Atlanta Injury Lawyers BlogAtlanta Dental Patients with Little Recourse
The mouth is an important part of our ability to function as humans in society. We use it to eat, drink, and communicate with each other. We take the mouth largely for granted, until there is a problem. We then trust a dentist or an orthodontist to fix that problem. But sometimes dental professionals fail to perform adequately. In that case, the patient should look into their legal options.
An article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) regarding the shutdown of Allcare Dental and Dentures illustrates the dangers of being complacent about dental care. The company abruptly closed 38 offices across 15 states after repeated complaints about poor care. The sudden closures left patients with unfinished care and inaccessible records. Poor dental care can result in permanent nerve damage which often leads to numbness and/or sharp pain in the jaw, tongue and lips. Other large dental practices that have a presence in Georgia are Coast Dental, DentFirst and Great Expressions. The level of dental care varies greatly. When large dental groups put profits over quality care, there is a propensity to not provide the level of care that satisfy the standard of care. It must be stressed that not all sloppy dentistry rises to the level of malpractice, but each case is different and many bad outcomes in the dental chair are due to malpractice. If this malpractice has resulted in a serious injury from a dental procedure, you should contact a competent lawyer who specializes in dental malpractice to thoroughly investigate (1) the dental procedure in question; (2) the standard of care required for that particular procedure; (3) whether the standard of care was breach; (4) whether the breach of the standard of care resulted in the injuries that you are complaining about; and (5) whether the injuries you are complaining about are serious enough to warrant a dental malpractice lawsuit.
Most dental malpractice cases are secondary to extractions of molars, root canal procedures, improperly installed dental implants, and dental injections which result in nerve injury. Complications from molar extractions that commonly lead to malpractice claims include infections requiring hospitalization (including osteomyelitis, which is an infection of the jaw bone), severed lingual nerves, severed inferior alveolar nerves, sinus perforation when extracting maxillary teeth, fractured jaw, and the extraction of the wrong tooth. Complications from root canals include infections requiring hospitalization, nerve damage, sinus perforation, and air embolism (subcutaneous emphysema). Common complications leading to malpractice claims following the improper placement of dental implants include severed nerves, permanent numbness and pain.
Robert J. Fleming has been handling wrongful death cases, dental malpractice, bus accidents, car accident cases and premises injury cases 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. He practices in and around the Atlanta area including handling lawsuits in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Gwinnett, Cobb and other counties and nearby cities 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 by suspected dental malpractice and would like to discuss your case, contact Robert J. Fleming directly on (404) 525-5150 or contact us online.
