Properly Prepared Teeth

Below is an example of properly prepared teeth.  This is how teeth should look after they have been prepared for crowns or bridges. 

Overprepared Teeth

This is an example of grossly overprepared teeth.  These teeth will never hold a crown or bridge.  Those posts are placed in the canal of the roots and will never hold the crown.  This is Dental Malpractice.

$350,000.00 Settlement for Suffolk County resident

Our office recently settled a dental malpractice matter for a suffolk county woman who as the result of poor root canlas and other dental work lost a number of teeth and required substantial dental restorations.  The matter was settled for $350,000.00 which is the highest settlement this office has obtained in Suffolk County for a dental malpractice case.

Overfill and file cause Dental Nerve Injury

Mediated settlement for a Nassau County woman who as the result of an overfill  and overextended file during a root canal suffered an inferior alveolar nerve injury on the left side of her face. As a result she sustained numbness and hypersensativity in the left side of the lower lip and chin area of her face. The case was settled a mediation prior to depositions. A copy of the x-ray showing the file and overextension of material is posted here. Thomas Reilly of our office handled this matter.

Root Canal Causes Inferior Alveolar Nerve Damage

Recently our office settled a case on behalf of a woman from Suffolk County who was injured as the result a a root canal performed by a dentist.  As the result of an over extension and over fill of a root canal our client sustained a permanent nerve injury to the right inferior alveolar nerve.   The dentist was re-treating a previously root canaled tooth.  In doing so he damaged the nerve.  After her prior attorneys refused to purse this case our office litigated the matter and settled the case prior to trial in the amount of $130,000.00 .

Crown and Bridge Settlements

Recently our office settled two dental malpractice cases involving poor cron and bridgework.  Both cases required the removal and replacement of the crown and bridgework placed by the dentist.  In both cases the cost of replacement of the restorations was approximately $20,000.00.  The plaintiff’s in each case had substaintial dental work before being treated by the defendant dentist.  These cases settled for $75,000.00 and $70,000.00 respectivley.

$350,000 Settelment Against an Orthodontist

Thomas Reilly of our office settled a case on behalf of a 47 year old Bronx woman who was caused severe root damage to her teeth by her orthodontist.  The plaintiff treated with the orthodontist for a number of years.  As a result of the treatment the roots of her upper and lower front teeth sustained severe resorption.  At the time of the settlement the plaintiff had not lost any teeth.  Two years prior to the settlement her oral surgeon has suggested extraction of 10 teeth and replacing them with implants and restorations.  The defendant failed to take x-rays to determine if root resorption was occurring during the treatment.  The defendant claimed that he root resorption was present prior to the treatment he performed.  This matter was settled in October of 2011

Tooth Extraction Causes Nerve Damage

Our office obtained a $175,000.00 settlement prior to the deposition of the defendant for a 39 year old woman who sustained left side inferior alveolar nerve damage as the result of a tooth extraction.  The plaintiff had a rear molar extracted by a general dentist and due to the extreme force and trauma the inferior alveolar nerve was damaged causing paresthesia of the left lip, chin and gum area of the plaintiff’s mouth.    The defendant did not refer the patient to an oral surgeon for the extraction and created extreme trauma to the inferior alveolar nerve.  This extraction took approximately one and a half hours which is an exorbinant amount of time for an extraction of a molar. The case was settled by Thoma Reilly of our office.

Things to Ask Your Orthodontist

Braces are becoming more of the norm and as such there are some things that parents and patients should be ask their orthodontist.  Recently I have seen more and more cases of braces causing root resorption and the loss of teeth.  This has happened in adults and children.  Make sure that your orthodontist takes pre-treatment x-rays that show the roots of the teeth and make sure that similar x rays are taken periodically.  Signs of root resorption can occur 3-6 months after treatment begins and becomes more prevalent the longer the treatment continues.  If there are signs of root resorption your orthodontist should closely monitor the situation and may need to remove the braces.  It is important to make sure that the doctor is watching for root resorption as the results can be the loss of teeth and need for implants or other restorations.

Another thing to make sure of is to know what the entire treatment plan is and what other options there are before you start treatment.  Sometimes there are certain issues with treatment such as tooth removal or transposed teeth that an orthodontist should discuss with you prior to treatment.  Some times the doctor does not discuss treatment options until after the braces come off.  At that point you really have no options.  The doctor should discuss the future need for restorations in these cases and all options prior to the start of treatment.  Make sure that you are aware of any abnormalities before the treatment starts and ask you doctor if he or she is capable of handling your situation.  If needed get a second opinion

Finally, make sure you or your child continues to treat with a general dentist for regular cleanings and check-ups.  If you have any questions make sure you ask them of your doctors and do not leave until you get an answer that you understand

Super Lawyer Albert Chianese

For the second straight year Albert W Chianese was named to the New York  Super Lawyers Metro Edition.  

Once a year, Super Lawyers  invites lawyers in each state to nominate the top attorneys they’ve personally observed in action.  Each nomination carries a point value. The procedures and database have several safeguards that prevent lawyers from “gaming” the system. For example, they track who nominates whom. This helps them detect any excessive “back-scratch” nominations (lawyers nominating each other) and “block nominations” (where members of the same law firm all cast identical nominations). Super Lawyers also prohibit lawyers from engaging in “campaigning” or solicitation of nominations from other lawyers.

While important, the nomination phase is simply the first step in the process. It puts lawyers on the radar for further research and evaluation, and awards points in our rating system. 

“Star Search” process

Super Lawyers attorney-led research staff searches for lawyers who have attained certain honors, results or credentials, which indicate a high degree of peer recognition or professional competence—what we term “Star Search Credentials.”  Most of the lawyers identified in the Star Search process have also been nominated by their peers. Occasionally, however, they find outstanding lawyers who have been overlooked in the nomination process. These “overlooked” attorneys fall into predictable categories. These include:   lawyers in smaller firms or from smaller communities; and lawyers practicing in less visible or highly specialized practice areas.

 Albert W. Chianese has been selected for this process and after careful review has been named a Super Lawyer in 2010 & 2011 for his excellence in the field of Dental Malpractice.