Nerve Injury As A Result Of Dental Negligence

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What is a nerve injury?

Nerves are sensitive. It doesn’t take a lot of force to damage them. A nerve injury is an injury to the nervous tissue which usually occurs due to dental negligence. During dental negligence the two nerves that are most typically disturbed are:

Inferior nerve injury – The inferior alveolar nerve is considered a mixed nerve, meaning that it provides both motor and sensory supply. Common causes of an injury to the Inferior nerve can include:

– Lower-jaw implant placement

– Some types of oral surgery

– Wisdom tooth removal

– Root canal involving nerves close the nerve’s course through the mandible

The common symptoms of damage to the inferior alveolar nerve includes the following:

– Pain

– Abnormal sensations

– Numbness to the chin, lower lip, or around the lower teeth

Trigeminal nerve – This is the main nerve that is responsible for the sensation in the face and motor functions like biting and chewing. You may not be immediately aware of the injury as it can sometimes take a while to diagnose. The common symptoms that can occur when suffering with a Trigeminal nerve injury are as follows:
anaesthesia (complete numbness)
paraesthesia (tingling)
dysesthesia (pain and burning)

Nerve injury as a result of dental negligence

What can I claim for in a nerve injury claim?

If you have experienced a dental procedure that has caused lasting numbness, loss of taste, loss of sensation or more, you can claim to receive dental nerve damage compensation.

Why make a nerve injury dental negligence claim?

Here at Oakwood Solicitors we have excellent experience dealing with people whose lives have been affected by nerve injury dental negligence.

Many people who have not been through the process of making a claim before, assume that making a claim is all about financial compensation. However, in most experiences this is not the main reason. For some, it is important to get recognition for what has happened and for those involved to admit they were in the wrong. And for others, the reason to make a claim is to get the correct treatment that is needed for yourself to recover and to try and get your life back to where it was.

How do I make a claim?

You can only make a claim for clinical negligence if you have suffered an injury as a result of the negligent actions of a medical professional. Choosing a firm which, like Oakwood, offers advice on a no win, no fee basis will relieve any concerns you might have about the financial risk of going through a claim.

Who can bring a claim?

If you feel that you have suffered nerve injury during a negligent dental treatment, then you are in your own right to bring a claim. However, if it’s the case that the victim has passed away as a result of the negligence or has suffered so severely that as they no longer have capacity and are therefore unable to bring a claim themselves that is a different matter.

On one hand, if the Claimant is still with us the claim can be brought on their behalf by an authorised person or litigation friend. However, on the other hand, if the Claimant has sadly passed away, the claim can be brought by the executor of their estate.

How long do I have to claim?

Most clinical negligence cases have a three-year limit for making a claim. This either starts from the date of the injury, or the date when you first became aware that the injury was the result of negligence. For cases involving children, this three-year period begins on their 18th birthday.

How long will my case take to run?

The investigation of a clinical negligence claim can take anything around 18-24 months due to the however can take even longer if Court proceedings must be taken place. During the early stages of the claim we start by obtaining all relevant records and protocols before approaching independent medical experts for their opinion. Regular updates will be provided to you during each step that is taken place to ensure that you are kept up to speed with everything.

How much is my claim worth?

The value of a claim is very case dependant as it often depends on the complexities and the outset of the claim.

The two forms of compensation that we will pursue for your claims are as follows:

General damages – An award of money for the suffering you have endured as a result of the negligence.
Special damages – An award for all of your out of pocket expenses such as travel expenses, medication costs, loss of earnings, funeral costs, and treatment costs both past and future.