There's nothing better than a set of pearly whites, well, according to Instagram. But the truth of it is that we aren't all blessed with naturally amazing teeth, so getting braces as an adult is fairly popular. But it didn't quite go to plan for one man, who decided to go to a local dentist for treatment, which then led to him receiving a £22,500 payout in compensation after he claimed it left him with permanent damage to his gnashers. After a four-year court case, dentist Dr Reesa Moosa, based at Ravat and Ray Dental Care in Bolton, settled with the 31-year-old support worker out of court for the five-figure sum, although the dental practice did not admit liability. Oliver Bromley-Davenport, from Greater Manchester, made 20 trips to the dentist between September 2014 and June 2015, with his braces repeatedly falling apart - at one point even slicing open the inside of his cheek. Ouch. He paid in excess of £3,000 for the treatment, which he hoped would give him the perfect smile. He says the braces left him with completely bodged teeth, as well as in 'unbearable pain', which made it difficult for him to eat and left him only able to eat soup for a portion of the time. Oliver said: "I wanted to have a little bit of work done to straighten my teeth - my front two teeth were slightly bent, but nothing dramatic."I originally tried another dentist but they didn't offer a payment plan, and that's when I came across Ravat and Ray Dental Care."They suggested I tried the Six Month Smile option, a set of clear braces which would straighten the teeth in less time."I had no reason to doubt them because unless you have had braces before or know someone who has had them, you don't know what to expect."I had a few initial appointments to take moulds and X-rays of my teeth and then the top set of braces were fitted before the bottom set."He added: "I thought I had a high pain threshold but it just didn't seem to settle and the pain would be ongoing for four to five weeks."I just thought the pain was normal with the procedure, but it became unbearable."
In the end, Oliver told the dentist to take off the braces, after over 12 months of dealing with pain and multiple trips to the dentist. He was left with 'yellow and twisted' teeth. A spokesperson at Ravat and Ray Dental Care said: "The practice was not involved in any court case with the patient and has not paid out any settlement in court."The aim of the practice is always to provide the best possible care to all our patients."Dr Moosa said: "I cannot comment on this case because of my duty of confidentiality."