Dental Malpractice

Going to the dentist is one of the most common fears that people have. And to be honest, it can be an absolutely terrifying place. The office is filled with all kinds of unfamiliar tools and the sounds which they produce are as unsettling as nails on a chalkboard. While many people automatically think of hospital doctors when they think of medical malpractice, this area of law is not limited to medical physicians. Dental malpractice is one of the most common types of medical malpractice and there are numerous situations in which your dentist or orthodontist may be liable to you for damages they caused.

Negligence in Dental Treatment and Oral Surgery

Dentists frequently make mistakes when removing teeth. Often people have teeth which are decayed or infected and must be removed, but dentists are often careless and remove the wrong tooth, simply because they were not paying attention. Much like if your physician amputated the wrong leg, if your dentist removed the wrong tooth you would have a valid dental malpractice claim.

Most dental malpractice claims are considered relatively minor like simply removing the wrong tooth. Your damages will probably not be incredibly high, but you will still need to be able to prove the negligence and go through the regular court procedures as if the dentist caused you egregious harm.

Other times dentists and oral surgeons must drill in your mouth and work around very sensitive nerves which are connected to each tooth. Frequently, dentists and oral surgeons will negligently damage your nerve endings resulting in severe ongoing pain or partial paralysis or numbness. The Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas is a teaching school where dentists are still learning the profession. Many novice dentists frequently make grossly negligent mistakes due to lack of practice and preparation.

But the problem of inexperienced or careless dentists is not limited to dental schools. New dentist offices regularly pop up all over Dallas and many of these dentists could easily cause you harm if they are not sufficiently prepared and paying adequate attention to your procedure. If a dentist has caused you ongoing pain or paralyzed your tongue in some way due to nerve damage, your quality of life could be greatly affected and you may be able to seek damages due to this type of medical malpractice.

Negligence Involving Anesthesia

If your dentist or orthodontist caused you harm by negligently administering anesthesia, they may be liable for your injury. Some people are allergic to certain types of anesthesia, and any patient who is administered anesthetic must be closely watched by the dentist and the medical team. Other people are not allergic to anesthesia, but they suffer complications when they are given large doses of anesthesia.

For example, thousands of people in Dallas and the surrounding Dallas- Fort Worth area suffer from sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition in which you stop breathing temporarily while you are asleep. Patients who suffer from sleep apnea are especially susceptible to developing complications when they are under anesthetic forcing them into a deep sleep.

Generally, sleep apnea patients will wake up when they stop breathing, but if they are under a forced sleep they are not able to wake up. As a result, dentists who put sleep apnea patients in a deep sleep while under anesthesia should give them special attention and make sure that they are breathing adequately. If your family member died or suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen while under anesthesia, the dentist may be responsible for your injuries.

Failing to Diagnose a Serious Medical Condition

If your dentist or orthodontist failed to diagnose any sort of gum disease, mouth cancer, or other mouth related disease which resulted in you suffering serious injury, you may have a valid medical malpractice claim. If your dentist did not adequately inspect your mouth or negligently failed to inform you about your health issue, they could have caused serious long term injury.

For example, if you have gingivitis and it is left untreated, your ailment could lead to other problems including heart disease. If your dentist failed to recognize your gum disease or simply failed to inform you about your existing problem, they may be responsible for the resulting heart disease.

Or if you had mouth cancer and your dentist failed to inform you about this, leaving it untreated and allowing it to spread and worsen, they court could hold them responsible. Cancer can be very aggressive and leaving it untreated can quickly result in death. If your family member has died due to the negligence of their dentist, you may have a wrongful death claim against their dentist.

If you have been injured due to your dentist's negligence, then you may be entitled to compensation through a medical malpractice personal injury claim. Or if your loved one has tragically died due to the carelessness or negligence of a dentist or oral surgeon, Grossman Law Offices may be able to assist you with your wrongful death claim. There are numerous ways in which you may suffer an injury at the hands of a negligent dentist, but there are also numerous ways to help you seek recovery. To learn more about how our experienced attorneys may be able to help file a medical malpractice claim on your behalf, call Grossman Law Offices at 1-855-326-0000.

By E. Michael Grossman

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