Teen gets £11,000 payout after his teeth were left sticking from braces

'It was an extremely frustrating and traumatic experience.'

A student has been awarded £11,000 after a dentist gave him braces that left his teeth sticking out.

Kai Orley, 18, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, endured three-and-a-half years of dental work to try and improve his smile.

He says it has been a ‘traumatic’ nightmare ever since his first dentist appointment aged 10.

The teen was treated by Dr Andrew Zaranko for orthodontic treatment at Belasis Dental Practice, in Billingham.

Kai said: ‘My front four teeth gradually began to stick out, which had never been an issue before.

‘It was an extremely frustrating and traumatic experience that affected my mental health and my diet a lot throughout secondary school.

‘The retainers made me miserable as they were so painful and uncomfortable.

‘I constantly felt anxious about my teeth and I found it really hard to eat lunch at school for a time as I was in so much discomfort.’

‘I first visited Dr Zaranko in Year 6 of primary school to discuss orthodontic work when I was ten years old.

‘Tooth extractions were discussed, but Dr Zaranko thought I could proceed without them, and we started the orthodontic work properly in April 2017 when I was 11, and then in January 2018 I had a fixed brace installed.

‘Throughout 2018 and 2019, I attended appointments nearly every month to have coils and elastics fitted and adjusted, but it didn’t seem like my teeth had got any better at all.

‘My front four teeth gradually began to stick out, which had never been an issue before.

‘Mum and I raised concerns about the lack of improvement but were constantly told by Dr Zaranko that it would get better – we just needed more time.’

Kai’s mum got in touch with another dentist for a second opinion in November 2020.

Kai added: ‘At the new practice, we were told that I needed two teeth extracted – which is what Dr Zaranko had said we could proceed without doing.

‘I had the teeth extracted and a new set of braces fitted by the new dentist, and my teeth began to improve.

‘I finally had my braces taken off in April 2022, aged 16, more than five years after my initial treatment started.

‘I’m horrified when I think that this dentist could still be treating other patients incorrectly too.’

Negligence lawyers Dental Law Partnership took on the case and Kai received £11,000 out of court settlement from the dentist who did not accept liability.

Heather Owen, of the Dental Law Partnership, said: ‘The extended period of distress, pain and inconvenience our client has experienced at such a young age was unnecessary.

‘If the dentist involved had provided the correct orthodontic treatment at the outset, then our client’s treatment would have been completed sooner and problems could have been significantly lessened.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.