Negligence $47,500.00

Negligence in crown and bridge treatment prior to periodontal treatment results in periodontal surgery and new crowns for Florida plaintiff and $47,500 settlement.

The plaintiff, a forty-year old part-time nursing student and housewife was examined by the defendant's associate who told her that she needed many of her teeth capped but that she first had to have periodontal treatment. At the next visit, the plaintiff was seen by the defendant who started to prepare her teeth to be capped and told her that her periodontal condition wasn't so bad. During treatment the patient requested that the defendant cap all of her teeth for aesthetic considerations and he complied. A few months after all of the crowns and bridges were cemented the patient visited a new dentist for routine cleaning and was told to run, not walk, to the nearest periodontist. Upon examination by the periodontist, the patient learned that she needed four quadrants of periodontal surgery which she promptly had performed. Following the surgery, the gingival margin occupied a healthier position which was now 1-3 millimeters away from the metal margin of the crowns which was then visible and unsightly. Thus, the plaintiff had to have all the crowns cut off and replaced. Specials (new crowns and periodontal surgery) were $9,000.

The case was settled prior to trial for $47,500. Kenneth P. Liroff, D.D.S., J.D., of THE DENTALAW GROUP, Ft. Lauderdale, FL represented the plaintiff. C. Daniel Petrie, Esq., Ft. Lauderdale, FL for the defendant.