dental malpractice

if your dentist does a root canal on the wrong tooth and did not use any procedure to iniatially find the problem other than my telling him where i think it is located, can i sue him for medical malpractice??

[vrzirn]

My dentist would never drill on any tooth and rely on you to tell him where the ache is located. Are you living on Vega?
Seriously, it is difficult to believe he did not take an x-ray. No x-ray?
Did the tooth that got the root canal need it?

Don't you, as a patient, bear some responsibility as well? How and why would you ever allow someone to perform a procedure without being educated on what is the procedure, why is it necessary, etc. Believe me, I sat in the chair more times than I would like to think about but each and every time I face the drill or minor surgery...whatever, I ask questions and try to inform myself. Would you go to a surgeon and let him operate on what he thinks is a gall bladder without having some proof that this is the problem? I believe that there lies some responsibility in being an informed patient as well.

Originally posted by hwitthuhn
if your dentist does a root canal on the wrong tooth and did not use any procedure to iniatially find the problem other than my telling him where i think it is located, can i sue him for medical malpractice??

Originally posted by vrzirn
My dentist would never drill on any tooth and rely on you to tell him where the ache is located. Are you living on Vega?
Seriously, it is difficult to believe he did not take an x-ray. No x-ray?
Did the tooth that got the root canal need it?

Originally posted by hwitthuhn

in answer to your question he performed a root canal on a perfectly good tooth. After testing with heat and ice he located the problem. It seems that pain from a tooth is not always where it seems to be. dentists are aware of this. It cost me a good tooth and a lot of needless discomfort.

Originally posted by TR041
Don't you, as a patient, bear some responsibility as well? How and why would you ever allow someone to perform a procedure without being educated on what is the procedure, why is it necessary, etc. Believe me, I sat in the chair more times than I would like to think about but each and every time I face the drill or minor surgery...whatever, I ask questions and try to inform myself. Would you go to a surgeon and let him operate on what he thinks is a gall bladder without having some proof that this is the problem? I believe that there lies some responsibility in being an informed patient as well.

Originally posted by hwitthuhn

Aside from getting my degree in dentistry how much research is practical and when do you decide to trust a professional.

[vrzirn]

Instead of doing all that cutting and pasting answer my question. Did he take any x-rays?

Originally posted by vrzirn
Instead of doing all that cutting and pasting answer my question. Did he take any x-rays?

yes, he did an x-ray and found nothing wrong.

[vrzirn]

Then he had no business drilling Referred pain to nerves supplying roots of teeth can arise from sinuses that are inflamed.
You should see an attorney.