A number of different dental procedures result in the majority of dental malpractice claims in Georgia. As an Atlanta Dental Malpractice Attorney, I have noticed recently that the top five procedures that lead to dental injuries and malpractice claims are: Root Canals, Dental Implants, Crowns, Lower Molar Extractions and Jaw Surgery.
Root Canals on the lower teeth are especially problematic as many people can suffer serious dental injuries as a result of a root canal procedures. It is especially troubling for the injured patient when they seek relief from pain in the form of route canal yet wind up with a more serious condition as a result of the care and treatment rendered to them by the dentist that they went to for the relief of pain. However, serious injuries result from many root canal procedures because, many times, the root canal procedures are performed very close to anatomical landmarks in the jaw and face which are at risk of being injured if a root canal is not performed properly.
Dental implants are a doing growing area of dentistry that offers a viable alternative to traditional bridges and other false tooth devices which dentists have in the past used to replace teeth that were extracted. Once again, this is a great advancement in dentistry which comes with many caveats. What can be more frustrating for a dental patient than to spend the time and money on all of the different procedures that lead up to have a dental implant placement, yet leave the dental chair in worse condition than when they had started the dental implant procedure process.
A crown is used by dentists to restore a tooth that requires a large filling. We have seen a number of dental nerve injuries related to the placement of the crown, which should be considered a simple and safe procedure. When this occurs, a detailed analysis of all records is necessary in order to determine the etiology (or root cause) of the injury. In other words, placement of the crown should not result in serious dental injury, absent something extremely out of the ordinary.
Many people require extraction of wisdom teeth and other molars. However, many times extractions are done unnecessarily. Four instance, many older patients are advised to have all four of their wisdom teeth extracted when they are asymptomatic. This could lead to an injury from the malpractice that could have been avoided. In other words, if the unnecessary procedure was not performed, the injury would never have taken place. And, the procedure would never have been performed had the dentist operated under the applicable standard of care not.
Jaw surgeries and other procedures related to the jaw obviously carry great risks. The dentist must perform all care and treatment while performing these procedures within the applicable standard of care. If not, there is a great risk of injury resulting from dental procedures performed below the standard care.
Attorney Robert J. Fleming has been handling wrongful death cases, automobile accident cases, 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 and would like quality legal representation, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.