People throughout Mississippi make regular visits to the dentist, and many young adults are told that they need to have their wisdom teeth extracted.  When parents take their teenagers to an oral surgeon, they typically do not view this type of dental procedure as having the same types of risk that are generally associated with surgical procedures on other parts of the body.  However, the reality is that the dangers and risks are much more similar than many people realize.  The single biggest danger when many surgical procedures are conducted is the safe administration of anesthesia.  This common line between oral surgical procedures and other surgeries means that the risk of serious injury or even wrongful death is present.

The family of high school teenager Jenny Olenick learned of these dangers first hand when their daughter tragically died following oral surgery to remove her wisdom teeth.  Jenny’s parents have filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the dentist and the anesthesiologist negligence.  General anesthetic is dangerous because a patient’s breathing functions may be suppressed so a patient receiving general anesthetic typically is intubated, which means providing oxygen artificially.  When this process is not done correctly or the patient is not properly monitored, the patient can suffer hypoxia, which is an interruption of oxygen to a particular part of the body like the brain.

Jenny’s parents have filed a lawsuit based on the failure of the dentist or anesthesiologist to properly administer resuscitation when her oxygen and heart rate levels declined dramatically.  The lawsuit further alleges that had prompt efforts been made to resuscitate the teen she would not have suffered severe hypoxia to the brain, which ultimately resulted in her tragic death.

This case is receiving national attention and has drawn criticism toward the dental and oral surgery profession because some argue that most wisdom teeth extractions constitute surgeries that are not necessary.  These critics point out that the risk associated with the oral surgical procedure outweigh any therapeutic benefit.  Most wisdom teeth extractions are performed as a type of preventative measure.  The purpose of preventative dental extraction of wisdom teeth is to prevent damage to other teeth and nerves or to cause infection that may spread.  However, this occurs in less than 15 percent of all cases according to one expert and former California dentist.  This same expert estimates that as many as two-thirds of all wisdom tooth extractions are not necessary.

Dental negligence can cause serious injury including nerve damage, brain infections, damaged teeth, hypoxia and potentially fatal bleeding.  If you or someone you love has been injured because of dental negligence, our experienced Mississippi negligence lawyers at Barrett Law are committed to seeking compensation for victims of dental malpractice.  The experienced Mississippi dental malpractice attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing tenacious representation to dental malpractice victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.