Value of Alveolar Nerve Damage After Implant Placement

Sadly, many people lose their teeth despite significant advances in dental techniques over the last decades. Dental implants are one important device used to counter tooth loss. During a procedure the dentist or dental surgeon places a titanium screw in your jawbone. This serves the function of a tooth root, and on top of that is the natural-appearing crown or bridge. Unfortunately, a common complication after an implant has been improperly placed is inferior alveolar nerve injury. The inferior alveolar nerve is a nerve in the mandibular region, which is your lower jaw. If you sustained inferior alveolar nerve injuries due to a dentist’s professional negligence, you may be able to recover damages in a lawsuit. You should consult the seasoned Chicago medical malpractice attorneys of the Moll Law Group.

Up to 40% of inferior alveolar nerve injuries are the result of an implant placement in the lower mandible. Various risk factors link inferior alveolar nerve injuries to implant placement. Injuries may be inflicted when the site is being prepared for the implant or because of the implant’s length or width. In some instances, the way anesthetic is applied also inflicts injury. Early diagnosis and treatment have proven important to getting to positive treatment outcomes for alveolar nerve damage.

There are three kinds of nerve injury. From mildest to most severe, these are: neuropraxia, axonotmesis and neurotmesis. Categorization depends on how serious the tissue injury is, among other factors. Unfortunately, a diagnosis may be delayed, and this delay may lead to various complications. For instance, tunnel syndrome may develop. Minor injuries could develop because of hematoma. Edema may develop rapidly, resulting in nerve compression.

Your Chicago doctor should consider any signs and symptoms you describe. Symptoms can include:

• Difficulty biting and chewing
• Pain and burning sensations.
• Tingling or numbness in the gums, lips or jaw.
• Impaired speech
• Excessive drooling.

In some cases, an implant doesn’t look like it has damaged a nerve in a radiographic study, but it has. They can use local anesthetics and diagnostic methods like neurosensory testing. The tests can be performed once the local anesthetic fades.

More than half of patients suffer constant pain and discomfort because of nerve injury due to issues with implant placement. Your health care provider should account for any alteration in sensation you report; your own account of your sensations is the best way to determine whether you’ve suffered a change in sensation because the imaging may not pick up on tiny changes. For instance, you might have a more severe nerve injury if you suffer electric shock types of feelings when local anesthetic is administered. Your doctor should also perform a basic neurosensory exam, either a mechanoceptive or nociceptive test.

Not all harm inflicted by a dentist or dental surgeon constitutes medical malpractice. Rather we’ll need to prove certain elements by a preponderance of the evidence. Medical malpractice exists when: (1) there is a doctor-patient relationship, (2) a doctor breaches the professional standard of care in connection with diagnosis or treatment of your inferior alveolar nerve injury, (3) this causes harm and (4) damages. Dentists may breach the professional standard of care by setting implants too deep or at improper angles, perforating the bone, inserting the wrong implant, destroying the jawbone, or nicking the nerve.

There might be situations in which the medical products used in placement may be defective, resulting in nerve damages. Our experienced attorneys will explore every possibility to make sure all parties that contributed to the harm you suffered are held accountable in court.

If we can establish the liability of one or more parties, we may be able to recover damages on your behalf. These can include compensatory damages such as:

• Medical bills
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment
• Lost wages.

It may be appropriate to pursue additional damages when this injury impacts your speech. Many with inferior alveolar nerve injuries sound inebriated towards the middle or end of day; if you have this symptom, it could affect your job and result in various upsetting losses such as lost earning capacity and future wages. These may be quantified as an element of your losses.

If you are concerned about the value of alveolar nerve damage after implant placement, you should talk to the compassionate Chicago-based lawyers of the Moll Law Group. We’ve represented those injured due to medical malpractice and dangerous products for years. We offer the public a network of resources to make accessible lifesaving and injury prevention information. We’re ready to help you assert your rights. Please contact us online or call us at 312.462.1700.