I had dental work performed by my Dntist two years where he…

Hello and thank you for your question.

There is no automatic obligation on his part to pay for any further work, and if you want him to pay for any further work, or are considering suing him for compensation then your legal rights will depend on whether his work has been done negligently in some way.

With medical/dental issues of this sort, the mere fact something has gone wrong does not of itself mean that he has treated you negligently. Sometimes things go wrong for reasons that are beyond the dentists control and provided he has treated you in accordance with what is sensible and accepted dental practice a court would not find he has done anything wrong. Nevertheless, when things do go wrong it very often does indicate that the practitioner has in fact done something wrong, but to find out you will need to get a second, and perhaps a third opinion as to whether his treatment was appropriate or was in some way negligent.

Seeking a second opinion won't affect your legal rights against the dentist, although if you simply engage a new dentist to conduct further work it can make things more complicated if you later wish to take action against the first treating dentist, and for that reason, I would suggest you get a second opinion based on what has been done to date before going ahead with further work.

Also, be aware that most dentists will be reluctant to criticize the previous work if they sense it may involve them in legal action, and for this reason you may well be better off seeing a compensation lawyer first and letting them arrange for a second opinion as they will be able to engage a suitable dentist with experience in negligence law and who will be much more willing to make critical comments about your treating dentists work.

If you need assistance locating a suitable lawyer, contact the Queensland Law Society as they can refer you to a compensation lawyer in your area.

http://www.qls.com.au/Home

I trust the above assists your understanding.

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Thank you,

Patrick