Dental malpractice can easily have a huge impact on the life of a person. It will influence appearance and even general health. Many conditions are connected to poor oral health but dentistry malpractice does get little public attention, especially when compared with medical malpractice. Steven Scott statistician, said that there are different malpractice types that are much more common in dentistry than others. Generally, certain procedure types do require a more complicated process or highly intensive surgeries. Dentists can be prone to make mistakes with some treatments than others.
Prosthodontics
Out of all dentistry fields, prosthodontics are most commonly tied to malpractice cases. They consist of tooth replacements that often require some sort of extraction. The treatments that are involved in this field can include bridges and dentures. Around 28% of all the dental malpractice claims in the world are associated with prosthodontics.
Endodontics
The second dentistry type that is associated with medical malpractice is endodontics, making up around 17% of all the claims. This is a field that consists of inside tooth working, dealing with tooth root and pulp. We can also list root canal procedures in endodontics. Many of these are particularly painful and will affect tooth nerves.
Restorative Dentistry
It is interesting to note that most people think restorative dentistry is where most malpractices cases appear in dentistry but this is not correct. This field is actually placed at number third, with around 16% of all the claims. The common restorative procedures that are listed are fillings, veneers and other similar treatments dealing with problems normally caused by cavities. Obviously, this can also include problems caused by other conditions or even accidents.
What Do The Statistics Show Us?
For starters, we have to acknowledge the fact that dental malpractice cases are higher than what many think, in terms of the possibility of being faced with it. However, this is only the case because there are much fewer dental procedures done than others. It is really important to take this into consideration as it seems that dental procedures are quite safe.
Although dental procedures are generally safe, this does not mean that malpractice does not happen. Due to this it is more important than ever to be sure that you understand exactly what the skill of the considered dentist or dental surgeon is. Conducting some research will help us realize if we should actually hire someone or not.
Remember that the internet does give you access to absolutely all the information that you need to make an informed decision. If you notice that a doctor you want to hire has been linked with numerous malpractice cases, it is better to work with someone else. Also, be sure that you take into account experience with the exact dentistry work that is needed by you. For instance, some cosmetic surgeons are specialized in specific techniques. You can choose them in order to be sure that you are going to get the best quality work done in your exact case.