Do I have a malpractice lawsuit against a dental company?

I went to a dental company on June 04 2011. While I was there for a routine dental check up, the dentist discovered a bad tooth. He said "that the tooth needed to be removed. At that time we went over different opinions I had to replace the tooth. I choose to have the dentist remove the tooth and place a bridge there. During the tooth extracting I was given several shots of numbing medicine which wasn't not working. I was letting the dentist know every time and she would still continue with the procedure disregarding my pain. When it came time to remove the tooth I was extreme pain and she continue to pull my tooth. When my tooth came I asked to see it cause something didn't feel right. I was told no they don't show the tooth.She then placed a temporary bridge in my mouth. He wrote me a prescription for a pain medication. When I got home I discovered that she had tore out the top part of my of my gum as well. When I called to report the extreme pain I was in, all that was said was that she would write another prescription for a pain medication. I ended up going into the dentist to let them see I was told it was healing just find. She had a head dentist look and he asked if I was taking the antibiotics that were given. I responded that I never got any. She then wrote a prescription for another medication, but by that time it was too late. I had an infection already. I ended going to the emergency room because there was too much pain and I wasn't getting any help at the dentist. When the doctor saw it, she was confused why the dentist left all my nerves exposed. She let me know I had a really bad infection. There is some more to the story. I am running out of typing space here. I have a picture and more to tell if someone would please contact me.
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Answered By: Andrew T. Velonis, P.C.
Dental/medical malpractice cases are always difficult to prove, as well as expensive and time consuming. Extractions necessarily include a possibility of complications, including damage to surrounding tissues, so it is possible that some of the injuries were unavoidable. As for the nerve exposure, pain and infection, there may be a failure to adhere to accepted practice, and resulting injury as well, but in order to be able to pursue it, we would have to show that the consequences are severe enough to merit recovery.

Answer Applies to: New York
Replied: 9/9/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

Answered By: Theodore W. Robinson, P.C.
You may have a dental malpractice case, but I doubt it. The reason is because you'd have to find a lawyer who would take on such a case and then he/she would have to find a dentist who would act as an expert witness on your behalf. For what the final outcome sounds like it was, there was not sufficient injury to warrant an attorney to make such an investment in time, energy and money to warrant a malpractice suit. Of course, there may be some attorney out there who is hungry enough to take on such a case, but even then, juries are regular people who have all experienced extreme pain when going to the dentist and they are not all that willing to award a lot of money if there was just pain because the Novocaine didn't work well or there was a subsequent infection - that is, unless there is a lot more to the story.

Answer Applies to: New York
Replied: 9/8/2011

Disclaimer: The response above does not form an attorney-client relationship. This answer may or may not apply to you and should not be relied upon as legal advice. LawQA does not make any representation as to the expertise or qualifications of this attorney. This attorney may or may not be admitted to state bar of your state.

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