Jennifer Hepburn says she only noticed the wrong tooth had been removed after returning to her car and looking in the mirror14:22, 21 Jul 2026Updated 14:45, 21 Jul 2026A West End performer has received an £11,000 settlement after her dentist pulled out the wrong tooth. Jennifer Hepburn, 45, says she is now "terrified" of dentists after the ordeal.‌The singer had visited a surgery in Southwark, central London, in June 2025 to remove a broken tooth on the lower left side of her mouth. Despite warning her dentist to take account of her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affects connective tissue, and use minimal force to prevent severe bleeding, Jennifer says the extraction was very painful.‌The biggest shock, however, came when she returned to her car and looked in the mirror, only to find the wrong tooth was missing. Jennifer, who is from Lewisham, south-east London, says she asked for extra care to be taken due to her Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, including more local anaesthesia and minimal force to avoid excessive bleeding and tissue damage.‌But she says she was soon in enormous pain during the procedure: “My body started shaking uncontrollably from the pain and distress. The nurse simply held me down while the dentist continued pulling at the tooth. I felt completely powerless.“When I finally got back to the car, my partner was horrified by the state I was in. I looked in the car mirror and immediately realised the dentist had pulled out the wrong tooth. By this point I was shaking so badly that I couldn’t even hold a glass of water.”‌Upon a review appointment at the practice, Jennifer says they confirmed the wrong tooth had been taken in error, and she requested a referral elsewhere to have the right one removed. The West End performer needed to be completely sedated for the second surgery.Jennifer says she has always had a phobia of dentists, but that this is now significantly worse, and she was in a lot of pain for the weeks that followed. She added: “Four to six weeks after I was still in constant pain with significant facial swelling."I work as a West End performer, so I had to cancel rehearsals and also miss work as a singer in a bar, and everything that followed only worsened my dental phobia.‌"I was prescribed medication just to cope, and felt increasingly self-conscious about my appearance, even avoiding smiling in photographs and trying to hide my teeth.“I am now terrified of going to the dentist. When I contacted the new practice to find out what happened and to correct it, I was shaking uncontrollably due to fear and distress, and my partner had to accompany me for support."‌Jennifer contacted the Dental Law Partnership in 2025, who found that the dentist had wrongfully extracted a healthy tooth. This resulted in the unnecessary loss of a tooth and need for a costly implant, and additional costs and sedation to extract the correct tooth.The negligence solicitors took on the case, and it was settled in April 2026 when Jennifer was paid £11,000 in an out-of-court settlement.Article continues belowThe dentist involved did not admit liability. Jennifer said: “When I went for a review appointment at the practice, they confirmed that the wrong tooth had been extracted in error. I was in absolute shock and felt so powerless."This issue has only worsened my dental phobia, particularly as my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome was ignored. I now regularly require medication in order to cope with attending future appointments.”Rebecca McVety of the Dental Law Partnership added: “The distress and pain our client has experienced was completely unnecessary. If the dentist involved had provided more satisfactory treatment, her problems could have been avoided.”