Alison France, 67, says she has been unable to enjoy the arrival of her granddaughter
A nurse claimed she was forced into retirement after a dental procedure left her in agony for more than a year. Alison France, 67, said she struggled with constant pain after receiving full dental implants.
The procedure cost £18,000, and Alison has spent a further £13,000 on a new set of permanent dentures at another clinic after the original firm, 21D dental clinic in Birchwood, Warrington advised her to find a "different clinical team" to continue her treatment when they were unable to resolve the issue after multiple visits to the surgery.
The General Dental Council has taken no action under its complaints procedure, and 21D told the ECHO "patients are only signed off when we are satisfied that all clinical parameters are met."
Alison, a nurse at the Special Care Baby Unit at Wrexham Maelor Hospital for twenty years, says she hasn't enjoyed time with her granddaughter due to the pain she said she experienced after the procedure, describing "18 months of absolute hell".
Alison, from Wrexham, used a lump sum she received on retirement from the NHS to pay for the procedure, which involved removing all her teeth, inserting metal implants into her gums, and fixing permanent dentures to the implants. She planned to return to work at the North Wales hospital following the procedure under the NHS 'retire and return' initiative, but says both the pain and its effect on her mental wellbeing prevented her from going back.
Alison, originally from Glasgow, said she planned to just have a prosthetic tooth implanted when a crown fell out, but decided on a full set of implants after an initial consultation with the Warrington-headquartered 21D, a firm with 11 locations nationwide. She said:
"They cut away your gum and cut into the bone, which is shocking. I didn't know they were a set of dentures screwed into the mouth."
The claim that the nature of the procedure was not fully explained is disputed by 21D. The severe pain Alison experienced came on almost immediately, she claimed, and did not abate in the following months.
Alison was left reliant on strong painkillers, which she says did little to numb the pain, and was prescribed anti-depressant medication.
Alison said: "I can't believe this has happened to me. It has ruined my life. The day I had it done, my granddaughter was born, and I've not been able to enjoy her being here at all."
She added: "I was crying all the time. It sent me doolally. They're in my mouth all the time, causing so much pain constantly."
Alison attended the clinic in Warrington multiple times as she attempted to find a solution to the issue. In a letter from 21D's resident clinician, Dr Ajmal Zubair, dated February 2025, Alison was told that her treatment "meets the high clinical standards that we [21D] uphold". The letter makes reference to "perceived bulkiness" of the dentures and that factors such as this are "subjective".
Dr Zubair wrote: "While we maintain that you prosthetics meet 21D's standards, we acknowledge that your expectations may differ. To address this, we propose the following management by a different clinical team/company: Prosthetic removal".
A letter from an NHS maxillofacial doctor dated September 2025 states that Alison experienced "severe pain" immediately after the treatment.
Alison was placed on "a long list of different medications to control the pain" that did not bring relief.
The letter records that Alison's new surgeon removed the dentures and gave her temporary ones, which "brought some relief in her pain".
The letter records some facial muscles have been left "excruciatingly tender", that there was "extensive bone loss" and the "implants were in close proximity to the sinus floor".
Alison's husband, David, claimed the situation also forced him into early retirement. He said: "I was working from home and I could hear her crying downstairs."
Alison said: "I haven't been able to go back to work. I'm needed in the NHS, but since this has happened, it's affected my mental health.
"I'd love to go back because I love that job, but because it's affected me mentally, I'm not fit to do it."
Alison says she did not travel to Turkey to undergo the procedure as she believed she would be better off under the care of a UK dentist.
Alison recently attended another dentist and the dentures were removed before a smaller temporary set was installed. The extra work has cost her a further £13,000. She said: "When the teeth came out, I felt a lot better almost immediately."
Husband David said: "I saw her smiling for the first time in months after the new dentures were put in."
A spokesperson for 21D said: "21D cannot comment on individual cases due to medical confidentiality.
"21D is a clinical business in the field of oral rehabilitation of people who are either facing a life with no teeth or soon facing a life with no teeth as a result of trauma and disease.
"The clinical parameters 21D works to are, in order of priority: 1. Elimination of disease (primarily in the jaw bone) but also soft tissue health to make sure there are no signs of cancer or pre cancer
"2. The stabilisation of function to establish correct mechanisms for people to be able to chew their food far more efficiently than either with dentures or living with advanced periodontal disease (advanced gum disease) or large numbers of missing teeth.
"This procedure follows exactly the same principles as hip replacement. It is transitioning patients to a prosthetic state. There is no new growing of teeth. 21D has a sign off policy for every single patient where at the end of the treatment cycle the main clinical parameters which are elimination of disease and stabilisation of biological function is checked and meets clinical standards.
"Patients are only signed off when we are satisfied that all clinical parameters are met."
Alison went to the General Dental Council's Dental Complaints Service (DCS) to report the situation, but says no action was taken. A spokesperson for the GDC said: "The Dental Complaints Service ( provides advice and support to anyone who needs help with resolving issues relating to private dentistry. Trained advisers support patients and dental professionals to resolve complaints fairly and efficiently, providing a free and impartial service across the UK about private dental care.
"Advisers will attempt to contact patients where further information is necessary. In order to progress a complaint, DCS requires communication with and information from patients, such as obtaining and providing a second opinion."
Alison also sought help from her local MP, Andrew Ranger. Mr Ranger wrote to 21D and the Dental Complaints Service. Mr Ranger said: "My constituent contacted me in February 2025 requesting assistance on a long running matter concerning her treatment at 21D. On her behalf, I sent letters to 21D requesting more information along with her data to enable her to seek further treatment elsewhere.
"I also supported her by writing to the Dental Complaints Service to ask that they look into Ms France's case. My office provided Ms France with options to seek legal advice if she wished to be able to take her case further, along with providing support through to September 2025 as she looked at different options including the press to continue her case. As with any constituent, Alison has my full support as her MP".
Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you're feeling, or if you're worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.