However, when reviewing the radiographs after the procedure, the dentist realised that he had performed the root canal treatment on the wrong tooth.
He immediately informed the woman of the error, apologised, and advised her that regrettably tooth 41 still required treatment based on the original diagnosis.
Subsequently, the patient was referred to a specialist endodontist and the root canal treatment on the correct tooth was completed.
A internal review was launched by one of the directors of the dental service, which concluded that this was "unacceptable, but could not have been mitigated by the practice and can be attributed solely to human error."
In the report, Deputy Commissioner Allan considered that by failing to isolate the correct tooth for the root canal treatment, the dentist did not provide services with reasonable care and skill.
However, he noted the dentist took appropriate action after the error was identified.
The report stated the dentist "sincerely regrets the stress and injury he caused".
"He said that he is now acutely cognisant of the extent of injury and trauma that his errors as a healthcare professional can have, and that this will be a sombre reminder that he will take into the rest of his career.
"He said that he will do his utmost to ensure that he does not make the same error again."
Allan recommended the dentist provide a written letter of apology to the patient for his breach of the Code, and participate in relevant training.
A patient statement provided in the report said she "acknowledged that mistakes can happen, but felt that this should not have occurred".
"She appreciates that [the dentist] apologised, and hopes that he can learn from his mistakes," the report said.
