If you or your child has been a victim of orthodontic malpractice in New York City, you will no doubt need an expert in this field of dentistry to rectify the problem — assuming it can be rectified. More than that, you will need a skilled dental malpractice lawyer to fight for your right to just compensation. At Dental & Podiatry Malpractice Lawyers of New York, we have the experience and successful track record to provide you with strong legal representation
Why Orthodontic Mistakes May Be Serious
Although some people believe that orthodontia is only a cosmetic discipline, a competent orthodontist does much more than give you a more attractive smile. Orthodontic corrections of malocclusions — when a patient’s teeth or jaw do not fit together correctly — serve to:
- Restore proper bite function for comfortable, efficient eating
- Facilitate speech
- Preserve oral health
- Protect teeth from trauma
- Prevent future tooth damage and/or loss
Because orthodontic work is a serious business, orthodontic mistakes can lead to serious consequences. If you or your child has suffered one of the following mistakes, you may well have a viable malpractice claim. Let us evaluate the situation. If we determine that you have a winnable case, we will work hard to win you the damages you deserve to pay for medical and dental costs, pain and suffering, and, where applicable, lost income.
Potential Orthodontic Mistakes
Though most orthodontists are well-trained and capable, you may have had the misfortune of being in the hands of one who:
- Delayed the insertion of braces too long
- Improperly installed braces, headgear, or other dental appliances, so that they either didn’t achieve their intended goal or so that they caused oral injury or tooth loss
- Used improper instrumentation
- Used Invisalign improperly
- Caused infection due to faulty sterilization or for some other reason
- Failed to diagnose another oral problem, such as a mouth cancer
- Performed unnecessary painful or harmful procedures
- Failed to adjust braces as frequently as necessary, preventing the process of realignment from being completed
- Left braces in place for too short or too long a period of time, resulting in, respectively, incomplete realignment or overcorrection
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Failure to diagnose root resorption or causing root resorption
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Failure to have teeth extracted before starting treatment;
If you or your child has been left with an aesthetic defect, an incorrect bite, or some other injury, you should consult with an accomplished dental malpractice attorney to see if your case meets the legal standards of dental malpractice. If it does, you may be entitled to substantial damages. And you should be aware that our practice will not charge you any attorneys’ fees until we win your case.
Harm You or Your Child May Have Suffered Due to Orthodontic Malpractice
Unfortunately, orthodontic negligence may lead to long-term problems. Though problems caused by your dentist may be reparable, the means of repair may be time-consuming, uncomfortable or painful, and extremely expensive. Patients who have been mistreated by orthodontists may suffer one or more of the following as a result:
- Periodontal disease
- Incorrectly positioned teeth
- Tooth extractions
- Future oral surgeries
- Future orthodontic treatments
As anyone who has been through orthodontia knows, while the process has been made more streamlined in recent decades, it is still not something you want to go through again. At best, it involves an expenditure of time and a great deal of money, discomfort, inconvenience, and varying amounts of visible appliances in your mouth.
If you or your child has been harmed by your orthodontist’s negligence, you owe it to yourself and your family to consult with a strong dental malpractice attorney who will investigate your particular circumstances. If there are legal remedies available to provide you with economic relief, don’t you want to take advantage of them?