When Seánie Donoghue from Tynagh in Co Galway decided, in late 2021, to get his teeth straightened it was far from just a vanity project. Having spent much of the previous year battling lymphoma cancer, fixing his smile was to be the start of a new chapter.
"I had so much going on in my health that I said for a positive I'd get my teeth done because as they say your life comes through your smile."
Seánie went to Oranmore Orthodontics but just six months after having his braces fitted his treatment came to a sudden halt when he and other patients got a text out of the blue in early August last year. The unexpected message came from owner Dr Anne Hahessy informing them she was no longer practising and recommending they contact other orthodontists to take over their care. The text also assured patients payments made in advance would be credited back.
Albeit the announcement came as a shock, it was not the first time Seánie had encountered problems with Oranmore Orthodontics. He already had several appointments cancelled and on occasion had been seen by a locum orthodontist. In fact, by the time Dr Hahessy’s text arrived, Seánie was already dealing with a painful broken brace having repeatedly but unsuccessfully tried to contact the clinic for help.
"It was hard, like with everything I was going through, this was supposed to be my positive thing, but it just left me in limbo. I’m still not happy about it," an emotional Seánie told RTÉ Investigates.
Local Oranmore woman, Fiona Holland, found herself in the same predicament when the practice’s sudden closure meant her daughter Kayleigh’s orthodontic treatment came to a stop just six months into an 18 month plan.
"Nobody would take us on. Word had spread around I think between the orthodontists at that stage and the doors started to close."
Kayleigh started attending Oranmore Orthodontics in November 2021. At 19-years-of-age the specialist treatment was designed to address significant overcrowding and a misaligned bite. But it was also hoped Kayleigh’s braces would bring other benefits.
"Like any teenage girl you’re very conscious of your teeth, of your looks," Fiona explained. "Kayleigh always kept her mouth closed when she took photos, and it was going to give her confidence in herself. So, it was important. Her dad and I felt this was an investment in our child."
In all, Fiona Holland paid Dr Hahessy €3,800 having availed of a 5% discount offered on receipt of an upfront payment. The family funded the bill by taking out a loan.
"It was a big undertaking – we had an older child in college, and it was an expense."
However, RTÉ Investigates understands issues arose with Dr Hahessy’s practise from early 2021 – months before advance payments were made by Fiona Holland and other patients.
Suddenly left without vital care and significantly out of pocket, those affected turned in their droves to the Irish Dental Council, hopeful the profession’s regulatory body could help.
"I rang and rang, and nobody was answering," Fiona said. "The parents were starting to get worried because we started to talk among ourselves and that’s when we realised the scale of the amount of families that were affected by this."
The Dental Council told RTÉ it believes when Dr Hahessy stopped practising, she had in the region of 350 patients in active treatment, but our research indicates that figure could be much higher.
Last August an RTÉ Investigates report highlighted the plight of those affected by the closure of Oranmore Orthodontics. There followed a flurry of attention. From extensive coverage on local radio and public meetings with local political representatives to Leader’s Questions in the Dáil, patients and families initially held out hope of finding a solution to their woes.
"By the end of August things were starting to get frightening in the sense that Kayleigh’s bottom wire broke, and nobody would help. I rang the Dental Council, I rang the politicians," Fiona Holland explained.
"The wire was starting to leave a wound on the inside of her mouth, so her boyfriend took a nail scissors and clipped it. To see your child in pain and to see your child worried about it – like she’d a mouthful of metal that needed to be tightened, that needed to be treated, that needed continuing care."
A fortnight after the closure of Oranmore Orthodontics, parents and patients received a response from the Dental Council in the form of a generic email. It revealed the Council had decided on 1 July 2022 that it was in the public interest to apply to the High Court to suspend Dr Hahessy. A week later, by way of a High Court order, Dr Hahessy undertook not to practise dentistry. The order also stated Dr Hahessy was to inform the Council of arrangements being made for her patients within 14 days, but the arrangements put forward were deemed inappropriate.
However, in correspondence with RTÉ, the Dental Council confirmed it had become aware of issues at Oranmore Orthodontics a month earlier, having received the first of several formal complaints on 8 June last year. RTÉ Investigates understands those issues were raised by concerned colleagues.
"Should the Dental Council have contacted the parents when they took the High Court action? 100%," Fiona Holland added. "As patients hadn’t we the right to know that the Dental Council had concerns about Oranmore Orthodontics?"
In its statement the Dental Council said it does not hold patient information or patient records and it is prohibited by law from unilaterally requesting or receiving patient information. The Council acknowledged it was overwhelmed with emails and phone calls having received well over 1,000 contacts in an eight-week period from early August 2022.
At the end of August last, patients received a final text from Dr Hahessy confirming that after 17 years of business Oranmore Orthodontics would have to close for the foreseeable future. The text added Dr Hahessy had secured the help of an experienced orthodontist and an orthodontically trained dentist to work together for an interim period of 5 months. The solution, she said, was not perfect but was the best available option which addressed the immediate and continued care of her patients.
"Regrettably, this proposal was rejected by the Dental Council. That was their decision. I do not agree with it," Dr Hahessy stated.
In response, the Dental Council told RTÉ it was informally canvassed by Dr Hahessy about a different scenario, and it was also informally aware that there was significant uncertainty as regards to availability of the orthodontist. However, it added it was for Dr Hahessy to engage a practitioner to treat her patients as under the Dentists Act 1985 the Council has no role in providing for continuation of care.
Some eight months on, contact between Dr Hahessy and her patients has now dried up and despite an undertaking given by Dr Hahessy to the High Court last October that she would set out proposals regarding fees paid, the matter remains outstanding.
In fact, RTÉ Investigates has seen recent correspondence from the Dental Council to the parent of an affected patient in which it admits it is unsure how the matter will be resolved and recommended the parent seek legal advice. RTÉ asked the Dental Council exactly what role it has in situations like this.
Responding, the Dental Council said the regulatory process is not designed to resolve disputes between professionals and their patients and it has no statutory power to compel a dentist to redo work; it cannot make a dentist refer a patient to another practitioner; it cannot compel the release of patient records and it cannot deal with refunds or any matters concerning fees paid.
"I find it confusing because I don’t really know what the Dental Council role is," said Fiona Holland. "Who are they protecting? At this stage Dr Hahessy has been thrown under the bus, the patients have been thrown under the bus and the parents are out of pocket. You have anxiety and you have worry. No one has come out of this unscathed."
Legislation governing dentistry in Ireland has long been criticised as being completely outdated. Concerns have also been expressed the Dental Council’s powers are so weak patients are open to risk. However, when RTÉ put these points to the Department of Health it said the Dentists Act 1985 has served the public and the profession well, adding that intended new legislation must progress as part of wider reforms to dental services "over the coming years".
For those affected by the sudden closure of Oranmore Orthodontics ongoing delays in modernising dental legislation have proved costly. Last December, Fiona Holland eventually found another orthodontist willing to take on Kayleigh’s care – five months after Dr Hahessy agreed to cease practising. However, a new orthodontist has meant footing a new bill, this time to the tune of another €1000.
"In comparison to other families, it’s not as bad, some people have been stung for a lot more."
Seánie Donoghue faces a similar situation. After numerous attempts he too secured alternative orthodontic care last December but in Co Clare – a minimum of a two-hour round trip. Like many others he has also had to incur additional costs.
"It’s going to cost me over €7000 now. It was never envisioned that it would cost me that much money and money doesn’t grow on trees.
"I signed a contract for Anne to do my teeth, she got €2000 but she broke my contract, and a contract is a contract. There’s no sign of that money coming back."
RTÉ Investigates wrote to Dr Hahessy – a family representative told RTÉ Dr Hahessy remains unwell and is receiving in patient care. The individual added they had presented a solution which was practical and sustainable and the only people who blocked it were the Dental Council.
The Dental Council said it stands over its decision to apply to the High Court, saying it was a necessary step taken in the public interest. It continues, it said, to do everything that it can to assist in achieving a resolution for Dr Hahessy’s patients.
But for those affected by what happened at Oranmore Orthodontics, they not only continue to find themselves out of pocket, but with their treatment significantly delayed. Hundreds of patients, Seánie Donoghue said, have simply been abandoned.
"There is nowhere to turn. Accountability is zero."
It’s a sentiment with which Fiona Holland agrees.
"Unless the parents keep fighting, no one else has taken on this charge for us. We are left to fight on our own."
Watch RTÉ Investigates: Teething Problems tonight on Prime Time. RTÉ One, 9:35pm
