Dentist messed up injection

[natalie]

I went for a tiny filling (that I wasnt convinced I needed) at a new dentist surgery after moving house.

 

I'm not squeamish about needles but he really hurt me when giving me the injections for the anaesthetic. Within an hour my face had ballooned and I looked as though I had been beaten up. I went to see my GP who told me that the dentist had injected into my salivary gland and it had become swollen and infected. I was given antibiotics, but it still took 4 weeks for the swelling and bruising to go down.

 

When I went back to the dentist to tell him, he told me that it happens with 1 in 100 cases and is nothing to worry about.

 

Who do I make a complaint to?

[Panthro]

I'm not a dentist but have had a fair bit of dental work done myself. I can see where jags in the mouth are difficult and if the dentist is telling the truth then I don't see any recourse from your complaint as it is a known complication. On the other hand, a complaint might make him more proactive in informing everyone of the risks of the anaesthetic jags before carrying it out. This is part and parcel of informed consent afterall.

 

Ultimately if a complaint is the route you want to go down then click here to be taken to the dental complaints section on nhs.uk

 

P.S. Hope you are feeling better

[normanuk]

might be an allergy

[zippygbr]

the only issue here is with consenting you before the procedure, if it's something that is known to happen in around 1% of cases then you should be informed of the risk before the procedure ...

 

why does the 'level of skill of the ordinary man professing to hold that skill' spring to mind here ...

 

I have to agree with what Panthro has said in his message

[Jach]

Bolam test may be helpful here as indeed maybe 'informed consent.' I assumed that prior to any procedure then true informed consent should include any likely or potential problems the procedure may cause?