My roomate has had at least six root canals, six crowns and twice in one year had the same tooth infected resulting in a trip to the hospital.
Today she went to the same dentist she has always gone to because she felt like the infected tooth she had replaced with a crown had some discomfort and "tasted gross". Anyway the dentist told her that it was infected again and she would need a replacement crown because the old one allowed bacteria to harbor under the crown. She still owes $ 400 for the procedure done three months ago of removing the infected tooth, antibiotics for two weeks and a new crown, on the very same tooth that needs replaced now!
she doesnt necessarily want to sue for anything more than the cost of getting the tooth fixed, hopefully for good this time because she doenst think she should have to pay for the same procedure again when it should have been done right in the first place.
what do you think? Is it a case she could win?
oh and for anyone in the field of dentistry, is this a common problem? Does she even have grounds for a malpractice lawsuit? I hate to see innocent people get sued so I would like to know if it was just coincidence or not the dentists fault..
RAB in Venus TX
First, she needs to get a second opinion from another dentist; then, she needs to get an opinion from a malpractice attorney.
toothfairy.2006
I really don't think she would win a law suit against the dentist because nothing is guaranteed in the world of dentistry. When you get a root canal, the nerve is removed leaving the tooth dead. Then the tooth is reduced down in size so a crown can be placed. Sometimes it can be very difficult to keep the crown clean. You have to floss really well all the time. The bad taste in her mouth is probably infection. A root canaled tooth can reabcess. In this case, she would have to take antibiotics to clear up some of the infection and have the tooth removed. It is important to be on antibiotics because if there is infection, it would be hard to get her numb. Also. if he told her she needed to have a crown replaced, the dentist does not have the crown there in his office. He would have to sent an order off to the lab. She would more than likely have to pay the lab costs because the lab charges the dentist. If she is this unsure, her best bet would be to go get a second oppinion. Hope this helps alittle.
justine
Did this one dentist do the root canal and the crown on your roommate? If she's having that much trouble with this one tooth, I would start to wonder if she has a cracked root. I would HIGHLY recommend that she visit an endodontist office (dentist who specializes in root canals). He'll be able to tell her why this tooth keeps getting infected.
slapshot
If she has had at least 6 root canal treated teeth and only one has been giving her problems afterward, she should consider herself lucky. The fact that the root canals were necessary in the first place indicates some dental neglect on her part. It is almost impossible to find fault with the dentist when a history of infection has been established in a patient. If problems persist for multiple visits with a root canal treated tooth and no referral is ever made to an endodontist for consultation, THEN a case can be made for failure to refer within the guidelines of the "standard of care." This would only result in her regaining the costs of treating the tooth in question, however. She should talk to the dentist and find out if he/she thinks that she should see a specialist. Lawyer fees and time spent in deposition will most likely not be worth it. I hope she feels better and has better luck in the future.
Orignal From: does this sound like a viable medical malpractice lawsuit to you?
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