Dental Malpractice

Helpful Tips for a Dental Malpractice case

Obtain full copies of your medical and billing records from the dentists at fault.

Obtain all x-rays from the dentist.

Get the names of any witnesses, including nurses to what occurred.

Make a list of all doctors and hospitals you treated with and the dates of treatment.

Contact a New York dental malpractice lawyer  immediately to protect your rights.

To prove dental malpractice, the dentist, orthodontist, or nurse must have “departed” from the accepted standards of medical care. For malpractice, the mistake must be of such a kind that other doctors with the same medical training would find the medical care unacceptable.

Also necessary to prove dental malpractice is showing that the “departure” of medical care was a “substantial factor” in causing injury to the patient.  Not all mistakes by dentists and orthodontists cause injury to the patient.  However, if a doctor fails to properly treat a patient and this departure results in an injury to the patient, then the doctor will be liable for malpractice.  A minor injury will usually not warrant bringing a lawsuit.

A separate cause of action also exists pursuant to the NYS Public Health Law for “lack of informed consent.”  If a dentist fails to properly advise a patient concerning the risks and alternatives of an elective medical procedure, then the dentist may have violated the informed consent law.

Many cases of dental malpractice involve periodontal disease, or gum disease, that is not timely diagnosed or properly treated.  Other frequent dental malpractice cases involve nerve damage caused during a procedure.  However, this list is by no means exhaustive of the possible types of dental malpractice.  Strict time limitations exist to commence a suit for dental malpractice.  In New York State, the time to commence a dental malpractice action may depend upon who is injured, who the potential defendant is, as well as the enactment of new laws and judicial decisions interpreting the law.  Computing the time limitations is not a simple matter and a person should promptly consult an experienced New York Dental  malpractice attorney once he or she suspects wrongdoing.