English 
Spanish Expert witnesses can play several roles in a dental malpractice case, from tracking down the negligence that caused your injuries to explaining it in layman’s terms. They can also highlight the treatment you need to recover from your injury and trauma, which can help your legal team determine what compensation you deserve.
You don’t have to track down expert witnesses on your own to prove your dental injuries. A personal injury lawyer from our firm can consult the necessary specialists about your injury. As we investigate your case, we will consult who we think is relevant to your type of dental malpractice.
Dental Negligence Experts Explain What Went Wrong With Your Procedure
Although our dental malpractice lawyers have experience pursuing cases like yours for clients, we are still workers’ compensation lawyers, not medical professionals. When we aren’t sure what happened in your case, we can call on someone who can put the pieces together. Think of them as dental detectives, following the clues in your medical records, imaging, and personal story to determine when a procedure went from routine to negligent.
Specific Experts Can Explain Specific Forms of Negligence
The expert witnesses we consult for your case depend on your dental issue, procedure, and subsequent injury. Some dental malpractice expert witnesses include:
- Other licensed dentists
- Orthodontists
- Endodontists
- Anesthesiologists
- Oral surgeons
- Chemists
We may even consult experts on certain materials the dentist used in your procedure, like dental instruments, crowns, or implants. Similarly, we might speak with experts specializing in a specific medical device used in your care.
Malpractice Experts Can Clarify Medicalese and Jargon
Dental malpractice cases, like other forms of malpractice, are sometimes challenging because they involve topics the average person doesn’t know a lot about. Dentists, endodontists, and even hygienists can claim they acted reasonably, and you might not know how to prove they didn’t other than to point to the fact that you suffered an injury. This is the role of expert witnesses in dental malpractice cases—to recognize and articulate negligence and explain how it occurred.
For example, among the most common dental malpractice issues are the mistakes a dental professional makes during a bridge or crown procedure. However, you likely don’t know all the small, detailed actions and decisions that putting in a crown involves. Negligent dental professionals bank on this to convince you that what happened to you was unforeseeable.
An expert in that area can review what happened to you to determine if that’s true. They can highlight any standard of care issues you experienced and help prove how dental malpractice occurred. They can also review evidence, such as imaging, treatment notes, and witness testimony, to pinpoint the problem. They might even examine you and provide witness testimony explaining their findings in plain English.
Expert Witnesses Draw Attention to Your Need for Damages
Some expert witness testimony in dental cases doesn’t just analyze what happened to you and what it will take to make it right. They can emphasize the severity of your injuries and discuss the medical procedures and follow-up care you may need to help you reach your maximum medical improvement (MMI).
This can then help us calculate damages in your dental malpractice case, which could include providing monetary compensation for:
- Diagnostic testing
- Surgeries
- Hospital stays
- Materials for repairing your teeth
- Prescription medication
- Follow-up appointments
- Physical therapy
We will work with dental negligence experts to get as specific as possible about your prognosis and what you need to recover.
Non-Medical Experts Can Help, Too
Just because your case involves a medical mistake doesn’t mean we will consult only health care specialists. When determining your lost income damages, we might talk to economists and financial experts to project your future loss of income and reduced ability to earn.
Identifying appropriate pain and suffering compensation could also benefit from expert testimony. Dental procedures can be frightening under the best of circumstances, so suffering an injury or complication could leave you struggling with your mental health. A psychologist, psychiatrist, or therapist could testify about your trauma and even provide proof of diagnoses like anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Expert Testimony Is Just One Part of Dental Malpractice Lawsuits or Claims
While often pivotal in proving negligence and damages in a dental negligence case, experts are part of a bigger case strategy. The dental malpractice attorneys from our firm also:
- Obtain your dental and medical records
- Talk to people who witnessed your procedure or its consequences
- Take photos of your injuries to submit as evidence
- Investigate the facility and staff where you suffered an injury
- Argue for settlement terms that are fair to you and your losses
- Develop a plan for a court case if necessary
This is in addition to performing work on the case, such as filing claims paperwork, handling all interactions with insurance adjusters, keeping track of the state’s statute of limitations, as outlined in CCP § 335.1, and filing a lawsuit and court documents.
Call KJT Law Group About a Dental Negligence Case – We Can Represent You
Contact KJT Law Group now for a free consultation on your dental malpractice case. We can review the role of dental expert witnesses in your dental malpractice case, ensuring you get the treatment you need while we work on getting the compensation and justice you deserve.
You can also review our guide to winning a dental malpractice case and get your questions answered about your legal options when you call us.
