The American Bar Association (ABA) notes that dentists are among the medical professionals who may be capable of malpractice. Your mouth may be critical to your wellness, as the Mayo Clinic describes your oral health as “a window to your overall health,” and a dental professional who inflicts harm to you could do significant damage.
If you or a loved one suffered harm after a dental procedure, a Nashville dental malpractice lawyer may be able to help you seek compensation for your losses. Call The Cochran Firm – Nashville today at (615) 651-7451 for a free consultation about your dental malpractice claim.
Standards for Determining Dental Malpractice
The ABA lays out some of the elements of a malpractice claim that may ultimately determine if a lawsuit is successful or not. Some considerations that may play a role in your lawsuit include:
- What expert testimony paints as accepted dental practice
- What the dentist or dental employee named in your lawsuit did in comparison to accepted dental practices
- Whether the dental professional was, in fact, negligent in their action or inaction
Some other considerations that may influence the outcome of any dental malpractice lawsuit that you bring may include:
- The extent to which you are able to prove a certain individual was responsible for harm that you have suffered
- The extent to which you can document the harm that you have suffered
- Whether or not there are witnesses to the alleged malpractice who are willing to provide testimony on your behalf
If a jury or judge believes that actions affecting you or your loved one qualify as dental malpractice, then you may be able to collect compensation for the losses you have suffered.
A Lawyer on Our Team May Attempt to Prove Your Negligence Claim
A lawyer may be able to prove that you were the victim of a dental professional’s negligence by:
- Proving that you had a patient-dentist relationship with the person you are alleging malpractice against, by establishing that you paid for their services
- Establishing that the dentist owed you a duty of care, which may be self-evident through the fact that you paid them to be your dentist
- Showing how the dentist breached their duty of care to you, which may come from any action or failures to act that fall outside of accepted dental practices
- Establishing an action-causation link between the actions (or inactions) of the dentist and the harm that you have suffered
A lawyer may rely on several resources, such as evidence and witness testimony, as they attempt to prove that a dental professional caused you harm. Call The Cochran Firm – Nashville today at (615) 651-7451 for a free consultation about the ways in which a Nashville dental malpractice lawyer may fight for justice on your behalf.
For a free legal consultation with a dental malpractice lawyer serving Nashville, call 615-651-7451
Forms of Dental Malpractice
Any of the following can be the grounds for a dental malpractice claim:
- Allowing a patient to ingest dental equipment, or another object that they should not, during a procedure
- Failure to diagnose conditions that could cause a patient harm, whether in the immediate or long-term future
- Misdiagnosing one or more conditions, which could result in unnecessary dental procedures
- Committing errors during dental procedures that result in harm that is not considered an anticipated outcome of that specific procedure
- Breaking instruments inside of a patient’s oral cavity
There may be several factors that could lead to a dental error. These could include:
- A dentist generally placing profit over care, which may result in them rushing interactions with their patients as they attempt to see the most possible patients in a given workday
- A dentist being in a mental or physical state that prevents them from doing their job effectively
- A dentist employing those who are not equipped to do their job effectively for any reason
- A dentist being error-prone for any reason, as intent or reasoning is not necessarily relevant when negligence occurs. The fact that you were harmed and a dentist or their employee could be responsible for that injury may matter most
A lawyer may process and organize the specific facts of your case in order to compose the argument that you or your loved one was the victim of dental malpractice.
How a Lawyer May Be Able to Help Your Dental Malpractice Case
If you choose to accept assistance from a lawyer in the aftermath of a potential dental malpractice incident, then your lawyer may:
- Collect all of the available facts of your case
- Gather all available evidence pertaining to your case
- Interview witnesses who may be able to provide insight into the cause of the harm that you suffered, and the role a dentist may have played in inflicting said harm
- Employ expert witnesses, who may testify to accepted dental standards and how the dentist in question may have defied those standards in a negligent manner
- File your lawsuit and any subsequent paperwork required to move your case forward
- Negotiate a settlement on your behalf
- Complete a trial if need be
- Defend your rights
Some of the losses for which your lawyer may seek compensation include:
- The cost of the appointment during which the negligent act occurred
- The cost of any procedures you required to correct a dentist’s error
- Pain and suffering caused by your dental ordeal
- Income you have lost due to your injuries
- Any other harm that has resulted from the incident
Nashville Dental Malpractice Lawyer Near Me 615-651-7451
Call The Cochran Firm – Nashville Today
A Nashville dental malpractice lawyer may assess the facts of your dental malpractice claim and advise you on possible options for seeking compensation, which may include a lawsuit. Call The Cochran Firm – Nashville today at (615) 651-7451 for a free consultation about the compensation you may be entitled to for a dental malpractice incident.
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