wisdom teeth extracted with no anesthesia

[Spotter11]

What is the name of your state? Texas
Two weeks ago, I has my top two wisdom teeth removed. There was no consultation prior to my appointment and I never saw my x-rays. I was to take Ativan one hour before my appointment and was supposed to also receive nitrous oxide to prevent me from feeling any pain. When it came time for my appointment, the Ativan had done nothing for me, I was wide awake. They put the nitrous "nose" on me. I did not smell any gas like I had in the past when I had received funny gas. The tubing kept falling off the nose piece, and the whole thing would land in the floor. This happened a total of four times. I let the surgeon and his assistant know after about 10 minutes that I did not feel or smell the gas. I asked him how he was going to get the teeth out from under the bone. His reply was that the more I talked, the less gas I would get. Then he gave me several shots of lidocaine with epinephrine. The shots knumbed the roof of my mouth, but not the top of my gums where most of the surgery took place. Throughout the surgery, I screamed and cried. The surgeon just told me not to cry. I was kicking the chair at one point, so they held my legs down and he told me to quit kicking. My husband heard me from the waiting room and went back and told them this was not normal behavior from me, and that I needed something for pain. The doctor told him I was in no pain, and that crying was a side effect of the shots. After surgery, I never saw my teeth and the doctor was hesitant about giving me a prescription for pain. I later found out that his office has not even opened yet, contrary to what I was originally told. I don't know if I was his first surgery, or if he is even licensed. Also, they gave me the consent forms to take home and sign, and I still have them in py purse from the day I had surgery. Is there anything I can do?

 

[vrzirn]

Gargle with warm salt water.

 

[HomeGuru]

Gargle with warm salt water.

Every 2 hours.

 

[Spotter11]

Thank you for your help. I have gargled already and it helped a lot. I have no medical problems other than the tooth-sized bone fragment hanging from one of the surgical sites. What I was more interested in, though, was the legal end of it. Is there anything I can do legally? It seems that if you can sue a restaurant for hot coffee, I ought to have some sort of case for having teeth pulled despite my efforts to communicate to the doctor that I was not knumb, and could feel everything that was being done. Even if I can't sue, I would like to know if there is some sort of oral surgery board to make a complaint to about the surgeon. I'm not trying to be a baby or stir up trouble, I just feel wronged and would like to know my options. Is there anything I can do to make sure this surgeon doesn't put other people in un-necessary pain?

 

[vrzirn]

Forget it. If you need any more teeth extracted go to someone else.

 

[ellencee]

Spotter11

I have no medically related advice; I am just stunned!
It never ceases to amaze me that people will let a professional do something like to them, but if it was your friend, or your spouse, or someone along those lines who was inflicting pain uponst you--you'd knock the ever-lovin' snot out of them and get away. Hold my legs down in a dentist chair? I don't think so. My husband hear my screams and find someone holding my legs down? I don't think so. A solution would have been reached fairly soon after Mr. EC showed up.
There is no need for anyone to cooperate under those circumstances, yet people submit to such from a professional.
Bless your heart.
Maybe I need to give 'mean' classes.

 

[Jeter]

I agree with you EC. If it were my spouse in that chair and someone holding her legs down while she's screaming, they would be next in line for dental services. After the bloodshed, a lot of dental implants would be needed in that room. Although I'm not sure if the dentist could perform with that little suction thing up his ass.


Jeter

 

[vrzirn]

Every competent operating room nurse must know how to "Hold down the legs!!".

 

[ellencee]

vrzirn
About the only place you'll find me in the OR is on the floor. I never could maintain an adequate blood pressure or level of consciousness.

additional comment to vrzirn
Ever since I read your last post, I have had recurring visions of the hospital scene in Gone With The Wind.

As a surgeon, did you pour a little whiskey down the throat of the patient before you had the nurse hold down the patient's legs?

 

[Spotter11]

I really appreciate all of your sympathy for what happened to me. I was pretty discouraged about ever asking for advice after the first response I got. Those of you who have shone a little compasion have made me feel better about asking for help. I was not sure if I had a leg to stand on legally as far as suing goes. My greater mission I guess was trying to find a dental board or someone to make a complaint to about the surgeon. Surely the dental world has some system for keeping doctors in check- if they don't I think they should anyway. I know it's hard to believe that I allowed him to opererate, but to defend my own sense of self, had I known more about what the typical surgery consisted of prior to my surgery, I definitely would have stood my ground more. It sounded logical that a sedative combined with nitrous oxide and knumbing shots should be able to keep my pain to a minimum. After I made it clear that I was in a lot of pain, and he proceeded with the surgery, I was so startled and scared I guess that I didn't know how to react. My husband, was stopped by the dentist in the hallway, and told that I was in no pain, and that the crying was a side effect of the shots. He didn't know what to do, and with a baby to raise and too many bills as it is, kicking the tar out of an oral surgeon probably wouldn't have been a good idea. Especially if he was not 100% positive that I was feeling the pain that it sounded like I was.
It's nice to know though that other people see how wrong the whole thing was. My real goal in the beginning was to shut him down. I really thought I should have a case, but I'm only 25, and pretty unfamiliar with the legal world. It seems sometimes as though the laws are mainly set up to protect those that are doing wrong, because unless you die or lose a limb, you have no case. And even with those conditions, it's still difficult to prove fault. If anyone hears about a dental board, please let me know.

 

[Cookie97128]

omgoodness

I just read a nightmare I had years ago.
I had all 4 wisdom teeth removed at the same time. I was knocked out... About half way through, I woke up! I had a doctor sitting on top of me, working the teeth out. They were jerking on my head so hard, they said the root was bent under the jaw bone. I heard another doctor, maybe a nurse, say she's awake. Knock her back out. When i woke I was screaming and crying and thrashing about. They were holding me down on all side of me. People came running into the room to help.
Then I was gone again. The next time I woke up, they started slapping my face to wake me up cuz it was closing time. I was just about carried out by my boyfriend to the truck. It was bad. Three months went by and I was still unable to talk. I had to cancel my fitness membership. I couldn't even leave the house. I could barely take care of my three babies. They learned how to fix bowls of cereal, and toast. I couldn't do anything. My mom helped as much as she could. But had her own house to deal with. I remember taking alot of Motrin 800mg. about 3 at a time, 4 or 5 times a day. BAD STUFF. I had a constant head ache. I just wanted someone to put me out of my missery.
Finally, 6 months later, I went to see my regular dentist. I told them what happened... They took an x-ray. They said my jaw had a hair line fracture. 13 years later, I now suffer from TMJ. I can crack my jaw from just opening my mouth. I grind my teeth really bad. I need to get an appliance for it.

I don't know what I could do now, I think the SOL is up on my case. (statue of limitations).
I was young too when this happened.
Contact a malpractice attny. Tell them, show them all paperwork. Did you pay through insurance? Contact them too. They can do a full investigation.
I wish you the best...
Cookie

 

[ellencee]

Spotter11
Your state will have a licensing board for dentists and also a regulatory division of that board. You should be able to find this board by searching on the net, or by calling information in your state's capitol city. Call the board and ask for instructions on how to file a complaint. You may find this on the net, but as I have helped other posters find similar information from their states, it has taken several attempts before finding the correct site.
Best wishes.

Cookie97128
The statute of limitations expired 2 years after the occurence.

 

[Spotter11]

Thank you so much for the help Ellencee.

Cookie97128, I'm sorry you had to go through this stuff too. It sounds like your situation may have been more tramatic than mine, but doesn't it make you feel like you've been raped- for lack of a better word?