Can/should I sue my dentist for his negligence?
Sure you can sue your dentist. No, I think you shouldn’t sue you dentist, because…so far, your bruise does not look like it has been infected, and though I do not have any medical experience, it will not turn into anything serious. For the sake of money and time, it is more effecient to go to a hospital and patch up there. That’s my advice.
I would go to another hospital, not the one you called, and get your cheek looked at. Then I would present the bills from that hospital and tell your dentist that he better pay for them or else you’ll take him to court. You should also report him to an appropriate body that deals with such things, a medical board or such. Also, you should report the first hospital you called, since they didn’t seem to give a flip about what happened to you. I would at least have expected them to say, “come on in, we’ll look at your wound” or something to that effect. But yeah, you should do something about that dentist of yours, and also, don’t pay for any of his services since he was careless, and you should also tell your insurance company, if you went through them. Your best bet would be to seek an attorney’s advice, not the yahoo community. Good luck.
Although you might be able to sue in the near future, what you need to concentrate on right now is to get the best dental care posible. If you are scared of this dentist then ask for your record and take it to another dentist. Your health, that is what matters right now, not punishing the dentist or getting money from him. Do forward him a copy of all your new bills and ask him to reimburse you and that you didnot go back to him because you were very traumatized and felt you could not trust him because he did not even tell you about the hole he made in your mouth. If he ignores you, then find a lawyer. Good luck.
