An administrator at a dental practice in Aberdeenshire is suing one of her former bosses after his free treatment left her in “pain and distress”.
Lynn Keith received the dental work as a perk of her job at Banchory Dental Practice.
She has now launched a legal claim worth more than £3,000 – alleging Dr Christopher Reeks fitted a crown over a rotten tooth.
An independent report into Mrs Keith’s care found Dr Reeks – who has since left the practice – had fallen below standard on a number of fronts.
A separate complaint has also been lodged with the General Dental Council over his conduct while at Banchory Dental Practice.
Dr Reeks could not be reached by the Press and Journal for comment.
Mrs Keith, 53, said she had decided to sue her former employer because of the suffering she endured and the deterioration of her dental health.
At one point, the pain in her mouth became so severe she did not know if it was coming from the top or bottom jaw.
Mrs Keith said: “I am old school, I was brought up to be loyal to my employer but I felt I had to do something.
“I have always given 110% to my work but here I feel I got nothing in return.
“At first I wasn’t going to do anything but then I thought that if I had been Joe Bloggs off the street I would have taken some sort of action. Why should I be any different?
“I had been concerned for a long time over my dental treatment and I sought a second opinion.”
Lawyers acting for Mrs Keith claim Dr Reeks failed to investigate, diagnose or treat the defective tooth despite having two sets of radiographs which illustrated its condition.
Clinical notes from another dentist at the practice were not taken on board, the claim states.
Dr Reeks is being asked to pay £2,500 in damages plus £1,125 for the independent professional report which was commissioned by Mrs Keith’s legal team.
The report found Dr Reeks had not kept full records of his care of Mrs Keith.
It said, with regard to crowning the problem tooth with an “underlying inadequate root treatment and lack of recorded, informed patient consent, CR’s (Christopher Reeks) treatment of LK (Lynn Keith) cannot be regarded as acceptable practice and falls below the standard expected of a reasonably competent general dental practitioner”.
A spokeswoman for the General Dental Council said Dr Reeks was a fully registered member of the professional body.
The Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, which is representing Dr Reeks, said it could not comment.