Dental Malpractice

Dentophobia is the fear of dentistry and/or receiving oral care. For some people, what should be an easy bi-annual check up in which teeth are cleaned and checked for cavities becomes a waking nightmare in which the dentist plays the villain.

In reality, there typically is no reason to fear routine dental visits, but there are certain cases in which dentists act negligently and can in fact cause injury to their patients. Injuries sustained by a dentist can be grounds for a dental malpractice suit.

What Qualifies as Dental Malpractice?

As a medical professional, it is a dentist’s duty to act in the best interest of his or her patients. There are certain acknowledged standards in the field of dentistry which any working dentist is expected to adhere to. There are a number of things a dentist can do that may result in a dental malpractice suit, but some of the more common cases involve:

• Poor medical workmanship-partially completed and poorly executed crowns, bridges or fillings can lead to serious infection in patients.
• Failure to diagnose-this type of malpractice is very common among doctors but it also applies to dentists. Dentists are responsible for detecting diseases such as periodontal disease as well as a number of different oral cancers.
• Extraction mishaps-when the wrong teeth are extracted on accident.

Contact Us

If you or a loved one has suffered injury at the hands of a negligent dentist, the St. Petersburg personal injury lawyers of Beltz & Ruth, P.A. can help you take legal action. To speak with us about your situation, contact our offices today at 800-931-4369.