A female patient was injured during the installation of a dental implant procedure due to the alleged negligence of the general dentist, who failed to adequately measure the distance of the tooth to the underlying dental nerve. The plaintiff claimed that the failure to properly measure the distance to the nerve caused the inferior alveolar nerve injury and related damages.
A lot has been written about whether the course of the inferior alveolar nerve can been seen radiographically. The course of the lingual nerve and the inferior alveolar nerve and seen with high resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging (HR-MRI). This procedure will result in a 3-D image of the course of the nerve and can be used to plot many dental procedures such as root canals, extractions and dental implant procedures. Importantly, the lingual nerve is in the jaw on the other side of the lingual plate from the teeth, while the inferior alveolar nerve runs lengthwise in the jaw under the mandibular teeth. Inside the inferior alveolar nerve is the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle, which, once again, can be seen on HR-MRI films.
Almost all operative dental procedures in the mandible require Pre-operative assessment of the position and course of the trigeminal nerves in the mandible. While some general dentists rely on x-rays to map these nerves, a cone beam CT Scan, at a minimum, is required because x-rays are not 3 dimensional and do not have the accuracy of a cone beam CT scan. For this reason, a cone beam CT scan is the standard of care during pre-operative planning for many dental procedures and failure to utilize this results in dental malpractice. The use of plain radiographs (x-rays) such as periapical films is not routinely used in Georgia and is not within the standard of care to assess risk of a dental nerve injury prior to one of the dental procedures listed above. CBCT provides a 3 dimensional look of the anatomy including the nerves with much less radiation exposure to the patient and is far superior to x-rays due to the minimal distortion compared to traditional x-rays. CBCT can be used for pre-operative dental procedure risk assessment.
For over 25 years, Attorney Robert J. Fleming has been handling dental and medical malpractice lawsuits for individuals and families who have been injured or died as a result of the negligence or malpractice of others in the Atlanta, Georgia area. He is a partner in the law firm of Katz & Fleming LLC and regularly handles cases in Atlanta as well as Alpharetta, Brookhaven, College Park, Duluth, Decatur, Doraville, Johns Creek, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Norcross, Peachtree City, Riverdale, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Stone Mountain, Smyrna, Peachtree City, and other cities in Georgia. He is committed to making a difference in his clients’ lives. If you or a family member have been seriously injured or died as a result of negligence and would like quality legal representation or if you would just like to consult about a potential case, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.