You may wish to make a complaint about your hospital treatment for many reasons. Perhaps you want medical professionals to learn a lesson so other patients aren’t subjected to the same treatment, or maybe you wish to make a hospital negligence claim.
If you want to complain about hospital negligence, we’re here to help you navigate the steps to make this happen.
Dentist Complaints
Visiting a dentist is something we usually do around twice a year, giving dentists a chance to identify and address any issues that may arise concerning our oral health. However, if problems are missed or another form of dental negligence arises, this could potentially result in serious oral health complications.
Experiencing problems with your dental care can be extremely distressing, especially if you think this was a result of dentist negligence. So, if you find yourself in this situation, it’s critical to understand how to report a dental office and address your concerns most effectively. If you would like support during what can be a difficult time, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with an experienced medical solicitor. To see our previous successful claims for dental negligence, discover our dental case studies.
How to Make a Complaint Against a Dentist
Below, you’ll find our step-by-step guide on how to report a dentist:
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Direct your concerns to your dental practice
In the process of how to complain about a dentist, we recommend beginning by contacting your dental practice where you believe the negligence to have taken place. Ensure you provide all your details about the issue to the dental surgery’s practice manager. This direct approach could result in a quicker resolution or at least a review of your complaint.
Whether you complain in writing, by speaking to someone verbally, or by emailing, we recommend keeping a record of your communication, as you may need this later in the process if you decide to make a claim.
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Follow your dental practice’s complaints procedure
When it comes to making a formal complaint against a dentist, you’ll need to follow your surgery’s formal dentist complaint procedure. This will typically include submitting a written complaint, including any concerns or supporting evidence you may have.
The dental practice should investigate and respond to the complaint within a stated period. This is usually around 10 to 20 working days. If the practice fails to address the complaint in the stated timeframe, you can make further communication to prompt a response or take further action as outlined below.
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Attend a meeting
In some cases, you may be invited to attend a meeting by the dental practice. You can attend the meeting if you wish, but if you really do not like the idea of attending, you are not obliged to do so; just insist on a full written response. If a meeting goes ahead, we recommend you take someone with you for notetaking purposes.
A written response can provide our team with a record of the communication should the case need to escalate, which our solicitors can review later and use to offer more tailored and sound advice.
Making a Complaint about a Dental Office: Taking Things Further
In response to your dental negligence complaint, your practice may issue an apology, explain the treatment, or provide compensation.
If unsatisfied with your dental practice’s response, you may want to escalate the matter. For an NHS dentist complaints service, you can seek help from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman or NHS England Complaints.
How to complain about a private dentist
However, if your complaint involves a private dental practice not covered by our NHS, be mindful that the Ombudsman cannot assist. Instead, you can contact the General Dental Council (GDC). This UK-wide statutory regulator works to regulate dental professionals and manage complaints about the conduct of dentists and other dental professionals.
The General Dental Council regulates professionals including:
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Clinical Dental Technicians
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Dental Hygienists
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Dental Nurses
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Dental Technicians
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Dental Therapists
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Orthodontic Therapists
Once you submit a complaint about dental negligence to the GDC, the regulator will review it and carry out a detailed investigation if it falls within their jurisdiction.
You can also contact the Dental Complaints Service for private complaints, which aims to settle complaints efficiently. See our page on how to complain about private care for more information.
If you believe you have suffered harm due to dental negligence and are seeking compensation, don’t hesitate to reach out to our friendly team of specialist solicitors. We can help you navigate the various stages of the dentist complaints procedure, outline your rights, and pursue legal action. We can also help guide you in how to complain about optometry, GP, hospital, and nursing home negligence.
We execute most of our medical negligence claims under a No Win, No Fee agreement, otherwise known as a Conditional Fee Agreement. This means you don’t have anything to lose by contacting us.