Atlanta Injury Lawyers Blog1 out of 10 Dental Nerve Injuries in Georgia Caused by Implants
According to a recent article out of England, one out of 10 dental nerve injuries are caused by implants that damage the inferior alveolar nerve which runs under the teeth in the jaw. As an Atlanta attorney who handles dental malpractice cases on a regular basis, this confirms what I have observed over the last few years: dental implants, root canals, local anesthetic nerve block injections and extraction of mandibular wisdom teeth are the leading causes of dental nerve injuries that I encounter as a lawyer.The malpractice which is causing these injuries that are occurring at an alarming rate from dental implant procedures usually is one of the following:
- Failing to perform an adequate and sufficient pre-surgical implant placement work up and evaluation, including measurements so as to determine the depth of the available bone into which the implant could be placed without injury to the nerve;
- Failing to properly read the post-implant x-ray taken on the day the implant was placed, which shows the implant in the inferior alveolar nerve canal;
- Failing to take into account the location within the mandible of the inferior alveolar neurovascular nerve bundle so as to allow for the safe placement of the implant without invading the nerve and causing injury to the nerve;
- Placing the implant so as to violate the nerve canal and injure the inferior alveolar nerve canal;
- Failing to timely treat and/or remove the implant after becoming aware of complaints of numbness;
- Failing to adequately monitor the nerve injury and mitigate the consequences of the paresthesia after placement of the implants and failing to timely refer the injured patient to a nerve specialist.
What makes this especially distressing is the magnitude of the injury. If the injured client is lucky, they “only” suffer from numbness. However, a great deal of dental nerve injury victims suffer from a mind-numbing combination of paresthesia and horrific pain. I cannot overstate how devastating an injury this can be. In fact, long ago, this injury was referred to as the suicide injury. Why? Because it drove those suffering from it to attempt suicide to escape the debilitating effects of this combination of numbness and acute pain. While it is sometimes difficult to convey the magnitude of the injury to someone who has not suffered from it, anyone who has suffered this injury will readily agree on how serious this injury is.
Attorney Robert J. Fleming has been handling personal injury cases, dental malpractice and medical malpractice lawsuits for individuals and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 20 years in and around Atlanta, Georgia and its surrounding areas, including Alpharetta, Austell, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, College Park, Conyers, Duluth, Decatur, Doraville, Hapeville, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, and Smyrna. If you have been seriously injured as a result of a dental implant procedure and would like quality legal representation, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.
