We Are Dental Malpractice Lawyers Holding Negligent Dental Professionals Accountable

When dental professionals cause injury to patients, an attorney focused on dental malpractice cases like Wallace Wason will push hard to protect your interests. Wallace B. Wason, Jr. and his team will be able to help you understand what your options are in this complicated area of dental malpractice.

From our offices in Alexandria, VA, we pursue these claims and fight for maximum compensation for our clients. We are experienced at properly evaluating the validity of your potential claim and we have a track record of bringing negligent dental professionals to account for their actions.

Contact our law firm today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced dental malpractice attorney at Wallace Wason, PLLC.

What is Dental Malpractice?

Dental malpractice is a personal injury cause of action that occurs when an oral care professional injures a patient through a negligent act or omission. Oral care professionals such as dentists, oral surgeons, prosthodontists, endodontists and even dental assistants can make mistakes that result in permanent injuries to their patients. When such injuries occur because dental professionals do not meet the standard of care expected within the profession, then a malpractice claim may be made for injuries and damages incurred by their dental patients.

Not every unfortunate result is due to malpractice, of course. Even the best care can result in undesired results. Failed root canals, for example, can be the unfortunate result of routine care performed within the standard of care. Similarly, not all dental implants, properly placed, successfully integrate with the bone. If the treatment was in all ways considered reasonable and prudent by the community of dental professionals providing similar treatment, the law does not consider such injuries to be the result of malpractice. But when the injury occurs because of a failure to provide standard or proper treatment, a legal claim for malpractice may be the best way for an injured patient to be compensated.

What is the Standard of Care in Dental Practice?

The standard of care is a legal term used to describe the level of care and skill that any healthcare professional, including any oral health professionals is expected to provide to a patient. In simpler terms, it is the level or form of care that a reasonable, prudent healthcare professional in the practice or specialty would provide in similar circumstances. When a health practitioner fails to meet the standard of care, there may be a case of malpractice.

How Do you Prove a Dental Malpractice Claim in Virginia?

In order to prove dental malpractice in a Virginia lawsuit, a patient must show that the dental provider had a duty to provide treatment within the standard of care (i.e. that a doctor-patient relationship existed), that this duty of care was breached, and that the healthcare professional’s breach resulted in harm to the patient.

In Virginia, a qualified expert, who provides or has recently provided care in the same practice area or specialty, must attest that the standard of care was breached in order to prove malpractice and hold a healthcare professional liable. If it is determined that the healthcare provider did not meet the standard of care, then a dental malpractice lawsuit may go forward.

An experienced dental malpractice attorney at Wallace Wason, PLLC will help to evaluate your malpractice claim to determine if you have a valid legal case and the likelihood that it can be proven.

What Types of Injuries Result in Lawsuits?

There are many injuries that can result from regular dental procedures, even when the best dentists and dental health care professionals provide treatment consistent with the standard of care.

Dental injuries that commonly result from dental malpractice, however, include:

Lingual nerve injury,
Inferior alveolar nerve injury,
Trigeminal or V5 nerve injury,
Loss of multiple teeth,
Root resorption (resulting from orthodontic treatment),
Soft-tissue injury,
Missed oral cancer diagnosis,
Failed dental implants,
Injury due to anesthesia error,
Severe infection/osteomyelitis,
Injury to the dentition or mouth from improper instrumentation, or
Failed dental restorations, especially full-mouth restorations.

Compensation for Dental Malpractice Claims

When dental injuries or dental nerve injuries occur, filing a lawsuit is often the only way to ensure clients receive fair compensation.

Wallace Wason, PLLC is experienced in dental malpractice cases in Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland. The attorneys have handled a wide variety of such cases over the years, achieving recoveries valued into seven figures both by settlement prior to trial and in the form of jury awards at trial.

Wallace Wason, PLLC’s team is experienced in pursuing the best results for our clients. Our team is skilled at documenting and building solid malpractice cases which result in justice for, and compensation to, injured patients.

Dental malpractice cases can be complicated and expensive. Please contact our firm today to evaluate your claim (with no charge to you). We will help identify your best options.

Do You Have a Valid Dental Malpractice Case?

There are many factors to consider in a dental malpractice case including your injury, the way it occurred, the treatment you have needed, the Statute of Limitations, your recovery (if any), and the availability and likely success of future treatment or dental restoration. These can all be important factors in how your legal claim may proceed. That’s why it’s critical to have your dental malpractice claim evaluated by an attorney experienced in complex dental lawsuits.