The worst dental experience I've ever had; and I've been going to dentists for 50 years now. I'm an objective guy, a teacher, and put up with a good deal of stuff before calling someone on their actions.
Brett gave me what is called an injection injury. I didn't know anything about this sort of thing before it happened but I was soon to find out. I went in for some routine work and left with the typical numb mouth area where the needle was inserted.
But the numbness didn't go away. Even by the next day, and the next, and the next and before long four days had gone by without a change. I called him and he was prompt to return my call on a weekend (what was to be the first of several red flags). He told me that in some people who get Septocain there could sometimes be lingering numbness that doesn't go away as soon as usual. Great, I could deal with that!!
My whole tongue and cheek area were still numb after a week. But he told me that this was something I could expect and that the medication would wear off. Well another week went by and I still couldn't tell I had a tongue! I was really starting to feel nervous because I couldn't taste my food and I could actually bite my tongue and not feel a thing.
Two weeks later, I called him back and he now told me this sort of thing sometimes lasts up to 30 days. I pressed him on the details of what was going on and he was less than cooperative in describing what was happening to me, even when I was clear that I had detailed understanding of neurology, the mechanics of nerve conduction, etc.
At this point he told me that it sounded like I had a nerve had been "bruised". I hadn't told him any additional facts and he never acknowledged a bit of responsibility, sympathy, or help. I now had a new diagnosis to deal with.
I teach science, anatomy, and have a degree from U.C. and I'd never heard of this sort of thing before. Good reason; "bruised" nerves don't exist! Bruising happens with broken blood vessels. That was something Dr Johnson made up to placate me, as a redirect to what was really happening that he didn't want to discuss.
I went on to ask what I could do and he told me all I could do was to wait it out and it would eventually get better. He tersely apologized, but said he couldn't help me any more. I really was left feeling "hung out to dry"
30 days came and went. Six weeks later I did some background research to find out more about what really happened which is called an "injection injury"; only to discover this is not covered by any dental insurance and the only recourse patients have is legal litigation against the dentist. I really didn't have time to pursue this option with the pace of my teaching job and responsibilities at school. I decided to give it more time.
Two and a half months went by with no change in condition before I finally called an an attorney, Todd Osborn, specializing in injection injuries. He told me it is important to have your condition evaluated promptly by a specialist, which I did not.
The two specialist dentists that we discussed are Brian Schmidt at UCSF School of Dentistry and Nestor Karas, D.D.S., M.D., in Walnut Creek. He told me he was willing to represent me but that I was on the edge of being able to win a case and that people in my situation can go months or years without being able to feel or taste. I decided again to wait it out, giving Dr. Johnson the benefit of the doubt.
Obviously Dr. Johnson and his staff had better more pressing issues to deal with than one of their patients who had been seriously injured, albeit by accident, by a dentist who obviously doesn't care about what his patients are going through. I don't usually complain about the service I receive unless its really serious.
Over a year and a half later I am luckily just now almost completely have regained feeling and taste ability in my mouth. It has been a long wait. But the way I was treated by Dr. Johnson and his staff was outright rude; not lifting a finger to provide accurate information, downplaying the seriousness of the situation, often redirecting our conversations and trivializing my situation.
There are a few other attorneys you may wish to contact in addition to Todd Osborn if Dr. Johnson does this to you; they are Paul Silver in Santa Rosa and Ed Zinman in San Francisco. Good luck and don't wait as long as I did to react. Perhaps then insurance companies, dental law, and dentists will acknowledge the seriousness of this type of injury with successful malpractice litigation. read more
