Legal Ruling

A dental patient, who claimed to have been left with three ’dead’ teeth after treatment at a Hungarian clinic, has settled her High Court action against the agency involved.

Siobhan Dowling of Naas, Co Kildare, was suing Tibor Botos, trading as Tibor Dental in Cork and Dublin, which refers patients to clinics in Budapest for treatment. However, when the case came before High Court president Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns in June, lawyers acting for Ms Dowling said it was a matter for assessment of damages only.

Ms Dowling had attended Mr Botos’ agency in 2009 seeking replacements for four veneers on her front teeth. She was advised against veneers and was sent to Hungary to have six crowns placed.

On returning to Ireland the crowns, while appearing satisfactory from a cosmetic point of view, did not fit properly and started to give Ms Dowling increasing pain, said her counsel.

In November 2009, she attended another dentist with facial swelling and it was found that two of her teeth were dead and a third was dying and later died. A further examination showed that the vitality of five teeth in all were affected according to her lawyers. She undertook repair treatment that took until May 2010 to be completed.