text: Kevin Bowes, 53, lost several teeth and had nine 'avoidable' dental procedures at the hands of Dr Nicholas Crees at his Guisborough practice . A man whose teeth were reduced to 'apple cores' has won £30,000 in damages from his former dentist, after suffering more than a decade of dental neglect. Kevin Bowes lost several teeth, had four 'avoidable' root canal treatments and five 'avoidable' crowns fitted at the hands of Dr Nicholas Crees at his practice in Guisborough, North Yorkshire. The semi-retired teacher at a specialist children's unit said his life had been changed forever, revealing he will need years of remedial treatment to fix the extensive decay. The 53-year-old, from Guisborough, said: 'I feel completely let down by Dr Crees. 'I was devastated, I had no idea my teeth were in such a bad condition. 'He allowed my teeth to deteriorate so badly over the decade I visited him and all the time with a smile and a friendly demeanour which made you feel you were in good hands. 'How wrong I was.' His family had been patients of Mr Crees for more than 10 years when in January 2013, a friend suggested his wife visited a different dentist for a second opinion. And when Mr Bowes went to see the new dentist, he was given a devastating diagnosis. He added: 'The other dentist told me that I had decay in a number of teeth and would need lots of treatment to repair them. 'I had more X-rays than I care to remember and my teeth were so decayed the dentist described them as 'apple cores'. 'Before becoming a teacher I had been a successful entertainer and singer, full of confidence. 'However I have been advised that my treatment does not end here and I am likely to need ongoing treatment for years. 'It's really knocked my confidence and has changed my life forever.' After the extent of the decay was revealed, Mr Bowes instructed specialist dental negligence solicitors, the Dental Law Partnership, which secured a £30,000 payout following a two-year legal battle with Dr Crees. Mr Bowes has won £30,000 in an out-of-court settlement after a two-year battle with Dr Crees . Kate Chadwick, associate solicitor at the Dental Law Partnership, said: 'Kevin has been the victim of mistreatment by his dentist for years. 'This decade of neglect was a real catalogue of errors with Dr Nicholas Crees failing to diagnose and treat decay and carrying out extractions without informed consent. 'Fortunately he visited another dentist for a second opinion who immediately spotted the problem, otherwise, left untreated Mr Bowes may well have lost more of his teeth.' Dr Crees, who, despite the out of court settlement has not admitted liability, said that due to patient confidentiality it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the case at this time.
target: Kevin Bowes lost several teeth, had four 'avoidable' root canal treatments and five 'avoidable' crowns fitted by Dr Nicholas Crees over a decade .
  Second dentists said he will need extensive treatment to repair decay .
  Awarded £30,000 out-of-court but Dr Crees has not admitted liability .
  Mr Bowes, said: 'I was devastated. I had no idea my teeth were so bad'