The mere thought of a visit to a dentist may cause many people to break out into a cold sweat. The whining sound of the drill, the spray, the open mouth and jaw, and the assortment of instruments pinching your palate and tongue all add up to a very necessary, but unpleasant, experience.
In most cases, treatment concludes satisfactorily. The tooth is filled or extracted, the bridge is inserted, the cap is fitted, and the root canal work is concluded. But sometimes treatment does not end with a good result. An injury occurs or the result is unsatisfactory.
At TROLMAN GLASER CORLEY & LICHTMAN, P.C., our attorneys help people who have been injured because of a dentist’s negligence. We have the skills, experience and resources to file a suit seeking full money damages for your dental injuries.
Contact us today online or by telephone at (888) 627-4274 to speak with a knowledgeable New York City dental malpractice lawyer.
WHEN CAN A DENTIST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR A PATIENT’S INJURIES?
Dental malpractice lawsuits involve not only actions by a dentist that cause harm, but also a dentist’s failure to provide proper treatment. Failing to diagnose oral cancer or other serious problems can lead to claims of dentist malpractice.
Cases involving dental negligence include when a dentist:
- Fails to properly prepare and treat a patient’s teeth for a cap and crown
- Fails to stop the bleeding after an extract
- Spills acid on a patient during the course of treatment
- Unnecessarily removes healthy teeth
- Uses unclean or unsterilized instruments that cause an infection
- Breaks a patient’s jaw while using a mallet to remove an impacted tooth
- Extracts a tooth, but leaves the root in the patient’s jaw
- Pulls the wrong tooth while the patient is under anesthesia and thereafter pulls the right one
- Injures a patient’s nerves, affecting the patient’s ability to taste or causing the patient’s tongue to become permanently numb
These are just a few examples of situations in which patients were injured and dentists were held responsible.
In New York, there is a strict limitation of time in which a dentist can be sued for negligence. The law permits no case against a dentist more than 30 months after the last date of continuous dental treatment. Any case brought beyond that period of time is subject to dismissal.
CONTACT AN EXPERIENCED NEW YORK DENTAL MALPRACTICE LAWYER
Bringing a successful case against a dentist for injuries sustained by reason of malpractice can be difficult. There are many legal hurdles to overcome before the patient can collect any money damages, so it is important to talk to an experienced dental malpractice attorney. If you or a loved one has been injured at the dentist’s office, call (888) 627-4274 or contact our office online to schedule a free consultation with an experienced New York doctor negligence lawyer.