Just like any other medical professional, dentists have a duty of care to provide their patients with a certain standard of service. Failure to do so can result in them facing a medical malpractice claim.
This can manifest in a number of ways and can give rise to a claim for compensation.
What does dental malpractice mean?
When a dentist offers substantial medical care to their patients, either via direct action or through omission, this can be considered dental malpractice in the same way that doctors face medical malpractice. Breach of a duty of care must have caused direct harm to the patient in order for compensation to be available.
Here are five examples of dental malpractice:
- Tooth extraction mistakes: Extracting the wrong tooth can have devastating consequences, especially if it affects your smile. Other extraction errors can include causing permanent nerve damage and fractures to other teeth.
- Failure to properly sterilize tools: When a dentist does not properly clean their instruments, this can easily lead to infection.
- Anesthesia errors: Before carrying out invasive proceedings such as filling cavities or teeth extractions, dentists may use an anesthetic such as Nvocaine to numb the area first. A failure to properly administer anesthesia can have serious repercussions including serious damage and even in some occasions, it can result in the death of the patient.
- Follow-up negligence: A failure by the dentist to follow up with patients after certain procedures can mean that relatively simple and common post-procedure problems can turn into serious infections and illnesses.
Suffering the repercussions of dental malpractice can have a significant impact on your life. If you’ve been injured as a result of a dentist providing you with substandard care, you may be entitled to compensation.
