Mr Mirko Tocco, a 33-year-old tech product designer from Belsize Grove, London, has been awarded £6,000 by his former dentist with the help of specialist dental negligence solicitors the Dental Law Partnership. The payment was awarded after substandard composite bonding treatment led to multiple chips and fractures, and gum inflammation, causing difficulty eating and speaking, and affected his social and work life.
Mr Tocco was a patient of Mrs Kerry-Ann Wellington at BBS Smiles, Boo and Bae Smiles, 86 Harley Street, London, in 2021, after seeing a promotion for cosmetic treatment at the practice. “I wasn’t interested in getting any cosmetic work done on my teeth but my friend was helping BBS Smiles with promotional materials so they said to go for a consultation,” Mr Tocco recalled. “I therefore visited Mrs Wellington in May 2021, and initially thought I’d go for veneers but she said it’s better to have composite bonding.”
“Mrs Wellington didn’t even do any x-rays before putting composite bonding on 10 of my upper teeth on that same day. But after a few days, I started to have issues,” Mr Tocco explained. “I couldn’t close my mouth fully or clench my back teeth after the treatment, which made it difficult to speak and eat. And then a few days later, two of the composites chipped.”
“I tried to contact the practice complaining of these issues which they reviewed, but then after that the problems continued with another one of my bondings cracking. It was right before a work meeting so it even affected my work, as I was so embarrassed to present myself like that. BBS Smiles didn’t have availability for another month so I had an emergency appointment at another practice to repair it,” Mr Tocco recalled. “The other practice said the existing composites by Mrs Wellington were very poorly finished with large overhangs, causing inflammation. They said I shouldn’t have had composites done in the first place as I had a deep bite. They said there was chipping on nearly every tooth that had treatment, and that all the composites would need to be removed and re-done.”
“I contacted Mrs Wellington to get copies of my clinical records and to get answers for why the problems were happening. She called me instead of putting anything in writing, where she was just making excuses and trying to cover her tracks,” Mr Tocco recalled. “She said the issues were normal, that they were baby teeth and that they were breaking as I was grinding my teeth in the night. She refused to acknowledge her mistakes and provide a refund or repair, instead saying another dentist can consult with me.”
Frustrated with the experiences he had gone through, Mr Tocco contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2021. Further analysis of his records revealed the extent of the substandard treatment Mr Tocco received from Dr Wellington and that he should have been offered orthodontic treatment for his bite, before getting cosmetic treatment. This has resulted in multiple composite fractures and repairs, and development of gingivitis, all of which could have been avoided.
“It was all just a terrible experience. I started to develop gingivitis, which is inflammation in my gums and every time I ate, food collected at the top of my mouth, so I had to brush my teeth after every meal. The chips were uncomfortable and embarrassing, so I avoided social activities, and I was always so paranoid about my teeth breaking. I kept having to touch my teeth so see if they were broken,” Mr Tocco explained. “I eventually got the bonding repaired at another practice, but I’m just so upset I was sold the treatment without being told about the potential risks. If I knew, I would never have gone ahead.”
Olivia Mounsey of the Dental Law Partnership commented: “The distress, discomfort and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, his problems could have been avoided.”
The Dental Law Partnership took on Mr Tocco’s case in 2021. The case was successfully settled in October 2024 when Mr Tocco was paid £6,000 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability. Any patients who believe they may have received negligent dental care should visit dentallaw.co.uk.