This article discusses dental malpractice resulting from a piece or pieces of dental instruments being left inside the patient’s mouth or jaw.

1. Open Wide: Dental Malpractice

3. In most cases when something thinks about dental care, the last thing they think about
is the need for surgery. However, when surgery is necessary in order to adjust or
resolve a dental issue, there is a possibility that the dentist may leave some part of his
or her equipment in the jaw or mouth, if the dentist is not as attentive as he or she
ought to be. This results in what is referred to as dental malpractice.
In instances where a surgical procedure or treatment leads to the use of equipment
while working on the jaw or within the mouth, as with all forms of surgery, errors are
bound to occur. One of the worst types of medical errors that can occur is one in which
an instrument is left inside areas that could become infected or damage parts of the
tooth or mouth. In cases where a dentist is unable to remove it or was not aware that
one of his or her tools has broken during the procedure this forms grounds for dental
malpractice. One article points out that, “the victim often needs another dentist or
medical practitioner to resolve the matter which increases costs for him or her”.
At times, it is a routine procedure done by a dentist, such as a tooth extraction,
whereby a tool could break during the treatment. In other instances, the dentist is
unable to find the broken pieces or may be unaware that anything happened. In some
instances, the broken bits are so small that the individual may not even become aware
of an issue until an infection or pain occurs later. If undetected the problem may persist
or become worse over time. When the infection is treated with medication this does
not resolve the issue as it is necessary to remove the broken pieces of instrument.

4. A Crowson Law Group attorney stated the following; “It is at the point of discovery of
the broken pieces that a dental malpractice suit is born. The Alaska statute of
limitations is limited to 2 years after discovery of the injury or harm. As a result, an
injured patient must file the dental malpractice lawsuit within 2 years of discovering
that pieces of the dental instruments were left in their mouth.”
Once the patient discovers that there are broken instrument pieces in his or her mouth,
there are many options to pursue. One article notes that, “For a quick fix or immediate
remedy, the patient could contact the same or another dentist for removal. If the same
dentist is used, the dentist could perform the procedure free of charge.” However, the
incident may lead to litigation in many cases. It should be noted that while the patient
may receive compensation, such compensation can be reduced if the patient is
partially at fault as a result of moving, jerking quickly or distracting the dentist while he
or she has the instrument in the mouth.
In most medical or dental malpractice cases plaintiffs choose to settle out of court.
Such actions may result in the case being confidential and depending on the
Anchorage medical malpractice attorney handling the case, it could result in fair
compensation for the patient.

5. About the company:
Crowson Law Group is a law firm of renowned professionals who focus solely on
personal injury matters including medical malpractice lawsuits. If you are looking for a
top attorney in Anchorage who focuses on medical malpractice lawsuits, contact
Crowson Law Group today.
Source- https://www.openpr.com/news/1486046/Open-Wide-Dental-
Malpractice.html