Dental malpractice is professional negligence by a dentist or dental care provider that causes harm to a patient. It occurs when the provider fails to meet the accepted standard of care, leading to injury, improper treatment, misdiagnosis, incorrect procedures, or other adverse outcomes. Affected patients may pursue legal action to seek compensation for damages resulting from such negligence.
Have you ever left a dental appointment in Las Vegas feeling more pain and frustration than when you walked in?
In a city renowned for its vibrant lifestyle and bustling tourism, the demand for quality dental services is higher than ever. Unfortunately, dental malpractice–a form of medical malpractice–is a growing concern that can lead to severe complications, unnecessary expenses, and lasting mistrust in your dental care providers. From misdiagnoses to improper procedures, these errors can significantly impact your oral health and overall well-being.
In this article, we’ll explore five common examples of dental malpractice, empowering you with the knowledge to identify potential issues and take proactive steps to protect your smile and health.
Five Common Examples of Dental Malpractice
When it comes to your dental health, knowing the potential risks is crucial for making informed decisions about your care.
To illustrate these dangers, we’ve compiled five specific examples of dental malpractice that highlight how things can go wrong in a dental practice. By exploring these real-world scenarios, you’ll gain a clearer understanding of the common pitfalls and be better equipped to recognize and prevent malpractice in your own dental experiences.
If you believe you have been a victim of dental malpractice, contact the team of experienced injury lawyers at Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas to explore your legal options.
Here are five common examples of dental malpractice:
Failure to Provide a Timely and Accurate Diagnosis
When visiting a dentist for a routine check-up, you have the fair and reasonable expectation that your dentist will actually find any problems in your mouth. This is critically important because an early diagnosis can save your teeth and prevent serious medical complications. If a dentist fails to make a proper and timely diagnosis, they may be guilty of malpractice.
Performing an Unnecessary Operation
All invasive medical procedures come with risks. As such, medical professionals, including dentists, should not perform unnecessary operations. There is no reason to put a patient at an avoidable risk.
Treating the Wrong Tooth
Your teeth are complicated. When a patient has a tooth problem, it is often unclear to the untrained eye which tooth is the root cause of the issue. Of course, as a medical professional, a dentist should usually be able to properly assess and treat the real problem. By treating the wrong tooth, the dentist is leaving the real problem untreated. This can lead to severe long-term complications.
Using Unsterilized Equipment
To protect the health of the patient, all dental equipment must be properly sterilized. Using unsterilized medical equipment can lead to a patient contracting an illness or an infection.
Failure to Properly Apply Anesthesia
Your mouth is very sensitive and dental procedures are often amongst the most painful medical operations. Fortunately, anesthesia can help to relieve pain and make dental procedures bearable. However, anesthesia is also a very dangerous drug. If it is not properly administered, the result can be severe, even life-altering, nerve damage.
Dentists and dental professionals have a legal duty to provide patients with quality medical care. If they fail to live up to this duty, it can result in dental patients suffering severe harm. Indeed, the failure to provide a sufficient quality of dental care is a form of medical malpractice.
Sadly, medical malpractice is a major problem in Clark County and throughout the state of Nevada. While many people do not realize it, dentists are often guilty of medical malpractice. According to a report from the American Board of Legal Medicine, almost 15 percent of all medical malpractice claims are related to dental treatment. For victims of dental malpractice, the road to recovery can be long. Victims need legal protection. If you or a loved one has been injured by a negligent dental professional, you need to speak to an experienced Las Vegas medical malpractice lawyer today.
Do I Have a Viable Malpractice Claim?
If your dental procedure went wrong, and you suffered damage as a result, you may have a viable malpractice claim. Determining whether or not dental malpractice actually occurred is extremely complex. As such, you owe it to yourself and to your family to have your case reviewed by a qualified attorney. Your attorney will be able to investigate your case and guide you through the legal claims process.
While all dental malpractice cases are fact specific, there are four different elements that must be satisfied to hold a medical professional liable for your damage:
- You must prove the existence of dentist-patient relationship;
- You must establish the standard of care that was owed by the dentist;
- You must prove that the dentist deviated from that required standard of care; and
- You must prove a causal link between the breach in the standard of care and your damages.
Compensation Available for Dental Malpractice Victims
After negligence has been established, a victim is entitled to recover compensation. In Nevada, dental malpractice victims, like all other medical malpractice victims, are entitled to seek compensation for the full extent of their losses. The level of compensation available for you will depend on the specific nature and extent of your damages. Generally, our team can help dental malpractice victims obtain compensation for any of the following:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages along with diminished earning capacity
- Long-term disability
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement
Contact Our Team Today
Substandard dental treatment can cause severe long-term damage. Victims of dental malpractice deserve to be compensated for their damages.
At the Ladah Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Las Vegas, our team has helped protect the rights and interests of many medical malpractice victims. If you have been the victim of dental malpractice in the Las Vegas area, contact us today to schedule a free consultation to review your case.
Call (702) 252-0055 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Las Vegas medical malpractice lawyer.