Dentist Misdiagnoses Abscess, Resulting in Loss of Tooth and Malpractice Lawsuit

Unfortunately, in the practice of dentistry, a cluster of symptoms may indicate more than one disease condition. The dentist has to identify which condition is the source of the problem and treat it appropriately.

In this interesting case from the Southwest, the dentist’s conclusion was incorrect, resulting in a lost opportunity to treat the problem at the optimal time. Following are a case discussion and related risk-management considerations.