A dentist makes mistakes too, but this doesn’t justify their actions of being negligent on their responsibilities as a dentist. They are expected to give standard dental care and treatment to patients. Failing to give such standard service can be a problem to you in the future that is why it is better to be prepared and have a dental attorney when such a thing happens.
An incident happened in El Paso, Texas, on or about September 14, 2018, the Board received a complaint from a patient stating that she received substandard dental work completed by the dentist at a Dental Group, in that the dentist provided her 10-unit maxillary bridge which was not performed properly and dental work would need to be redone at an additional cost.
The records indicate that on or about May 15, 2018, the patient presented to the dentist for evaluation of a broken crown. The dentist performed an examination on the patient and took x-rays.
On or about May 17, 2018, the patient returned to the dentist, and the dentist removed her maxillary bridge, made an impression for a replacement maxillary bridge, and fabricated an interim bridge. The dentist determined that tooth # 10 was non-restorable and would need to be extracted. When the dentist was unable to extract the tooth, the dentist referred the patient to an oral surgeon for the extraction.
On or about May 24, 2018, the patient had tooth # 10 extracted by an oral surgeon and on or about May 24, 2018, after having tooth # 10 extracted, the patient returned to the dentist, who provided custom post and cores for teeth # 7, 8, and 11, and provided a 10-unit maxillary bridge on teeth # 4 through 13.
In response to the above incident, the dentist is subject to disciplinary action by the Board on the grounds of unprofessional conduct, in that the dentist was incompetent in his care and treatment of the patient as follows:
- The standard of care requires all new patients should have a periodontal charting conducted, oral cancer screening, blood pressure taken, medical history reviewed, and clinical comprehensive examination, including radiographs, are taken. The dentist’s chart notes do not contain any record of the Patient’s blood pressure, and no review of medical history is noted. In addition, there is also no record of a periodontal evaluation.
- The standard of care requires documentation to support what treatment was performed at an appointment. The dentist failed to document the anesthetic, crown material, and cement used. Further, the dentist’s treatment notes state that radiographs and photos were taken, but no photos were submitted to the Board. In addition, on May 24, 2018, the dentist attempted to extract tooth # 10 but was unable to and referred the patient to an oral surgeon for the extraction. There are no chart notes for the attempted extraction.
- The standard of care requires all treatment options offered to the patient to be documented, consent forms should be given to the patient and signed, and all questions answered once consent is reviewed and obtained by the patient. The dentist failed to obtain consent forms for the bridges; there are only consent forms for the dentures and anesthetic. In addition, there is no documentation for the treatment options given to the patient. Complainant refers to and by reference incorporates the allegations above, as though fully set forth herein.
The dentist even failed to hire a dental attorney to help him with the case he is facing. Don’t be like the dentist, you must know ways on how to face any cases such as hiring a dental attorney to effectively get the result you want.
Remember that a skilled dental attorney can greatly help you in major cases such as this. For assistance regarding your license case, it’s best to contact Dental Attorney Yong J. An by contacting him at (832) 428-5679.