Dental Malpractice: Everything You Need To Know

Have you suspected that maybe you’re suffering from dental malpractice?

Dental negligence or dental malpractice can be avoidable if only the dentist takes proper care to their patients. And if you’ve had a dental treatment which you feel you’ve suffered as a result, then you may have dental negligence claims.

Dentists should properly do the treatment correctly to their patients. So if they failed to perform the correct treatment and if you suffer an injury due to the wrong treatment, then this could result from a potential claim against the dentist.

This article will explain everything about the types of dental malpractice and dental negligence claim processes.

Types of Dental Claim

Dental Injury

Dental negligence may involve harm to the patient. It includes wrong treatment procedures, incompetence, and failure to diagnose correctly. This also includes cutting a nerve, extracting a wrong tooth or failure to diagnose correctly that may result from decaying a tooth.

Dental Malpractice

Dental Serious Injury

This includes dental malpractice which patients can suffer from life-changing injuries. For example, a dentist may cause a serious fatal infection due to unsafe practices. It includes failure to diagnose a case of oral cancer or maybe an improper use of dental tools which can result from a permanent injury.

Informed Consent

A dentist should inform you of any risk that may arise from the treatment, this includes side effects and possible risks to your health. If failed to do so and you’re not fully aware of these risks beforehand, and if something unexpected things to happen, these could be also a ground for a compensation claim.

Common Causes of Dental Compensation Claims

Below are some types of dentistry practice or treatment on potential dental negligence claims:

Consent to Dental Treatment

Your dentist must gain a consent first before performing any kind of treatment. Sometimes, the dentist only asks for minimal questions and forget to discuss possible risks and side effects of the procedure.

Cosmetic Dentistry

Actually, there’s a wide range of cosmetic dentistry nowadays. As a patient, it’s your right to know everything about the possible treatment and how long it’ll last before you agree to it.

Tooth Extraction

This type of compensation claim is very common. Tooth extraction is a treatment done by the cause of tooth decays, or removal of the tooth to avoid possible serious damage to the other teeth.

Gum Diseases

Gum diseases or also known as gingivitis, caused by a group of plaque which can result from inflamed gums. If the plaque was not removed, gums might be bleed and can cause bad breath.

Dental Implants and Root Canal Treatment

Dental implants are used to support a crown or bridge. It usually requires a metal post which is fixed to the jawbone. Root canal treatment, on the other hand, is required if a tooth is severely infected.

Wisdom Teeth, Crowns, and Bridges

An impacted tooth may cause a bacteria to attack in a certain area making it hard from keeping the teeth clean and hygiene a difficult task to complete. Crown and bridges, on the other hand, usually used to improve appearance by fixing missing teeth.

Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is caused by a group of plaque or most commonly known as the cavity. Usually, patients who suffered from tooth decay are children and adults who don’t practice good oral hygiene.

Failure to Diagnose Oral Cancer

A dentist should also look out for the possible symptoms of oral cancer during your check-ups. Failing to do so can possibly result from a more serious injury in the end.