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Punjab Commission Upholds Rs 79,000 Dental Treatment Payout
A man who lives in the UK went to a dentist in Jalandhar for dental implants and a bridge.
He said the bridge became loose and broke several times after he returned home.
The dentist said the man had agreed to the treatment and may have eaten food that was too hard or sticky.
The man eventually got a denture fitted in the UK.
A consumer commission had ordered the dentist to pay him Rs 79,000.
The dentist appealed, but the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission rejected the appeal.
It said the records did not show a separate price for the bridge that could be used to reduce the dentist’s responsibility.
The award included Rs 64,000 for the implants and Rs 15,000 as compensation.
A UK resident complained that a dental bridge fitted by a Jalandhar dentist repeatedly loosened or broke after treatment beginning in March 2018.
The patient said replacement bridges failed after about three months and five months, and a later bridge broke into two pieces.
The dentist argued that the patient had consented to treatment and that chewing hard or sticky food may have caused the damage.
The Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission dismissed the dentist’s appeal, finding no basis to limit liability to the bridge’s cost.
The commission upheld an award of Rs 64,000 for implant costs and Rs 15,000 compensation, totaling Rs 79,000.
- Who
- A UK-resident dental patient and a Jalandhar-based dentist; the appeal was heard by the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
- What
- The commission dismissed the dentist’s appeal and upheld a Rs 79,000 payout to the patient.
- Where
- Jalandhar, Punjab; the patient later received a denture in the UK.
- When
- The treatment began in March 2018; the state commission issued its decision on September 28. The article does not specify the year of that decision.
- Why
- The patient said the dental bridge repeatedly failed, and the commission found no basis to restrict liability to a separately stated bridge cost.
Patient’s complaint
Dentist’s arguments
Why the bridge failed
Patient’s complaint
The patient said the bridge became loose and repeatedly broke despite replacement and repair attempts.
Dentist’s arguments
The dentist said the patient may have chewed hard or sticky food despite being advised not to.
Extent of liability
Patient’s complaint
The patient sought reimbursement for the implants and other claimed expenses, as well as compensation.
Dentist’s arguments
The dentist argued there was no defect in the implants and that any liability should be limited to the bridge’s cost.
Key facts
- Treatment cost cited
- Rs 64,000 for two implants and a bridge
- Compensation upheld
- Rs 15,000
- Total award
- Rs 79,000
- District commission order
- April 17, 2023
- State commission decision
- September 28; the year is not stated in the article
- Dentures obtained in the UK
- £500, described in the complaint as about Rs 50,000
- Appeal deposit
- Rs 39,500 plus any accrued interest was to be remitted to the complainant after 45 days from sending certified copies of the order
Quotes
Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
The state consumer commission, quoting the district commission’s observation about the patient’s alleged chewing of hard food.
“it cannot be presumed that a person who has spent so much amount for fixing the implants would chew hard food knowingly fully well that it may cause harm to his teeth.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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