A mum has been awarded £15,000 compensation after a botched tooth removal at Whipps Cross Hospital left her with permanent nerve damage.

Katie Cross, 31, was handed the pay out after it was found dentists at the hospital wrongly took out a tooth, leaving her with permanent numbness in her lower lip and chin.

The stay-at-home mum, from Leytonstone, was referred to the hospital, run by Barts Health NHS Trust, to have a tooth extracted after experiencing severe pain and inflammation in her gums.

The procedure was carried out in January 2014, but following the treatment Katie quickly realised something was wrong.

She said: "I thought everything was fine at first but the following day I knew something wasn't right.

"My lips and the side of my chin felt completely numb. My gums still hurt and I couldn't eat properly because of the numbness."

Desperate to resolve the problem, she made another appointment at the Leytonstone hospital.

Katie added: "I was told it could take 18 months to go back to normal.

"I couldn't believe it as none of the consultants had ever mentioned this would be the case.

"I remember bursting into tears because I couldn't see how I'd ever get used to the feeling.

"I tried to get used to it but I struggled with eating and drinking, and often dribbled without realising it because I didn't have proper feeling in my mouth.

"It was so embarrassing and really depressing."

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

The operation was carried out at Whipps Cross Hospital in January 2014

After year living with the problem, Katie contacted Dental Law Partnership to see if the treatment really had been undertaken correctly.

The firm’s team examined hospital records and were shocked to discover the tooth should never have been extracted in the first place.

It had hooked roots, which increased the risk of nerve damage. Another of Katie's teeth should have instead been removed to relieve the symptoms, but this was never recommended.

Appointments to review the treatment had also not been provided as they should have been.

In June 2015 the numbness around her mouth was diagnosed as being permanent.

Katie added: "Being informed that the numbness is permanent was soul destroying. Dentists are supposed to be experts.

"The fact they failed to spot the risk of nerve damage clearly shown in X-rays and recommended the tooth should be extracted anyway is unbelievable.

"I now have no choice but to learn to live with it.

"When I eat I am always conscious that food could drop down my face without me realising it, so I often hold my hand over my face when I eat.

"I face drooling when I am eating or drinking, and will struggle with simple things like having a cup of tea.

"The treatment has had a highly detrimental effect on my life."

Jonathan Owen of the Dental Law Partnership who represented Katie said: "What our client had to go through and the permanent damage caused is completely unnecessary.

"If the dentists at this NHS Trust had provided the correct treatment in the first place the issues she has and will experience could have been avoided."

The Dental Law Partnership took on Katie's case in July 2014.

In November 2016, Barts Health paid £15,000 in an out of court settlement. They did not admit liability.

A spokesman for the trust said: “We sincerely apologise for the distress caused to Miss Cross.

“Our staff will always make every effort to discuss fully any planned outpatient procedures including the potential risks and the alternative treatment options available, before any treatment commences.

"We provide staff training with regular monitoring to ensure these high standards are maintained.”