Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers selectively handles dental malpractice cases. Complete the free case evaluation form on this page in detail if you or a loved one has experienced either of the following dental injuries:
- Lingual nerve transection from lower wisdom tooth extraction
- Inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injury from a lower dental implant
Lingual nerve transections involve loss of taste and sensation on the affected side of the tongue, the floor of the mouth, and tongue-side gum tissue.
IAN injuries commonly result in nerve damage which causes numbness in the chin, lower lip and gum tissue on the affected side.
We handle these cases with qualified experts.
If you or a loved one has experienced either of the above injuries, or if you are a lawyer and a client of yours has experienced either of the above injuries, we are happy to help. We will answer any questions and represent affected individuals throughout California and nationwide.
We will handle your dental malpractice claim on a contingency fee basis, which means that we will not charge you any fee until and unless we recover financial compensation for you. You will not be charged any upfront or out-of-pocket fees, as our only fee is a percentage of any money we recover for you.
We have been handling dental and medical malpractice cases since 1990 and have recovered over $750,000,000 for our clients. Our dental malpractice lawyers have vast experience handling cases like yours and that experience will allow us to recover the most money possible on your behalf.
Complete the free case evaluation form on this page in detail if you or a loved one has suffered a lingual nerve transection or an IAN injury. You may qualify for financial compensation via a dental malpractice lawsuit.
How Much Can You Sue for Dental Malpractice?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. All dental malpractice claims are unique. The value of your dental malpractice case will depend upon the individual circumstances of your case.
The value of your case will depend upon the specific damages that you suffered. Damages which our dental malpractice attorneys can help you recover financial compensation for include:
Medical Bills
A dental malpractice attorney at our firm can help you recover compensation which will cover your past and future medical expenses which are related to injuries you suffered due to malpractice. This may include costs which are associated with necessary healthcare services such as dental procedures, corrective treatments, medications, surgeries or physical therapy.
Lost Wages and Lost Income
If you have had to miss work or your ability to earn yourself a living has been negatively impacted by your dental injuries, our personal injury lawyers can help you recover compensation for the wages you lost and the income you lost while you recovered. We can also help you recover compensation for any future loss or reduction of your earning capacity should your ability to do your job be permanently affected by dental negligence.
Pain and Suffering
When dental malpractice occurs, the results can lead to physical pain and mental suffering. You may endure emotional distress and the quality of your life may be diminished. We can help you recover compensation for the physical pain, mental suffering and emotional trauma which were caused by the negligence of a dental care provider.
Future Support and Care
If a botched dental procedure has left you with permanent or long-term disabilities, we can help you recover compensation for future support and care needs. This may include necessary accommodations such as assistive devices, speech therapy or injury rehabilitation.
Punitive Damages
Not all dental negligence cases will involve punitive damages. However, sometimes, when the conduct of dentists is particularly intentional or appalling, your lawyer might seek punitive damages intended to punish the dentist and discourage future similar behavior.
Can You Sue a Dentist for Malpractice?
When it comes to dental malpractice matters, numerous parties could be held liable and could be possibly sued depending upon the case’s specific circumstances. Key parties who may be sued for negligent dental care include:
Dentists
The dentist, or the oral healthcare professional who is directly responsible for treatment, is often the primary focus when a dental malpractice lawsuit is filed. When dentists don’t meet the stringent standard of care which is expected of them and this leads to harm to patients, the dentists can be held liable for their omissions or actions.
Dental Staff
Staff members such as dental hygienists or dental assistants involved in the treatment of patients may be held liable when their actions or negligence contribute to patients being injured. Examples include dental assistants not administering anesthesia properly or not following sterilization protocols.
Dental Practices or Clinics
The dental practice or clinic where negligence occurred may potentially be sued. This can occur when the protocols or policies of a dental office contribute to a patient being injured. Practices may sometimes share liability with individual dentists.
Dental Labs
Dental laboratories create dental prosthetics like dentures, bridges and crowns. If a substandard or defective product harms a patient, the dental lab which created it may be held liable for the harm.
Dental Product Manufacturers
When patients are harmed by defective dental products like defective dental implants, the distributor or manufacturer of these products can be held liable for any injuries which occur.
Lingual Nerve Injuries
The lingual nerve branches off the mandibular nerve and provides sensory stimulation which lets you experience tongue sensations and taste. The nerve runs along the front of the tongue and carries taste bud cells.
You can thank your lingual nerve for the flavors of foods you enjoy and curse your lingual nerve for the pain you feel when you burn your tongue on food that is too hot. However, its ability to detect pain is also important for your safety. If you couldn’t detect that food is too hot or that you’re biting into your own tongue, you could damage your tongue or mouth further and not feel a thing.
The removal of lower wisdom teeth is the most common dental procedure which can lead to damage to the lingual nerve. Methods have been developed by dental professionals to reduce the chances of this type of injury occurring. However, these injuries still occur, and sometimes they occur due to negligence.
Lingual Nerve Transection Symptoms
If you have suffered a lingual nerve transection during a lower wisdom tooth extraction, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Problems eating or speaking
- An altered sense of taste
- Altered sensation in your lower lip, chin or tongue which is similar to the sensation you feel after your mouth is numbed for dental procedures or as anesthesia wears off slowly
- Pain or a burning sensation
Since lingual nerve injuries affect tasting and speaking, they can affect your everyday life. Fortunately, most of these injuries are temporary. Most of these injuries heal by themselves after eight weeks.
If your injury lasts over six months, though, the injury is likely permanent. This can not only cause physical symptoms but can also make it harder to socialize and may lead to emotional issues.
Fill out the free case evaluation form on this page in detail if you or a loved one has suffered a lingual nerve injury after having a lower wisdom tooth extracted. We can help you recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering and more.
Inferior Alveolar Nerve (IAN) Injuries
The inferior alveolar nerve runs through the middle of the mandible, or jawbone. This nerve provides sensation to the lower teeth and their gingiva in addition to a small part of the face.
This nerve may be damaged by dentists if they drill too deeply into the mandible or jawbone, puncturing the inferior alveolar nerve canal. This is known as implant drill intrusion. Sometimes severe cases of this occur where dentists drill completely through this canal.
This nerve can also be injured when dentists compress this nerve with dental implants, or screw implants into the inferior alveolar nerve canal. When dentists place implant posts into bone, the apex or tip of the implants can get too close to this nerve and press upon the nerve canal. The implants may also compress the inferior alveolar canal’s top, leading to the canal’s roof cracking. This can lead to permanent nerve damage during implant procedures, or damage the nerve post-procedure when the implant presses down on the nerve for too long.
Serious cases sometimes occur where implants are screwed completely into or through the nerve canal, leading to the nerve being severed or directly damaged.
The nerve can also be damaged when the surrounding tissues are damaged by a dentist, leading to swelling around the nerve which can put pressure on the nerve. This swelling can lead to permanent nerve damage and serious pain if left untreated.
The nerve can be damaged by the heat from a drill drilling into bone when dentists carelessly let drills heat past safe temperatures.
Inferior Alveolar Nerve Injury Symptoms
The symptoms of an injury to the inferior alveolar nerve include:
- Numbness in the lower lip, chin or around your lower teeth
- Abnormal sensations such as tingling or sensations which feel like an electrical shock
- Pain
- Problems opening your mouth
- Impaired speech
- Drooling
IAN injury can also lead to a rare condition known as anesthesia dolorosa involving constant pain occurring in areas which have lost sensation. This can lead to persistent pain in the teeth, gums, chin or lower lip despite these areas having numbness or sensation which is altered.
Another chronic pain condition which can be caused by IAN injury is trigeminal neuralgia, which can lead to severe, sudden facial pain which is triggered by brushing teeth, chewing or speaking.
Fill out this page’s free case evaluation form in detail if you or a loved one has suffered an IAN injury after receiving a lower dental implant. You may be eligible for financial compensation in a lawsuit.
Is There a Time Limit to File a Dental Malpractice Claim in California?
You should fill out the free case evaluation form on this page in detail immediately if you or a loved one has suffered a dental injury due to malpractice. There is a time limit to file a lawsuit when dental malpractice occurs in California. This time limit is called a statute of limitations, and the statute of limitations for these claims in California is three years post-injury or one year after you discover your injury – whichever happens first. This means that you will usually have only a single year to file a dental malpractice lawsuit.
It’s better to fill out this page’s free case evaluation form today rather than wait until the last minute though, since it can take quite a while to put together a convincing dental malpractice case. Contacting us today gives us the best opportunity possible to build a strong case on your behalf and make sure everything gets filed on time.
Remember: we won’t charge you any fee until and unless we obtain a recovery for you, so there is no risk behind contacting us today.
Fill out this page’s free case evaluation form today.
