Choosing Dentist Wisely Could Avoid Georgia Dental Malpractice

According to a recent article, a husband and wife told detectives in Florida that they were introduced to a man by a mutual friend and that in later social interactions the man told them he was a dentist and had a dental practice in South Carolina before moving to Florida. The couple said they paid the man cash and that he had offered to do the work from home to keep costs low. However, when he extracted the wife’s tooth and left leaving a tooth fragment (or root tip) behind, causing her medical complications, the couple began their own research and soon discovered that the man was not a dentist. The couple also told detectives about another potential patient they had introduced to the man before knowing he wasn’t a dentist. When detectives met with that patient, they told police that the man had pulled about 10 teeth without anesthetic for him and made him dentures. According to the article, the man accused of posing as a licensed dentist was contacted by a detective, working undercover, and also arranged to meet him for dental work, according to investigators.

While these patients apparently did not use much investigative prowess in selecting their dentist, it is important for you to choose your dentist wisely. The best method is to talk with friends and other people who you trust (such as your attorney, or better yet an attorney such as Robert J. Fleming, who regularly handles dental malpractice claims) and get recommendations for dentists that these people have direct knowledge of. Care should be taken to select a dentist who is competent in the procedure for which you need care. Extractions, root canals, dental implants and other procedures are complex and only a general dentist who is trained in and skilled in the specific procedure should be chosen. Better yet, choose a specialist who has additional training and experience in the area that you need dental work in. For instance, a complex extraction might best be performed by a skilled oral surgeon rather than you general dentist; a complicated root canal with curved roots might best be performed by an Endodontist who has experience with these types of root canals and so on. Why: Because many of the procedures require expertise and can easily end up causing dental injuries due to malpractice if performed by a dentist who does not have the training, experience and skill to perform the procedure according to the standard of care.

Attorney Robert J. Fleming has been handling 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.