Ipswich man paid £12,500 after Colchester dentist errors

Mazin Karkotli, 34, said it has taken more than three years for his teeth to be “back in a good state” after treatment he received from Dr Sayed Hossain Faghany, who was formerly employed by Mile End Dental Clinic in Nayland Road, Colchester. 

Dr Faghany did not admit liability. 

Mr Karkotli became a patient at the practice in 2019, as it was closer to his workplace.  

He visited the practice in May 2019, complaining of broken teeth. Deep decay was noted in his upper teeth, and a few weeks later, Dr Faghany placed a filling in that tooth with no local anaesthetic. 

Mile End Dental Clinic confirmed that Dr Faghany is no longer working at the practice. 

Mazin Karkotli joined the Colchester practice in 2019. Image: The Dental Law Partnership (Image: The Dental Law Partnership)X-rays showing treatment that Mr Karkotli received. Image: The Dental Law Partnership (Image: The Dental Law Partnership)

Mr Karkotli returned to the practice again in August after the pain in his top teeth continued. He received a root canal treatment in the adjacent tooth to where the decay had been noted. 

The 34-year-old continued: “As the months went on, I was still experiencing a lot of pain in my mouth and my teeth had become really sensitive. I was wary that some of the treatment I’d received had felt quite rough, and I hadn’t been given any painkillers or anaesthetic in the process.” 

In early 2020, Mr Karkotli visited a different practice for a number of emergency appointments.  

“The new dentist advised me that the fillings I’d been given were insufficient, and I was going to need further root canal to restore my teeth,” explained Mr Karkotli. 

“I felt cheated that I was essentially having to repeat treatments I’d had previously, incurring double the cost.

“Particularly as we went into Covid lockdown, it was hard to get an appointment and I struggled with the pain my teeth were causing.

“It was really disruptive - I couldn’t eat in those areas of my mouth for months, I was regularly having to take painkillers and it was disrupting my sleep. It was so frustrating knowing nothing could be done about a lot of this during the pandemic.”

Frustrated, Mr Karkotli contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2022. Their analysis revealed errors in diagnosis and treatment planning. 

“When I looked back at the timeline and the number of times teeth were needing to be treated with fillings and root canals, it started to add up that my treatment with Dr Faghany hadn’t been right,” Mr Karkotli said.  

“It’s taken until the start of this year - over three years from when my issues with these teeth began - for the crowns to be finished and my teeth to be back in a good state.” 

The case was successfully settled in June 2023 when Mr Karkotli was paid £12,500 in an out of court settlement. The dentist involved did not admit liability.  

A spokesperson for Mile End Dental Clinic said: “We would like to clarify that Dr. Sayed Hossain Faghany is no longer employed as a dentist at our clinic. 

“Therefore, he is not currently associated with our practice. Regarding the specific claims made by Mr. K we don't have enough information and clinical data, as a part of the treatment was conducted at another practice, and it involves events that occurred during Dr. Faghany's tenure.” 

Rebecca McVety is trainee legal executive at the Dental Law Partnership.

She said: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided the correct treatment, his problems could have been avoided.”