A dentist whose botched handiwork left a patient f

A dentist whose botched handiwork left a patient feeling like her face had been in a car crash was found guilty of making a catalogue of errors
today.

(Tues)

Martha Osmond, 51, filed Joan Withecombe’s teeth ‘to pegs’ to fit a permanent bridge to her front teeth, leaving her in severe pain and with a marked lisp.

Mrs Withecombe, 50, was left with difficulty talking after the treatment but Osmond told her the bridge was like a pair of new shoes that had to be worn in.

The dentist also suggested she could practice by reading a newspaper out loud.

Mrs Withecombe of (12) Douglas Crescent, Southampton, said the first taste of Mrs Osmond’s treatment came in November 1996 when she had a temporary bridge
fitted.

Osmond advised her the partial denture she had worn for 28 years was damaging her mouth and after advising a bridge would be the best option, she fitted a temporary one.

‘It was appalling.

I wasn’t expecting it necessarily to be brilliant, but it looked like the teeth protruded, and I found it very difficult to talk with it.

‘

But Mrs Withecombe said although this was bad enough, it was fitting the permanent structure in her mouth that was the bridge too far.

‘I felt as though I had fallen on my face.

I felt as though I had been in a crash,’ she recalled.

But when she went back to complain, Mrs Osmond told her: ‘It’s just like new shoes.

Your teeth just have to get used to being in a bridge.

It will just
go away.

‘I was made to feel I was complaining about something that was perfectly normal,’ Mrs Withecombe said.

She added she had had ”a sort of lisp meaning I talked like thith.

”

‘She said that would get better with practice.

She suggested I read the newspaper out loud to myself.

‘

To Mrs Withecombe’s horror Mrs Osmond began filing her lower canines because in her opinion the woman’s smile looked unattractive with the permanent bridge fitted.

In desperation she threw her hand to her mouth to stop the demon dentist.

Mrs Withecombe said: ‘I really had to get out of that chair.

I felt violated.

‘

The patient ended up paying out pnd stlg 7,500 for further dental work with another dentist and is now happy with the state of her teeth.

The General Dental Council’s professional conduct committee found the majority of facts against Mrs Osmond proved.

These included: that Mrs Osmond provided an ‘ill conceived bridge’ which was too long, fitted on unsuitable retaining teeth, likely to cause
traumatic occlusal forces and forces to the roots of the bridged teeth.

These forces were the source of the pain Mrs Withecombe had complained of.

The bridge was also damaging to Mrs Withecombe’s sound upper incisors, was ‘ill fitting’ and aesthetically of poor appearance, the conduct committee ruled.

Mrs Osmond’s bridge preparation technique was also inadequate, it found.

The committee ruled that the dentist failed to explain treatment options to the patient, and failed to ensure the patient properly understood the
treatment she intended to provide.

In addition, Mrs Osmond failed to take adequate X-rays prior to providing the bridge, and relied upon inadequate X-rays when providing a complex
course of treatment.

Mrs Osmond, registered as of (58) Romsey Road, Winchester, had admitted the bridge she fitted was too long, and likely to cause ‘traumatic’ forces to the roots of the bridged teeth.

She also admitted her it was ill fitting and aesthetically of poor appearance.

Tomorrow the committee will rule if Mrs Osmond’s blunders made in November and October 1996 amount to serious professional misconduct.

If they do, Mrs Osmond could be struck off the dental register.

ends

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