Dentist extracts wisdom teeth, patient has ongoing pain from jaw and nerve damage. $500K. Monterey County.

Facts and Background

• Facts and Background:

  In January 2019, plaintiff first met with defendant at his dental office in Monterey. At that appointment, defendant told plaintiff that both of her bottom wisdom teeth needed to be removed. On March 1, 2019, plaintiff underwent the lower wisdom teeth extraction procedure. Afterward, defendant told plaintiff that the removal of the wisdom teeth was without incident.

  Defendant did not take any post-procedure X-rays at that time. Plaintiff had pain, numbness and swelling on the left side of her face that persisted after the procedure. She also had difficulty opening her mouth. She followed up with defendant more than once. On April 5, 2019, plaintiff saw defendant and he took a dental X-ray of the extraction site of the lower left wisdom tooth. Defendant told plaintiff the X-ray did not indicate any problems and looked normal. Plaintiff grew suspicious of what defendant was telling her and sought out a second opinion.

  On April 18, 2019, plaintiff met with dentist Dr. Micahel Faktor. Dr. Faktor told her that he suspected the numbness on the left side of her face was due to nerve damage. He took a panoramic X-ray. The panoramic X-ray showed that plaintiff's lower left jaw was fractured and that the majority of her right wisdom tooth had not been extracted. Dr. Faktor then referred her to an oral surgeon, Dr. Perry Silva. Plaintiff met with Dr. Silva. He confirmed her lower left jaw was fractured and that she had nerve damage on the left side of her face. He attributed the fracture and nerve damage to the extraction procedure. He scheduled plaintiff for an open reduction internal fixation surgery to see if her lower left jaw could be realigned. On May 3, 2019, Dr. Silva attempted the surgery. However, the bone had already fused out of alignment and could not be separated. The surgery was unsuccessful and plaintiff's mouth was wired shut for 3-4 weeks,during which she remained on a liquid diet.

• Plaintiff's Contentions:

  Plaintiff contended that she went to defendant's office in January 2019 for a general cleaning and with no complaints of wisdom teeth problems. She believed defendant when he said she needed her wisdom teeth removed. During the extraction procedure, she heard a loud crack when he removed her lower left wisdom tooth. From that point on, she was unable to keep her mouth open. After the procedure, defendant told her that the surgery had gone as expected and without any problems. Defendant did not tell her that he left the majority of her lower right wisdom tooth. Defendant did not tell her about any issue with removing her lower left wisdom tooth.

  In the weeks that followed, plaintiff had pain, swelling and numbness on the left side of her face. She also had problems opening her mouth. She returned to defendant's office 3-4 times. Each time he told her that everything was fine and that her recovery was typical. At one point, she researched the numbness in her face and learned she likely had nerve damage. She addressed this with defendant. Defendant told her there was no way he damaged her nerve and that it may take her six months for the numbness to go away. She believed that this was not a normal recovery period.

  At no time did defendant tell her she had nerve damage. The first time plaintiff learned that she had a lower left broken jaw, and that her right wisdom tooth was mostly left in her mouth, was after she sought a second opinion. Plaintiff claimed an altered bite, permanent numbness in her lower left lip and chin, malunion of her left jaw bone resulting in asymmetry in her face, pain and aches in her jaw when attempting to eat certain foods, inability to fully open her mouth and emotional distress as a result.

• Defendant's Contentions:

  Defendant contended that plaintiff presented to his office specifically complaining of pain and problems with her wisdom teeth. As a result, the extraction procedure was scheduled. Defendant removed the lower left wisdom tooth without any problems. Defendant elected to leave the majority of the lower right wisdom tooth in place because he had concerns that removing it could lead to nerve damage. After the procedure, defendant told plaintiff that he had left part of the lower right wisdom tooth behind. He also gave plaintiff his personal cell phone number and told her to call with any problems. Plaintiff did not call his cell phone. Plaintiff only called his office one time after the procedure, complaining of pain and swelling.

  Plaintiff was not compliant with the post-procedure medications he prescribed to reduce the swelling. At no time did plaintiff complain about numbness to him. Plaintiff then failed to show at a scheduled appointment in the middle of March. Plaintiff finally returned to his office on April 5, 2019 at which time an X-ray was taken of the lower left wisdom tooth extraction site. This X-ray proved that her jaw was not fractured at that time, and that plaintiff's jaw fractured at some point during the 13 days between her last appointment with him on April 5, 2019 and the panoramic X-ray taken on April 18, 2019.

  The fracture and nerve damage was not caused by defendant and not his fault. Defendant did not misrepresent or conceal anything from plaintiff. Plaintiff was not forthright regarding her complaints about her continued issues and symptoms. Plaintiff's continued complaints and symptoms were not consistent with the medical science.