Dental Surgery Mistake! (UPDATE)

[HLAuburn]

A little background: DD(6) had surgery yesterday to remove a primary molar that never erupted (it should have come in around 2). I've posted about it on here a couple times since we first were told about it in July. We have seen 3 different pediatric dentists, an orthodontist, and an oral surgeon who all said it needed to come out. We have had "regular" xrays, 2 sets of panoramics, and a new "3D" cone scan (which I paid for since insurance didn't cover) to get the best possible information before she had surgery to remove the tooth.

So yesterday, the 45 minute procedure turned into closer to 2 hours (with no update), and when the doctor came out to the waiting room, he informed us that he had pulled the wrong tooth! Instead of a baby tooth, he pulled an adult molar. He said he was able to "put it back in place" and there's a 95% chance it will be fine, but needless to say, we are really concerned. Aside from the fact that she was under anesthesia twice as long, she has more stitches and a longer recovery, we now have to worry whether this tooth will continue to grow and be fine or possibly die and then who knows what.

So we don't know what to do. We're concerned that her ped dentist, who referred us to this oral surgeon and is friends with him, might sugar coat the situation. And honestly, no one knows what might happen with the tooth down the road. Best case scenario is that it reattaches and it's like nothing ever happened and worst case is that the tooth dies, maybe has to be removed surgically, and she'll have to have an implant.

So I guess I'm just looking for some feedback because we're still in shock and trying to process all of it while taking care of a grumpy 6 year old. Has anyone known anyone who had a tooth pulled by accident or even knocked out and did it reattach OK?

Thanks!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I would make sure you have a full copy of her dental records that document his mistake and I would think, but am not sure, that he carries insurance for a reason and now he gets to pay for any care involved in keeping that tooth. I don't know much about dentistry to comment on if you are justified to damages (and no I am not suggesting suing), but it is something you need to keep fully documented and check on your state laws regarding statute of limitations.

I would guess that if it cannot be saved in the long run, that he should pay for a prostetic to go in it's place.

I have known young people who had a tooth come out from an accident and it was put back in and it was fine. But I don't know which tooth it was.

I would definitely get multiple opinions. Just so that you can be assured that she is being treated properly. And know her rights. They are important.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Did a google and came across this--geared towards the surgeon, but they offer tips on what the surgeon should do in the event of an oopsy.

http://www.thedoctors.com/KnowledgeCenter/PatientSafety/articles/CON_ID_002303

* Identify any wrong site tooth extraction as soon as possible to improve the patient’s clinical outcome and reduce your legal liability.
* Disclose the event to the patient. The ideal disclosure should also include a simultaneous offer of a well-reasoned solution (e.g., implant, orthodontic movement, or bridge) and a discussion regarding cost deferral.
* Don’t leave it up to the patient to try to find a solution.
* Contact your patient safety/risk manager for assistance with our disclosure guidelines.

Legal website--with a thread about this very thing. (again, not supporting litigation--but just so you can get a feel for what is reasonable to expect for your daughter).
http://www.expertlaw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13517&page=1


It looks like the consensus in just the first page of googling...the oral surgeon should do what they can to save it, and have a back up plan to cover the cost of a replacement false tooth.

Good luck.

Hope she is feeling okay. Poor thing.

 

[dislal]

I'm sorry to hear this I can't even imagine how you are feeling

I Don't know if this will make you feel any better, but my DH knocked his front top tooth out when he was 12 and he had a dentist put it back in he didn't have any problems with it until about 4 years ago (he was 44, so it stayed in for about 32 years) so now he has a false tooth in the front and you really can't tell which is the real one and which is the fake one.

I hope this dentist will step up and take full responsibilty for what he did to your DD!!

 

[bumbershoot]

I would think, but am not sure, that he carries insurance for a reason and now he gets to pay for any care involved in keeping that tooth.

Agreed!

And he also gets to pay for the extra hour of anesthesia and anesthesiologist's time that his mistake caused.

 

[cm8]

Agreed!

And he also gets to pay for the extra hour of anesthesia and anesthesiologist's time that his mistake caused.

 

[horseshowmom]

I think that what happened was terrible, but in the hope of making you feel at least a little bit better, people often wind up having to have adult molars removed anyway (I think I've had 4 removed if I remember correctly).

I am certainly not making light of his error. That was terrible! I just wanted to say that if the tooth doesn't regenerate correctly, it probably won't make a lot of difference to her in the long run.

And they better know that I wouldn't be paying one red cent of any bills.

 

[RadioFanatic]

I would definitely be seeing an attorney about this - it's dental malpractice.

 

[alldiz]

Hi,

OP...I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm a dental hygienist and I know mistakes happen just like any profession, but it stinks when it happens to you...or worse our kids.

It is possible the tooth will reattach it is amazing how kids heal...there cells are used to building and rebuilding.

Have everything documented. In a perfect life this tooth reattaches and no extra money is needed. If so I think this dentist should pay for any work resulting of this tooth.

Including....Implant, crown, space maintainer if needed. Root canal whatever.
Good luck
Kerri

 

[Sanchez]

I would definitely be seeing an attorney about this - it's dental malpractice.

Much too early to do that. In any event, the cost of pursuing a case of this nature might outweigh the benefit. Since damages are not known at this point a determination cannot be made.

Hopefully, OP will be able to work with the surgeon on a result agreeable to all.

 

[sparklynails23]

The first thing I would do is report it to your dental insurance.

 

[tink1969]

Similar situation happened to my daughter. She went in to have four baby teeth pulled because they just didn't want to come out and her adult teeth were trying to get out!
So in she goes to have them pulled while I wait. When she came to and rested for a bit, the nurse brought me in to show me how to change the gauze pads in her mouth. Well....when she pulled out the bloody gauze and I saw that the #3 tooth on each upper side was still there, I turned to the nurse and quietly said (so as not to alarm my daughter), I think he pulled the wrong teeth. He had pulled the 4th and 5th tooth on each side instead of the 3rd and 4th! She went and checked with the Dr and he came and got my DD, said it wasn't a big deal and went and pulled out the other two 'correct' teeth! So my DD had 6 teeth pulled (10 1/2 yrs old at the time), and we left for Disney 6 days later! She had no teeth to chew anything so she ate salmon and mac/cheese for a week!
The dental surgeon gave us back our money and my family dentist called him and gave him hell. He also reported him. No more referrals going his way!
I was just thankful that it was baby teeth that had been pulled!
SS that your DD had an adult tooth pulled. I hope it will heal properly for her.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

The first thing I would do is report it to your dental insurance.

This sounds like a good start. I'm not suggesting suing, and I'm not speculating whether there will or won't be a good outcome. But medical/dental mistakes need to be reported.

 

[finsup]

You really need copies of all dental records & x-rays from everyone you saw. Also, notify your insurance to make them aware so they are not paying the claim. Trust me, if they can make a mistake in tooth number, they can make a mistake in filing for their money. Your general dentist needs to be made aware ASAP.

I work as an office manager at a dental office in Chicago and have seen situations become very messy if not handled correctly. Watch for discoloration of that tooth as a sign of the nerve dying. That tooth has had severe trauma and has a 50/50 chance. Legally, without something in writing that doctor cannot be held responsible to pay down the road. You really need to contact an attorney, even if not planning on suing. He pays malpractice insurance and has an attorney retained for these reasons. When there are complaints of this nature to your states dental board, a peer review is usually called into play. A lot of hmo & ppo insurances will drop a dentist from their providers list after numerous complaints.

At this point, protect your daughter and her interests! Good luck & hope all turns out well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with finsup re protecting your rights now. You cannot rely on this dentist's "good will" to make good for his mistake, especially down the road. It could wind up being very costly, even years from now. There are times when legal action is warranted, and this appears to be one of them.

 

[HLAuburn]

Thank you ALL for the replies!

DD seems to be recovering pretty well considering the circumstances. The doctor has called every day to check up on her. Yesterday, he returned a call from DH - it started out OK, but my DH started getting really angry when the doctor started talking about "consent forms" and "you were aware of the risks". Of course with any procedure there are risks, and he mentioned quite a few to me before the surgery, but never did he say "I might pull the wrong tooth"!

He (and the ped dentist now) seem to be back-pedaling, saying it was the way the teeth were "jumbled up there" and it may have had to come out eventually anyway. Funny that never came up before from any of the 5 doctors we saw.

Her pediatric dentist wants us to get x-rays every 6 months and see an orthodontist about it and of course that all costs money. So I guess we have a lot to think about and decide on a course of action that's best for DD. It would be much easier if this was a case where we could know the outcome in weeks or months, but this might end up affecting her several years down the road.

Thanks again for the feedback!

 

[horseshowmom]

Thank you ALL for the replies!

DD seems to be recovering pretty well considering the circumstances. The doctor has called every day to check up on her. Yesterday, he returned a call from DH - it started out OK, but my DH started getting really angry when the doctor started talking about "consent forms" and "you were aware of the risks". Of course with any procedure there are risks, and he mentioned quite a few to me before the surgery, but never did he say "I might pull the wrong tooth"!

He (and the ped dentist now) seem to be back-pedaling, saying it was the way the teeth were "jumbled up there" and it may have had to come out eventually anyway. Funny that never came up before from any of the 5 doctors we saw.

Her pediatric dentist wants us to get x-rays every 6 months and see an orthodontist about it and of course that all costs money. So I guess we have a lot to think about and decide on a course of action that's best for DD. It would be much easier if this was a case where we could know the outcome in weeks or months, but this might end up affecting her several years down the road.

Thanks again for the feedback!

Okay, now I would be mad. I hope your husband said that to him. It might be time to consider talking to somebody since you're being told that she is going to need so much follow up care (although I might ask the dentists involved first who they think should pay for this extra work).

 

[HLAuburn]

OP here with just a little update....

We went for my daughter's follow up appointment, and of course we had a lot of questions for the doctor. He got pretty defensive (even though they weren't accusational questions) and started with the excuses that the tooth probably would have had to be pulled down the road anyway etc. This is the first we've heard of that. He said he would take care of an implant if she needed one (that would be years away), but I can't just take this guy's word for it and honestly, I don't want to maintain a relationship with him at all.

We did consult an attorney who pretty much said we needed proof of serious permanent damage and we'd never get that because doctors aren't willing to testify against each other. I think he's just not interested since it wouldn't be a high $ case. DD will have to have xrays every 6 months to keep an eye on the tooth's development, which obviously comes at a cost. Not to mention we have yet to receive the hospital bill which I'm worried will be twice as much as we anticipated since she was in surgery and under anesthesia twice as long thanks to this doctor.

Although he hasn't been the most approachable, I think we are going to try to work something out with him once more time. We'll see...

 

[handinpocket]

OP here with just a little update....

We went for my daughter's follow up appointment, and of course we had a lot of questions for the doctor. He got pretty defensive (even though they weren't accusational questions) and started with the excuses that the tooth probably would have had to be pulled down the road anyway etc. This is the first we've heard of that. He said he would take care of an implant if she needed one (that would be years away), but I can't just take this guy's word for it and honestly, I don't want to maintain a relationship with him at all.

We did consult an attorney who pretty much said we needed proof of serious permanent damage and we'd never get that because doctors aren't willing to testify against each other. I think he's just not interested since it wouldn't be a high $ case. DD will have to have xrays every 6 months to keep an eye on the tooth's development, which obviously comes at a cost. Not to mention we have yet to receive the hospital bill which I'm worried will be twice as much as we anticipated since she was in surgery and under anesthesia twice as long thanks to this doctor.

Although he hasn't been the most approachable, I think we are going to try to work something out with him once more time. We'll see...

What do you want the dentist to do? He seems to have gone above and beyond what is expected. The tooth will more than likely reattach and be fine. The part about doctors not wanting to testify against each other is a load, I have seen many doctors testify against corrupt doctors.


Also, x-rays every 6 months should be covered by your insurance co. That is standard preventative care at most dentist offices and is not too frequent.

My main question to you is once again, what do you expect the dentist to do? He already said he would do an implant if necessary (which is premature to even SPECULATE, which I'm sure he told you.)

 

[C.Ann]

What do you want the dentist to do? He seems to have gone above and beyond what is expected. The tooth will more than likely reattach and be fine. The part about doctors not wanting to testify against each other is a load, I have seen many doctors testify against corrupt doctors.


Also, x-rays every 6 months should be covered by your insurance co. That is standard preventative care at most dentist offices and is not too frequent.

My main question to you is once again, what do you expect the dentist to do? He already said he would do an implant if necessary (which is premature to even SPECULATE, which I'm sure he told you.)

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What the heck kind of insurance do you have??

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OP: Whatever he says - including his promise to do an implant - please, please get it in writing.. And if all of these x-rays are due to his pulling the wrong tooth, I would expect him to eat that cost..

Not sure what to do about the hospital bill.. I would at least try to negotiate with them - although I'm not sure where their responsibilty would be under these circumstances..

Good luck!