{"id":368866,"date":"2023-04-12T17:16:57","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T22:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/litigation\/filing-a-lawsuit\/can-i-sue-a-child-focused-dentist.html"},"modified":"2023-04-12T17:24:33","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T22:24:33","slug":"can-i-sue-a-child-focused-dentist","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/litigation\/filing-a-lawsuit\/can-i-sue-a-child-focused-dentist.html","title":{"rendered":"Can I Sue a Pediatric Dentist?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-page-articles fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">Can I Sue a Pediatric Dentist?<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/robert-rafii-esq\/\">Robert Rafii, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by <a\n                href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/steven-ellison-esq\/\">Steven Ellison, Esq.<\/a>\n                | Last updated\n        <time>\n                            April 12, 2023\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n    <div class=\"fl-callout-text article-blockquote\">\n        <p>Dental malpractice in pediatric dentistry occurs when a child-focused dentist or their staff fails to meet the accepted standard of care, potentially leading to harm or injury to a child patient. Such incidents can give rise to legal claims for medical negligence or malpractice if the child suffers injury, worsening conditions, or emotional trauma as a direct result of the caregiver&#8217;s actions.<\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n<p>This could involve unnecessary or improperly performed procedures, failure to use accepted technologies, or neglecting proper diagnostic protocols.&nbsp;A shoddy treatment plan can mean your younger family members&#8217; dental health fails to improve, or even worsens. This is especially true if the dental clinic is responsible for:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>inflicting unnecessary physical injury on a child; or<\/li>\r\n<li>emotionally abusing a child<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Going to the dental office is not a treat for any kid, but taking care of their oral health shouldn&#8217;t hurt them. For example, just because permanent teeth haven&#8217;t grown in yet, pediatric dentistry doesn&#8217;t allow an orthodontist to remove perfectly good teeth or&nbsp;perform other procedures unless they are medically necessary.<\/p>\r\n<p>Hopefully, a dental professional or staff member at a pediatric dentistry office never provides your son or daughter with treatment that falls short of the standard of care. But if this occurs, legal help is available. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/medical-malpractice\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">medical malpractice attorney<\/a>&nbsp;in your state&nbsp;can&nbsp;evaluate your case and help advocate for your child.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Suing for Dental Malpractice<\/h2>\r\n<p>Anyone at a child-focused dental group can potentially commit dental malpractice or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/medical-malpractice.html\">medical malpractice<\/a> against youth. This includes:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>General dentist (DDS)<\/li>\r\n<li>Dental hygienist<\/li>\r\n<li>Orthodontic expert at a private practice,&nbsp;<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Dental malpractice claims usually arise from improper dental procedures or the failure to use medically-accepted treatments in a child-focused dentist&#8217;s community. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Poor dental work that results in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/medical-malpractice\/medical-malpractice-liability.html\">personal injury<\/a> to your child<\/li>\r\n<li>A wrongful or unnecessary tooth extraction (even if they&#8217;re not permanent teeth)<\/li>\r\n<li>Failure to use new technologies that are accepted as the normal and necessary form of treatment in a child-focused dentist&#8217;s medical community. For example, if there are pain-free alternatives, a child-focused dentist should know better than to put a five-year-old through a traditional root canal.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>If your child has suffered under similar circumstances, you should immediately be on alert that the dentist may have been negligent. You might be familiar with general <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/accident-injury-law\/negligence.html\">negligence law<\/a> from reading about it on Findlaw&#8217;s resource pages, such as in our article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/accident-injury-law\/elements-of-a-negligence-case.html\">Elements of a Negligence Case<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Proving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/medical-malpractice.html\">medical negligence<\/a> is a similar process, but takes into account the special position that a medical professional has in contrast to the average person in society. To sue a child-focused dentist for <b>medical negligence<\/b>, you have to show:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Your child&#8217;s dentist owes them a <b>duty<\/b> as part of the doctor-patient relationship to ensure that they are properly treated. The dentist must act reasonably to keep your child safe while receiving treatment in the same way that a medical professional in their community would be expected to provide services for children.<\/li>\r\n<li>Your child&#8217;s dentist has <b>breached <\/b>their duty while providing your child with dental care. There may be a breach of duty if the dentist&#8217;s dental work doesn&#8217;t rise to the standard of professional conduct that is expected of a reasonable child-focused dentist in the community.<\/li>\r\n<li>Your child has been injured as a result of (or due to the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/causation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>causation<\/b><\/a>&quot; of) the dentist&#8217;s breach of duty. If your child&#8217;s tooth problem has worsened under the dentist&#8217;s care when it should have otherwise been successfully treated, it may be that their injuries were caused by the dentist&#8217;s breach.<\/li>\r\n<li>Your child has suffered <b>damages<\/b>. This usually means they incurred pain, suffering, and more medical bills just to fix the worsening problems caused to their teeth by the dentist&#8217;s breach of their professional duty.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h3>An Example of Pediatric Medical Malpractice<\/h3>\r\n<p>It might be helpful to put these legal elements into a hypothetical example so that you may better understand how a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/wrongful-death.html\">medical malpractice case<\/a> works:<\/p>\r\n<p>Suppose your child has a toothache. The dentist says their X-rays look normal and doesn&#8217;t bother doing a physical inspection. In most communities where child-focused dentists provide medical services, a dentist is reasonably expected to conduct a manual inspection of your child&#8217;s teeth. This dentist, however, just sends your child home.<\/p>\r\n<p>The next day, your child&#8217;s toothache gets worse, and it turns out they have a terrible infection that the doctor could have caught if they had simply physically inspected the inside of your child&#8217;s mouth. Any competent child-focused dentist would have immediately noticed something was wrong and would have prescribed antibiotics to quickly treat the worsening infection.<\/p>\r\n<p>Because your child&#8217;s dentist failed to follow the standard of care required in the community, you now have an extra $5,000 emergency bill that you had to pay to treat a worsening tooth infection that could have gone away with cheap antibiotics. Here, you&#8217;d have a valid case for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/medical-malpractice\/medical-malpractice-liability.html\">medical malpractice<\/a> against your child-focused dentist.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Suing for Wrongful Death<\/h2>\r\n<p>In some cases, a claim for medical negligence may not be available because the child-focused dentist&#8217;s conduct may have been so bad that the patient passed away under their care. If your family member passed away due to their dentist&#8217;s medical malpractice, then their representative could sue for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/wrongful-death-overview.html\">wrongful death<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>State laws can vary depending on where you live, but in most cases, to sue a pediatric dentist for wrongful death, your case has to meet the following legal elements:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>The child <b>passed away<\/b>.<\/li>\r\n<li>The child&#8217;s death was <b>caused by the dentist&#8217;s negligence<\/b> or medical malpractice.<\/li>\r\n<li>You can establish <b>damages<\/b> that your state allows you to recover, such as loss of money, love, and companionship as a result of the child&#8217;s death.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>Let&#8217;s go back to our example. It turns out that even though the emergency room doctors did the best they could, the child&#8217;s infection had progressed so terribly that it resulted in a brain infection that killed them. This is a nightmare for any parent, and the law recognizes that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/torts-and-personal-injuries\/wrongful-death.html\">the provider is responsible<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Remedies and Limits on Recovery<\/h2>\r\n<p><b>Medical Malpractice<\/b>: Ordinarily, a child who survives their dentist&#8217;s medical malpractice and prevails against the doctor in court will be able to recover for their:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Non-economic damages such as pain, suffering, physical impairments, and loss of enjoyment of life<\/li>\r\n<li>Economic damages such as medical bills and loss of income<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><b>Wrongful Death<\/b>: The deceased child&#8217;s parent or guardian may recover for:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Non-economic damages such as the lost value of love, affection, and companionship<\/li>\r\n<li>Economic damages such as financial (income) losses, funeral expenses, and medical treatment costs resulting from the wrongful death<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><b>Limits on recovery<\/b> vary depending on the state in which the affected victim or their family may live. Some states have laws that limit (&quot;cap&quot;) non-economic damages to several hundred thousand dollars. Some states also allow for the recovery of punitive damages if you can show that a doctor acted intentionally, willfully, or with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/accident-injury-law\/recklessness.html\">reckless <\/a>disregard for the patient&#8217;s life.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Suing a Dentist for Child Abuse<\/h2>\r\n<p>Children are the most vulnerable members of society, and some medical professionals who are severely sick in the head take advantage of this fact in the most twisted of ways.<\/p>\r\n<p>Findlaw&#8217;s child abuse page provides helpful information about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/family\/child-abuse.html\">preventing and reporting child abuse<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>It is disturbing to hear what a child-focused dentist might do while a patient is under sedation, but here are some examples from our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/criminal\/criminal-charges\/sex-offenders-and-sex-offenses-overview.html\">sexual assault resources<\/a> page, which provides guidance for how to pursue your legal rights in situations involving:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Fondling, kissing, or making unwanted bodily contact;<\/li>\r\n<li>Forcing a tongue, mouth, finger, penis, or an object onto another person&#8217;s anus or genitals.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>If you suspect that your child has been a victim of sexual abuse by a child-focused dentist, report the matter to law enforcement immediately.<\/p>\r\n<h2>A Dental Malpractice Lawyer Can Help<\/h2>\r\n<p>Not all personal injury lawyers are qualified to handle malpractice suits. Instead, you should establish a client relationship with a <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/medical-malpractice\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dental malpractice attorney<\/a>&nbsp;experienced in fighting insurance companies and suing child-focused dentists in medical malpractice cases. A medical malpractice attorney can give you legal advice regarding the unique circumstances of your child&#8217;s case.<\/p>\r\n<p>A malpractice lawyer can also help you file your claim before the expiration of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/injury\/medical-malpractice\/time-limit-considerations-in-medical-malpractice-claims.html\">statute of limitations<\/a>&nbsp;applies to your case. This legal time limit varies depending on the state where you live, so consult with a legal professional as soon as possible to avoid delays that may hurt your child&#8217;s case.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n            class=\"was-this-helpful__question-container\"\n            aria-labelledby=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n            role=\"group\"\n    >\n        <span\n                id=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__question fl-text-lg-bold\"\n        >Was this helpful?<\/span>\n        <button\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__button fl-text-sm\"\n                aria-label=\"Yes\"\n                value=\"yes\"\n        >\n            <span class=\"was-this-helpful__button-text fl-text-bold\">Yes<\/span>\n            <i class=\"was-this-helpful__button-icon\">\n                <svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n                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  class=\"fa fa-angle-right medium\"\n                        aria-hidden=\"true\"\n                    ><\/i>\n                <\/button>\n                <button\n                    class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-button was-this-helpful__feedback-button--cancel fl-button primary disabled\"\n                    type=\"reset\"\n                >\n                    <span class=\"fl-button-content\">Cancel<\/span>\n                    <i\n                        class=\"fa fa-times-circle medium\"\n                        aria-hidden=\"true\"\n                    ><\/i>\n                <\/button>\n            <\/div>\n        <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"was-this-helpful__thank-you-message\" role=\"status\">\n        <i class=\"was-this-helpful__thank-you-message-icon fa fa-check\"><\/i>\n        <p class=\"was-this-helpful__thank-you-message-text\" aria-live=\"polite\"><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-section-sidebar\">\n        <div class=\"fl-editors-summary\" data-testid=\"fl-editors-summary\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-editors-summary-content\" data-testid=\"fl-editors-summary-content\">\n                    <h2>Can I Solve This on My Own or Do I Need an Attorney?<\/h2>\n                <div class=\"fl-editors-summary-content-main\" data-testid=\"fl-editors-summary-content-main\">\n            \n        <\/div>\n        <ul class=\"fl-list-style-none\">\n                            <li data-testid=\"fl-editors-summary-content-item\">\n                    <i class=\"fa fa-check medium fl-editors-summary-content-item-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                    You want an attorney to represent you in court or during appeals\n\n                <\/li>\n                            <li data-testid=\"fl-editors-summary-content-item\">\n                    <i class=\"fa fa-check medium fl-editors-summary-content-item-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n                    Complex court cases (such as contract disputes, real estate, family law, personal injury, or employment) generally need the support of an attorney\n\n                <\/li>\n                    <\/ul>\n                    <div class=\"fl-editors-summary-content-description\" data-testid=\"fl-editors-summary-content-description\">\n                <p>The court process for many cases, such as intellectual property or probate, can be complicated and slow. 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<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FindLaw discusses suing a child-focused dentist for medical practice of their services fall below the applicable standard of 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