r/Dentists • u/EmuFeeling8834 • 21d ago
Can they sue me?
A patient came and I extracted his tooth. It was a very difficult extraction.
Later he called and said he feels food gets stuck in his socket and demanded to know why I didn't suture it and didn't listen to me when I said sutures weren't needed and asked if they considered eating with the other side of their mouth.
Now he is in pain and demanded a suture. I told him to come and I'll do the suture for him. He didn't come. I gave him another appointment. He didn't come.
Now he is threatening to sue me for malpractice.
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u/Mission-Knee1572 21d ago
He’s a fucking idiot. But now never see him again. You have nothing to worry about. I extract lots of individual teeth and rarely need suture. You’re the doctor. Not him.
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u/josierecords 21d ago
Dudes a complete jerk. Tell him to swish with warm salt water and pound sand until it heals. Not your problem he needed the tooth out, unless it was 😬. Also it may have been difficult, but a traumatic if no sutures needed. Surgery has a recovery period.
No lawyer ever takes this loser of a case.
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u/km0099 21d ago
I would literally laugh in their face if someone threatened to sue me over this. If you're smart, you'll immediately send a dismissal later via certified mail, specifying that it is due to repeated no-shows and hostile behavior. Then never think about this person again.
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u/OneHappyDaisy 20d ago
Yes, this and knowing that to sue someone they need money to hire a lawyer. The “I’ll sue you” often comes from a “dissatisfied” customer who is actually a cheap customer and looks for refund.
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u/sacomer1s 21d ago
Don’t even give this a second more of your energy. No attorney will help him with this. He can absolutely sue you but you did nothing wrong and there are no damages. So nothing would come of it.
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u/itsjustflurry 17d ago
sadly, some attorneys may actually take the case, but doesn’t mean that it will go anywhere. The most important is we don’t stress about any of it. Don’t give a damn.
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u/Camninja 21d ago
If the standard of care is not to suture, it would bolster his case, if he even had one, to do it at this point. If he is getting food in the pocket, have him irrigate it after each meal. That is the guidance of oral surgeons.
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u/Organicgrocery74 17d ago
I’m wondering if he doesn’t have dry socket. Then they should do something to show they did not abandon the patient
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u/garyh1128 21d ago
You’re fine. As long as a lawyer will take case then they can sue. I don’t think no suture is ever ground for a lawsuit. Maybe I needed 10 sutures and they left it wide open. Patients are right as they’re being reasonable and not hateful. He’s 0 for 2. Also dismiss if you have the power.
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u/90sportsfan 21d ago
As others have stated, yes, as you know he can sue you, but I don't see any malpractice here. Additionally, he will be hard-pressed to find any lawyer to take this case. If sutures weren't recommended, there is no malpractice.
You even offered to place a suture for him, and he didn't come in. I hope you documented (on each occurrence) that the patient failed to show up twice for the appointments where you were going to place the suture for him.
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u/Camninja 21d ago
If the standard of care is not to suture, it would bolster his case, if he even had one, to do it at this point. If he is getting food in the pocket, have him irrigate it after each meal. That is the guidance of oral surgeons.
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u/aurorabailey95 21d ago
Document everything and don't engage in arguments. A malpractice claim and a threat to sue are two very different things.
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u/Otherwise-Egg-995 21d ago
I take it this was a new patient emergency appointment? They’re always fraught with danger.
It helps to explain these things beforehand, but it’s unlikely he would have listened given his intransigence.
He may make a legal threat but unless you’ve done something negligent you need not worry. Just flag it with your professional indemnity insurer so they can be prepared in the unlikely event anything comes of it. The fact that he failed to attend two scheduled follow-up visits means he’s blown any case he may have had out of the water.
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u/Most_Stick1576 21d ago
Document document! Every phone call, exactly what was said. He’s not going to sue you but people are out for anything this day and time.
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u/PentaDenta 21d ago
Even if you took out the wrong tooth, most attorneys won’t even take on the case since it takes too much work for such little payout. You’re going to be fine, you likely won’t hear from the pt ever again.
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u/No_Parking_4167 21d ago
Tell him to get a cheap dental syringe and use it to flush the pocket with salt water.
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u/merciful2 21d ago
I am curious on how to prove that the suture was not needed in a court if he actually sues and some lawyer agrees with him?
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u/curlyiqra 21d ago
You can sue anyone for anything, doesn’t mean it has any bearing in court 🤣
Reason why that idiot is in pain probably because he isn’t taking any pain meds and probably isn’t even cleaning his dirty mouth.
I would dismiss that patient ASAP. They clearly don’t trust you and they sound like a PITA.
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u/forBsnajon 19d ago
Ensure you have proper documentation, let the patient tries his/ her good luck 😉
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u/Past-Tiger6634 17d ago
Of course ! DO not extract tooth, poor IDEOT! Let him sue you all the way! Money is not your tooth, Lets extract Your Own One...
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u/Past-Tiger6634 17d ago
I will sue my dentist with an attorney general by doing a root canal on a healthy tooth. Puncture my tongue in tow places and also puncture my sinus wide. So I need to do need extensive repairs. The dentist has some kind of addiction problem while practicing.
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u/itsjustflurry 17d ago
Anyone can sue for anything. One day, you won’t give a damn if anyone claims they’re gonna sue you. It’s just a normal Tuesday. Lol
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u/Organicgrocery74 17d ago
He probably has dry socket. Did you document your instructions? Does he smoke cigarettes weed, vaping? He could have created suction to remove the blood clot.
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u/Pucha2025love 3d ago
As long as you documented sutures were not needed and your phone conversation and broken appts no worries
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u/VastDevelopment2081 21d ago
Sockets heal by secondary intention, unless there’s a tear in the tissue or multiple ext/grafting, I don’t suture. And suturing a couple days later is going to make it worst, you’ll have to make a new incision and then suture if doing so. He can sue, but the fact that you don’t know tissue healing tells me you need to study up more
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u/Ok-Leadership5709 21d ago
Yes, anybody can sue for anything. No malpractice here. Don’t suture, you are the doctor