Many Miami residents hate going to the dentist and might despise it even more after hearing this story. A man was suffering from tooth pain and allegedly ended up in further agony after a trip to his dentist left him with a broken tooth, shredded meniscus and the need for multiple surgeries to fix the damage. The man is now suing for medical malpractice.
The Louisiana man has filed a suit alleging multiple wrongdoings including negligence, use of an improper technique, lack of consent, improper use of tools and failure to refer him to an oral surgeon. He is suing for numerous damages, including medical and dental expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and physical impairment. The amount of money he is seeking is unknown.
The man’s drama unfolded in November of 2012 when he went to Daughters of Charity Foundation due to his tooth pain. The dentist advised that the best course of action would be to fill a cavity under the tooth’s crown. The dentist allegedly cracked the tooth during the procedure and extracted it.
This did not solve the problem. The man continued to feel pain at the extraction site and along his jawline. In April 2013, the man was diagnosed with a shredded meniscus. He will require surgery to fix the damage. In addition, the man will also need sinus surgery since residue from the extraction had gone up into his sinus cavity.
The issue here is whether or not the tooth was cracked during the procedure or before it. If it was cracked before, the dentist should have seen it and performed an appropriate procedure. Even if the dentist did crack the tooth, he should have been skilled enough to extract it without shredding the man’s meniscus. Now the man must have a skin graft or joint replacement – both very intense surgeries. It will now be left up to the courts to determine if the dentist was indeed negligent. If so, the man could end up with a settlement that would pay for his medical costs.
Source: The Louisiana Record, “Patient claims dentist lied about cracked tooth, sues for medical malpractice” Lizzy Fitzsousa, Apr. 29, 2014
