Dental Malpractice

Having regular dental checkups and cleanings are important to maintaining good health. But just like medical checkups and procedures that can go wrong due to a provider’s negligence, the same thing can happen during dental care. If you have been a victim of dental malpractice, meet with a malpractice attorney and find out how they can help.

 

Dentists

 

A dentist sees everything in our mouths, right up close. If there are things in our mouth that are not normal – white patches, tumors, pre-tumors – the dentist should take the steps to make sure that these early signs of cancer are addressed. The sooner treatments for oral cancers begins, the better the odds are that those treatments will be successful. Early detection also helps reduces the risks that the cancer will spread to other parts of the body.

 

Our mouths also can indicate other health issues, such as early signs of vascular issues. A dentist is able to see that there are issues with circulation if they are paying attention during your exam.

 

Oral Surgeons

 

An oral surgeon can also be negligent in their treatment of their patient and that breach can result in a dental malpractice lawsuit. Some examples of negligence that an oral surgeon can be guilty of include extracting the wrong tooth or placing a dental implant incorrectly. If they used anesthetics during the procedure, there could have also been damage done to the patient. For example, there are some topical anesthetic which can trigger allergic reactions. If this allergy detail is in a patient’s chart, then the surgeon can be guilty of malpractice.

 

Injuries

 

There are many types of dental injuries that can occur because a dentist or oral surgeon was negligent. These include:

 

•       Complications from bridges and crowns negligently completed
•       Complications with anesthesia that results in injury or death to the patient
•       Dental procedure or oral surgery that results in the death to the patient
•       Extraction of the wrong teeth
•       Failure of the dentist to detect oral cancer, periodontal or other disease
•       Failure to obtain the patient’s consent
•       Failure to take or consider the patient’s medical history
•       Nerve injuries that result in permanent numbness of the tongue, lips, jaw, or chin
•       Numbness that results in loss of taste (this can be temporary or permanent)
•       Performing treatment that goes beyond the scope of the patient’s consent
•       Structural injuries to tongue, lips, jaw, or chin
•       Temporomandibular Joint disorders (TMJ)
•       Unnecessary extraction of many teeth

 

In order to prove dental malpractice, the malpractice attorney must prove that the dentist failed to provide an adequate standard of care that another dentist would have provided to the patient or that the dentist intentionally performed a procedure that another dentist would not have performed under similar circumstances.

 

And just like a medical provider, your dental provider should never perform any additional procedures or services with your informed consent. If he or she does, then you may have grounds for a dental malpractice lawsuit with the help of a medical malpractice lawyer in Phoenix, AZ.

 

Contact to Rispoli Law, PLLC for more insight into medical and dental malpractice.