.
“I stood in the supermarket and just cried my eyes out,” Emily explained.
“The pharmacist said, ‘Oh my God, are you OK?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m not OK, I’ve just had my jaw broken’.
“I was literally in agony.”
The next week, Emily said the dentist placed a composite splint in her mouth for the fracture, which was to remain for four to six weeks.
However, it did not last, as the splint debonded a couple of times and once got stuck in her throat.
At one point, she said a fragment of bone from her jaw came out in her hand.
“I thought, what is that in my mouth?” Emily said.
“I could feel it on my tongue, so I put my fingers in my mouth and I pulled jaw bone out of my mouth and it was in my hand.”
Emily said she called the dental practice several times about these complications, but she was made to feel like a “nuisance”.
She said: “I’ve never experienced such horrendous and appalling care.
“Throughout the whole ordeal, the dentist was so unsupportive and made me feel alone.”
Over the next couple of months, Emily developed multiple infections and sinus issues and her mental health deteriorated, leading her to have therapy, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
She said she was in constant pain as the left side of her mouth was throbbing, she developed cysts, which caused pus to drip into her throat, and she felt heavy pressure in her head when bending.
“I literally did not sleep, I couldn’t put my face on the pillow,” she said.
“I was starving as well, I literally was just eating soup.
“I thought I was never going to be able to open my mouth ever again.”
After visiting her GP, she underwent hospital treatment in October 2021 to remove the tooth and fractured bone under general anaesthetic at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
She then contacted the Dental Law Partnership, which took on her case, and it was successfully settled in December 2024.
Emily said the Dental Law Partnership was incredibly supportive and she is glad she is “out the other end”, but she has suffered long-lasting impacts from the extraction.
She hopes that, by sharing her story, this does not happen to anyone else and that dentists will consider stopping an extraction if they are not able to remove a tooth within 15 minutes.
“I’ve never, never, never been scared of the dentist, but every time I go now, even though my new dentist is lovely, I’m scared and anxious,” Emily said.
“I think there should be a policy in place where, if a dentist can’t extract a tooth after a certain amount of time, they stop.
“I just hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
The dental practice and dentist have been contacted but declined to comment.
For more information about the Dental Law Partnership and its tool to help people identify whether they may have a valid dental negligence claim, visit: dentallaw.co.uk/dental-negligence-claims/do-i-have-a-dental-negligence-claim.
