Dental Malpractice
Fry | Goehring successfully helps the injured recover the compensation they deserve.
Cases We Handle
Personal Injury
Dental Malpractice Lawyers in Atlanta
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who genuinely enjoys visiting a dentist, but unfortunately, it’s something that’s essential for our oral health.
Most of us have just come to expect some discomfort and maybe even a little pain from each visit, but one thing we shouldn’t expect is to leave the dentist suffering additional harm — such as tooth loss or severe nerve damage — because of a preventable medical error.
When you go to the dentist — whether for a routine exam or cleaning or a major dental procedure, such as dental crowns or dentures — you expect to be treated by a professional dentist and trained dental assistants who can provide appropriate care and get the job done right. You put a lot of trust in your dentist to perform all oral procedures with care and precision that meet expected medical standards. When dentists fail to live up to this standard, and a patient’s treatment is mishandled, the damage they face can be significant.
A botched dental procedure can lead to lasting mental, physical, and financial damages. If something goes wrong with your Atlanta dental procedure, contact the skilled dental malpractice lawyers at Fry | Goehring at 404-969-1284. Our legal team is here to protect the rights and future of innocent victims of dental malpractice.
What Is Dental Malpractice?
Dental malpractice works similarly to medical malpractice and occurs when treatment delivered by a dental assistant or dentist is substandard or negligent. Dental professionals owe their patients a duty of care, and breaching that duty may lead to permanent physical injury.
If you have suffered an erroneous injury due to a breach of duty, you have grounds to seek damages against the liable party. Dental malpractice encompasses many things, and you can suffer a dental injury in various ways. Some examples of dental malpractice include:
- Failure to diagnose oral disease or misdiagnosis of periodontal disease
- Inappropriate or improper treatment
- Wrong usage of dental equipment, causing lacerations
- Improper administration of anesthesia, leading to patient feeling pain
- Nerve laceration that leads to damage to the face, throat, teeth, lips, jaw, or tongue
- Not sterilizing dental instruments
- Disregarding treatment consent and continuing with additional procedures
- Performing an incorrect oral procedure on a patient
- Doing the procedure, but on the wrong patient
- Leaving dental objects inside the mouth
How Can an Atlanta Dental Malpractice Lawyer Help?
If you suffered an injury due to the negligent actions of a dentist or oral surgeon and you believe dental malpractice happened, you may have grounds to recoup money for lost income, medical expenses, and other damages. Here’s how our Atlanta dental malpractice attorneys at Fry | Goehring can help:
- Assess if your dentist acted negligently and breached their duty of care.
- Retain experts to show how the dentist violated their duty.
- Prove that you suffered harm due to the breach of care.
- Gathering and presenting proof supporting your claim.
Allow the Fry | Goehring legal team to help you recoup compensation to cater to your mounting medical costs, lost earnings, and the pain and suffering you endured. Here are some of the dental malpractice cases we handle:
- Failed dental implants
- Nerve damage
- Anesthesia errors
- Orthodontic failures
- Extraction injuries
- Root canals
- Infections and abscesses
- Defective crowns and bridges
- Wrongful death
Do I Have a Dental Malpractice Case?
Dental professionals have a duty of care to their patients and must take appropriate steps to guarantee their safety. If you were harmed due to the negligent actions of your dentist, you may have grounds to pursue a dental malpractice claim.
For your claim to be successful, you must prove four key elements.
- Prove Duty of Care. You must show that the dental professional owed you a duty of care. In contrast to other personal injury claims centered on ordinary negligence, dental malpractice claims are centered on the standard of care. This refers to the level of care other dental professionals would use under the same circumstances.
- Prove Professional Negligence or Medical Error. You must show that the dentist or their assistant breached their duty, committed a medical error, or acted negligently. This implies that they didn’t offer the standard of care in a way that resulted in your injuries. This can include wrong diagnosis, objects left in the mouth, anesthesia errors, etc.
- Prove Resulting Injury. You must prove that you suffered harm because of medical error or professional negligence. This can either be financial, emotional, or physical harm.
- Measurable Monetary Damages. You must show that you incurred countable monetary damages due to your injuries. You can recover both non-economic and economic damages.
The compassionate Atlanta dental malpractice lawyers at Fry | Goehring are your allies when your dental experience turns into a nightmare. We are here to help you heal, both physically and legally. So, if you’ve been through dental malpractice, don’t suffer in silence; reach out to us and let justice be served.
How Much Is My Dental Malpractice Case Worth?
Dental malpractice cases are varied and broad, and the factors surrounding each case are unique. The outcome of almost identical dental malpractice cases can vary depending on the facts of your claim and the extent of your dental injury. So, when asked how much your dental malpractice case is worth, the answer varies.
Different injuries that dental malpractice victims suffer include:
- Infections in the tongue, mouth, head and brain
- Pain and numbness in the jaw, chin, and lip from dental nerve injuries
- Lasting injuries to the tongue and nerves going to the tongue
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Uncontrolled bleeds
- Undetected cancers
- Brain injury resulting from infections
- Wrongful death
Suffering injuries because of dental malpractice often leads to significant damages. The different damages you might recover include:
Economic Damages
In medical malpractice, economic damages encompass financial losses, both current and anticipated, resulting from the incident. In instances where compensation may be appropriate, these damages may include medical expenses and bills, income that has been lost, as well as the potential to earn income in the future, expenses related to dental aids, prescribed medications, and costs associated with rehabilitation.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages are difficult to define since they are subjective in nature. Non-economic damages may include pain and suffering, mental distress, disfigurement, loss of consortium, and loss of quality of life.
If you experience injuries caused by your dentist or their assistants, it is your right to seek justice and compensation for the harm you have endured. You can hold your dentist accountable if their performance is subpar. Our proficient dental malpractice attorneys in Atlanta can assist you in seeking financial recovery, allowing you to move forward from the aftermath of dental malpractice.
Our Atlanta dental malpractice attorneys will help you accurately compute the damages you are owed.
Are There Damage Caps for Dental Malpractice Cases in Atlanta?
If you suffered a dental injury at the hands of a negligent dental professional, you can recoup damages depending on the circumstances of your case. If your dental malpractice claim is valid, you may be worried about how damage caps could affect the amount you recoup.
There is no cap on the damages you can recover for medical malpractice claims in Georgia. Although the Georgia General Assembly tried in 2005 to put a $350,000 cap on non-economic damages when dealing with medical malpractice claims, the Georgia Supreme Court overruled the decision and declared the non-economic cap unconstitutional.
Only punitive damages have a cap. They are rarely awarded but can be granted when it is proven the dentist acted maliciously or with gross misconduct. The cap for punitive damages stands at $250,000.
We’re Here To Help: Contact Our Dental Malpractice Lawyers in Atlanta Today
Dealing with a dental malpractice case can be overwhelming when you begin the legal process. However, we want to reassure you that you don’t have to go through this alone. Our team of experienced dental malpractice attorneys in Atlanta is here to support you and work tirelessly to secure the best possible outcome for your case.
Receiving dental care should never result in harm when a competent professional provides it. At Fry | Goehring, we genuinely care about your well-being and empathize with your difficulties. We are committed to providing assertive legal representation to ensure that the dental professional responsible for your suffering is held accountable for their actions or negligence.
Call Fry | Goehring today at 404-969-1284 to arrange a complimentary consultation with our Atlanta dental malpractice lawyers.
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