I went to my dentist to have two fillings done, he numbed my mouth and started working. After the drilling was done, he told me to wrinse and when I did I could feel pain in my cheek and it was pretty bad. My dentist had hit my cheek with the drill going and cut a whole it it the size of a pencil eraser and never told me. Later that night the cut started to swell pretty bad and then my cheek started filling up with air! The cut is pretty close to the nerve, about 1mm above it and I was worried so I called the hospital. They told me they couldnt do anything and to cover it and just sleep and it would heal. Well it did, but the wound closed up with air still in my cheek. So now it looks like I have a golf ball in my mouth all day long and I have a purple bruise on my cheek the size of a ½ dollar. I can barely open my mouth and it is very painful. I am worried of an infection or someting else going wrong and I am not sure if I can or should sue my dentist? Any advice?
2006-10-25 00:34:58 · 14 answers · asked by chelleighlee 4 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I hope he has good insurance to cover the costs. Go for it....something so routine shouldn't have been so screwed up.
If it was after lunch time...he may have been itoxicated.
2006-10-25 00:44:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Dentist's have you fill out a release form at the beginning of the procedure that say basically stuff can go wrong, it's not their fault, blah blah blah. If you signed it, you can try all you want to sue but that paper (which no one ever reads) will magically show up in court. You've signed that you understood the risks and potential complications (even though you didn't your signature says you did). so basically, no way to sue and win. BTW those things happen sometimes. Teeth can be harder to get out than they originally look on the films. Next time you need a tooth pulled, go to an oral surgeon to begin with. They are specialists and the extra money sounds like it would have been worth it.
2016-03-18 23:51:19 · answer #2 · answered by Frank 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Although you might be able to sue in the near future, what you need to concentrate on right now is to get the best dental care posible. If you are scared of this dentist then ask for your record and take it to another dentist. Your health, that is what matters right now, not punishing the dentist or getting money from him. Do forward him a copy of all your new bills and ask him to reimburse you and that you didnot go back to him because you were very traumatized and felt you could not trust him because he did not even tell you about the hole he made in your mouth. If he ignores you, then find a lawyer.
Good luck.
2006-10-25 03:23:37 · answer #3 · answered by TrueSoul 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First get a good doctor to make sure you get healing with no infection. Find out to what extent you can expect complete healing with this condition, and if not, what are your options. What is the best treatment you can have and what is it apt to cost?
And how much pain can you expect to put up with? And how long is healing likely to take? Is this going to keep you from work? What all precautions should you take?It may be that the only way you can pay for the treatment you need and deserve is to sue the dentist. He needs enough experience and training so that the public can trust him to do the job. After you get some information together, talk to a lawyer. Look for one who specializes in injury cases. He won't charge you unless you win the case. Pray to the Creator who made you to heal you of this injury now.He is aware of it and hears you.
2006-10-25 00:54:01 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sure you can sue your dentist. No, I think you shouldn't sue you dentist, because...so far, your bruise does not look like it has been infected, and though I do not have any medical experience, it will not turn into anything serious. For the sake of money and time, it is more effecient to go to a hospital and patch up there. That's my advice.
2006-10-25 00:59:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would go to another hospital, not the one you called, and get your cheek looked at. Then I would present the bills from that hospital and tell your dentist that he better pay for them or else you'll take him to court. You should also report him to an appropriate body that deals with such things, a medical board or such. Also, you should report the first hospital you called, since they didn't seem to give a flip about what happened to you. I would at least have expected them to say, "come on in, we'll look at your wound" or something to that effect. But yeah, you should do something about that dentist of yours, and also, don't pay for any of his services since he was careless, and you should also tell your insurance company, if you went through them. Your best bet would be to seek an attorney's advice, not the yahoo community. Good luck.
2006-10-25 00:48:29 · answer #6 · answered by morningstar 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should only sue if you have suffered monetary losses. You won't really know until you have incurred some bills.
If it doesn't cause you to lose your job and your insurance covers your medical bills, then you don't really have basis for a lawsuit.
If you decide not to sue, you can still report your dentist to the Better Business Bureau and find a new dentist.
2006-10-25 00:45:45 · answer #7 · answered by Elaura 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Seek the advice of another dentist first, to make sure that is what happened. If he/she confirms, then you should seek repairations for the bill and pain and suffering. I'm not saying sue for millions or anything like that! But you should not have to pay for his services!
2006-10-25 00:40:12 · answer #8 · answered by rebecca_sld 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
hey...
it definitely is negligence...
ur doc cud have tol' u after making the mistake...
making a mistake cannot be helped....
but hiding it, when it causes so much pain to another is bad...
this is definite negligence, and also plz get it properly checked up at another hospital first..... get an opinion on it, den sue ur dentist....
2006-10-25 00:50:01 · answer #9 · answered by Yash 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Why did you call the ER? Why wouldn't you call the dentist and listen to his solutions. I am sure he will be eager to help you with any issue that his office created. I really don't think that you have any reason to sue, because this isn't a lasting condition. You will be the one who is negligent if you don't call his office and inform them of your dilemma so that they can get you some antibiotics.
2006-10-25 00:43:17 · answer #10 · answered by DeltaQueen 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Get to hospital and have it checked out. You may need antibiotics as well. Request complete copy of dental records from your dentists, and medical records from the hospital. Then consult an attorney.
2006-10-25 00:37:24 · answer #11 · answered by kja63 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋