Dental Malpractice Claims:
Infections
As a highly respected dental malpractice attorney in California, Dane Levy and his staff have handled many cases and claims. Our dental malpractice cases, whether it is from dental infections, negligent fillings, or implants, receive our attention.
Selected excerpts of reported cases, decisions and settlements. The following factual scenarios and dental malpractice case summaries have been reported in various publications or handled by this law firm.
Case: Failure to remove teeth in fracture site results in osteomyelitis. Plaintiff suffered a bi-lateral mandibular fracture in a car accident. He presented to an oral surgeon who diagnosed the fracture. 2 teeth were noted in the line of fracture, however were not removed by the defendant oral surgeon. Infection developed and worsened over the next 3 months. Defendant never took a culture and simply continued to prescribe Keflex, a broad spectrum antibiotic. Extreme pain continued and osteomyelitis was diagnosed soon thereafter by another oral surgeon. The two teeth and the osteomyelitic area of the jaw was surgically removed. A bone graft from plaintiff's hip to his jaw had to be done. Plaintiff was also left with alveolar nerve injury. Jury Verdict: $185,000.00
Case: Failure to administer antibiotics prior to cleaning results in infection and death. Routine cleaning was performed by defendant two months after plaintiff had an abdominal aortic aneurysm graft performed. Defendant failed to prescribe prophylactic antibiotics before the cleaning in accordance with the American Heart Association's protocol. Plaintiff developed an infection at the graft site and died several months later. Settlement: $300,000.00
Case: Defendant dentist removed infected gum tissue from plaintiff's mouth. Approximately 3 weeks later, plaintiff began to experience flu-like symptoms. A month later, plaintiff was rushed to the hospital where doctors diagnosed sub-acute bacterial endocarditis. Plaintiff developed heart valve vegetation resulting in a heart murmur. Jury Verdict: $700,000.00
Case: Plaintiff had a history of a heart murmur. Plaintiff presented to defendant dentist for a dental exam and cleaning. Prophylactic antibiotics were not prescribed despite plaintiff's disclosure of his medical history. Shortly thereafter, plaintiff became ill and complained of achiness, fever, weakness and gastrointestinal upset. Plaintiff was diagnosed with sub-acute bacterial endocarditis. Settlement: $50,000.00
Case: Removal and re-cementing of bridge blamed for brain abscess. Plaintiff alleged that his brain abscess was related to the manipulation of his bridge by the defendant dentists. According to plaintiff's experts, defendants' manipulation of the bridge created a portal into the blood stream for the mouth organisms allowing them to form a bacteremia and travel to the brain. Defendants' denied the existence of infection when plaintiff presented with the bridge and contended that they prescribed antibiotics prophylactically. Verdict: $1.35 Million