Dental malpractice occurs when a dentist fails to provide adequate care, causing harm to the patient. Patients can sue for damages, and dentists have malpractice insurance. Mistakes, even unintentional, can lead to a lawsuit if the dentist did not provide due care. Dentists use procedures to protect patients, but malpractice is still a risk. Insurance covers damages.
Dental malpractice is a form of malpractice in which a dentist fails to provide an adequate standard of care for a patient and the patient suffers harm as a result. Patients can sue for damages, raise money to pay for any necessary medical treatment, as well as any pain and suffering the patient may have experienced. Dentists and other medical professionals have malpractice insurance to help them respond to lawsuits and cover any damage claims.
Dentists are held to a high standard of professional care because they receive advanced training and professional certifications, and clients expect their dentists to provide appropriate treatment. A dentist who injures a patient by not following industry standards and practices, such as checking for allergies, ensuring equipment is sterile, or confirming a patient’s wishes regarding a procedure, is committing malpractice. Mistakes, even if unintentional, can be grounds for a dental malpractice lawsuit if a patient can demonstrate that the dentist did not give due care.
For example, if a patient experiences a severe reaction to latex gloves during dental surgery and has no history of latex allergies, it is not dental malpractice. The dentist checked the patient’s medical records and interviewed the patient to determine that latex gloves shouldn’t be a problem. If the patient experiences a reaction and has had reactions before, the dentist may be held at fault, because he has not checked the patient’s medical records or asked the patient directly about any known allergies.
Dental malpractice can potentially leave patients with very large medical bills. They may need additional surgery to correct unfinished or inappropriately formed procedures. It’s also possible to experience complications that can cause chronic disease and other problems. A dentist may, for example, extract the wrong teeth, forcing the patient to have multiple extractions to extract the correct teeth and causing permanent discomfort to the patient. In some cases, it can even be fatal, in which case the patient’s survivors could file a lawsuit to recover compensation for the loss of a family member.
Dentists use numerous procedures to protect their patients and maintain safe working conditions in their clinics. These include properly training staff, using informed consent for procedures, and interviewing patients thoroughly to take a complete medical history. Even with these measures, dental malpractice can be a risk, and most dentists have insurance so that in the event of a lawsuit and damages, the insurance pays out.
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