Dental malpractice effects many each year. According to the American Board of Legal Malpractice, about 13% of professional claims are filed against dentists. In most states dentists are aaccountable for their actions and injured patients have the right to file their complaints to their state’s dental board.
Dental malpractice is defined as a dentist who deviates from the dental standard of care and as a result his patient gets injured. The level of care is the dental standards that other dentists would have used within the community for a patient under similar circumstances.
The common forms of dental malpractice include:
Wrongfully administered anesthesia
Infections due to unsterilized dental equipment
Failure to treat and diagnose periodontal disease
Delays in treatment
Misdiagnosis
Unwanted extraction of teeth
If you or someone you know wants to file a dental malpractice claim, it is best to start with contacting your state’s dental board and registering your complaint. If the board feels that your complaint requires further investigation, an investigator will contact your dentist in writing.
If after the investigator contacts your dentist and feels that the complaint doesn’t warrant further investigation, you will receive a letter dismissing your complaint and giving you instructions on how to appeal.
The dentist has 30 days to respond to the letter and after the investigator reviews the letter, he/she will decide on how to proceed.
If you suspect something like root canal overfill, contact a malpractice lawyer immediately