A Yorkshire student has received a £26,000 payout after a routine dental visit spiralled into a traumatic medical emergency, leaving her with lasting physical and emotional scars.
Katelyn De Blick, now 20, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, underwent emergency surgery and was nearly hospitalised with sepsis after a cracked tooth was allegedly misdiagnosed and inadequately treated by a local dentist.
In the summer of 2021, then just 16, Katelyn visited the Skipton Road branch of Mydentist for pain related to a cracked tooth.
Instead of treating the underlying decay, the dentist simply cleaned the tooth and applied a sealant. Within weeks, the pain became unbearable.
“After they had done that, a few weeks later, I started to get severe pain and the whole side of my face had swollen up,” Katelyn recalled.
Her jaw swelled dramatically, and she began experiencing difficulty breathing. Despite being given antibiotics at the dental practice and told to monitor the condition, the infection worsened rapidly.
What started as a minor dental complaint quickly turned into a potentially life-threatening emergency. Within days, Katelyn’s untreated abscess risked turning septic — a medical crisis that could have ended very differently if not for fast hospital intervention.
“I Was Wheezing on the Floor – I Couldn’t Breathe”
When the pain and swelling intensified, Katelyn’s mother rushed her to Airedale General Hospital’s A&E. There, medics confirmed that the tooth should have been removed immediately and the abscess urgently drained.
“Every time I moved, I felt like I couldn’t breathe… I couldn’t eat or drink… I was lying on my bedroom floor… wheezing,” Katelyn shared.
Transferred to Bradford Royal Infirmary, she was told the abscess was dangerously close to bursting,
a situation that could have triggered sepsis.
Doctors performed emergency surgery under general anaesthesia. The tooth was extracted, and the abscess drained via an external incision, leaving Katelyn with a deep, open wound and a permanent scar roughly the size of a 50p coin.
Legal Action Ends in £26,000 Payout
With the help of the Dental Law Partnership, Katelyn’s case was taken up in 2021. Following an in-depth investigation, the legal team uncovered that the decay had gone undiagnosed and untreated for years.
The failure led to the development of the infected abscess and ultimately the need for surgery.
Rebecca McVety from the Dental Law Partnership said: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentists involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided.”
The case was settled in January 2025 for £26,000, without an admission of liability from the practice owners, Petrie Tucker and Partners Limited.
“I Felt So Horrible – I Didn’t Want to Go Out”
The weeks following surgery were agonising. Katelyn had to manage a visible open wound, wearing a drain and changing bandages daily.
“I didn’t want to go out because I just felt so horrible… People were asking questions I didn’t want to answer.”
She missed college, struggled emotionally, and says the incident has left her with a deep-rooted fear of dentists. She still experiences pain and sensitivity around the affected area.
Now 20, Katelyn has saved the compensation money and hopes no other young person has to endure what she did. She encourages others to seek help if something feels wrong.
“It’s always good to talk to someone and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
Mydentist Responds
In a statement, a Mydentist spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise for the experience Ms De Blick had… Providing the highest quality dental care to our patients is our first priority, and we deeply regret that, on this rare occasion, it fell below our expectations. The dentist involved in this case no longer works at the practice.”
Katelyn had been a patient at the practice for years with no prior issues. It wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that she began experiencing pain, which she initially dismissed as minor.
She now faces the long-term impact of what began as a simple dental visit but ended in trauma, surgery, and a permanent reminder of what went wrong.
