I am currently talking with Edwin J. Zinman in San Francisco regarding a claim against the Dentist for lack of informed consent and against the Maker of Articaine for distributing the anesthetic without proper warnings to Dentists. I don't have a lot of progress to report with regard to a suit at this point, but it sure wouldn't hurt if you contacted him at(415) 391-5353 to discuss your case.

Regards,
Jim

Here is the reference:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7736335&dopt=Abstract

In the abstract, the higher incidence of injury with Articaine is noted.

Ross

I am having the same problem. 8 days ago my dentist hit my tongue with aneedle of septocaine. Am very concerned. Any suggestions?

B Pepe

Add me to the list of "dry mouth" I am drinking so much liquid... its awful!! This is something that I kept telling everyone, but I too have noticed that it is not mentioned much here. I have no pain as of yet, only numbness still and no taste on the left side of tongue.
Laura

B Pepe

I am going through the same thing in N.C. What ever happened with your malpractice lawsuit.

We are going through the same thing also in NC. Who performed your surgery? I blame the dentist also. What about the dentist or oral surgeon? Articaine is only half the problem. I wish I had know of a web site to check this oral surgeon out prior to my daughter's wisdom teeth removal.

I would say to all these individuals that a law suit should be on the way, although this problem seems common, this should be a wake up call to anyone getting their wisdom teeth removed.

My daughter is numb on both sides of her mouth. We are very dissapointed in this oral surgeon.

Mrs. P

So sorry you are injuried. I'm injured from an injection too, but not from Articaine. I'm out 1 year and still going, but I never had numbness. I have pain. The burning pain for me was one of the worst types of pain I had and I needed treatment to help me get thru this. Read the treatment page and get some ideas of what you would like to try. Most people recover within the first few weeks but sometimes it is necessary to have pain treatment. I found my family practice doctor the most helpful when it came to treatment.

Post back with how you are doing.

"T"

Please let me know how I can help with the class action suit.

Desperatly seeking answers,

with greatest thanks
sabina

Ross

I have CIDP(Chronic Inflammatory Demylenating Polyneuropathy)

I haven't been to a dentist in about 18 months until today I am going to get a cavity fixed in about 3 weeks and wondered about Articain. The dentist said it is safe to use that he never heard it being a problem with people who have autoimmune disease that affects the nerves and muscle. He will be starting with a small cavity and do the 2nd one (a bigger one)at a later date.
Should I be concern?
I still have pain 2 1/2 years later from a nerve biopsy and I just got my second round of 5 days of IVIG last week to help my nerve to rejuvenate and work better .

Thanks
Sue Watters with CIDP

To Nancy, I sincerely hope you research alternatives in future because this is one club you don't want to join. Find a doctor who knows 'for sure', not just 'thought'. He is holding the rest of your life in his hands.

One last coment is about the Oral surgeons post, I feel he was wrong judging you as too suit happy, you arn't, surprisingly so. On his behalf, he was being wrongfully sued. He used informed consent.He used Lidocaine, the injury was due to trauma to the nerve, that is unavoidable sometimes doing that type of surgery, and quite frankly we Dentist do feel very vulnerable to Lawyers looking for deep pockets. All that aside I feel for all who are suffering on this board. I wish you well in your recovering. I won't mind if you do help get this drug off the market. In the mean time I will only use it for infiltration purposes and only in difficult situations, and may quit using it altogether as I continue to monitor this drug.

Yes, I serve as an expert, usually for the plaintiff, but the people I represent are not "suit happy". They have been injured and are in pain and have expenses and mostly just want money to be fixed. Mostly too, they are treated rudely and/or "blown off" by the dentist that injured them. I have no idea as to The Surgeon's suit, I never reviewed his records, but I am on record myself saying that injection injury may occur without negligence, even when using lidocaine or carbocaine.

Thank you
Andrea

just happened to me this past week and I'm praying my tongue will return to normal. Taste buds gone on left side had a crown done on last lower molar. Its affecting me so very much-feels like I'm sucking on a battery. I did definitely feel the electrical shock during the shot. Its been a week now and no change. Unfortunately, my dentist is my brother-in-law, who studied at USF and is a wonderful and caring dentist. I'm wondering how much he knows about Dower's research. He seemed to assume that he may have touched the nerve and did not say anything about the medication.
I can only assume for others, losing your taste buds and the pain and awful taste is like losing your eyesight.

Yesterday, I was at the same dentist. He said that Septocaine was recalled. He found this out when his wife was given a spinal during the birth of his child. Being a doctor he asked the anesthegologist (sp?) what he was giving her and Septocaine came into the discussion. The anesthegologist said he would/could not give Septocaine because it was recalled.

Although I was upset with the dentist at the time I now wonder if the drug should be the focal point of my concern. Others have indicated how difficult it would be for injection legal actions but now if
Septocaine is know to be a bad or a defective drug (why was it recalled?) I wonder if there is the possibility of a class action against the drug maker?

Ed

Thank you
Andrea

Please contact me regarding your medical problems.
objtpepe@swbell.net

BP

www.bosscherstichting.org
and contact me.
#####,

Thank you for your interest. My prayers to all who are suffering with ANY symptoms from Septocaine.

Does anyone know if I am at a greater risk of permanent damage (or better prognosis for a full recovery) as he said he used Carbocaine 3% with a 25 gage needle. I have not seen to much about carbocaine talked about.

Any additional information would be appreciated.

So, sorry you are injured and having such a hard time. I hope you find information that will help you get better. I'm glad you found this site because you will find a lot of information and support.

Dr. B is a great resource. I hope you contact her for I feel she will give you important information that will help you with your injury. I hope you are being seen by a specialist that will treat your injury appropriately.

Please keep posting back with update of your recovery.

"T"

Thank you for your concern. It has been over 4 weeks now and condition has not improved much. I go back for more tests and will be admitted to a seizure disorder clinic. Hopefully, a diagnosis will be determined and I will respond to treatment.

I have contacted Dr. B and am waiting for a response.

ks

Sincerely,
ks

Jane

Thanks for posting and sharing your info and concern. My injury is from Lidocain/epinephrine. I'm not one of the "lucky" ones that have recovered from this injury. I'm 13+ months out and still in pain. Meds are holding me at a livable level for now.

I'm surprised you've had so many experiences with this type of injury since I was told it is a one in a million chance this will happen. I was told that most dentist don't even think this can happen, but by your statement it seems to be more common. If a dentist does think about it they don't seem to understand that it isn't always the "classical" numbness. It can be numbness with pain or "just" pain.

Honestly what is being done to prevent this type of injury? I personally believe nothing will change until dentists are held accountable for causing this injury. Yes, I know... it is a blind procedure and the dentist can’t help it if the nerve is injured. This is convenient excuse to use. This way things can continue as they have always been done. I believe it is considered an acceptable risk in the dental community and it might be if you aren’t one of the unlucky ones injured.

Yes, you state that every one of these patients has recovered, but you don‘t state how stressful this injury was for these patients. I can assure you there were many tears shed during their recovery. A nerve injury is very different then say a sprained ankle. Pain and numbness especially in the mouth is very disabling even if it is “only” for a month. This is a very serious injury. It may not be life threatening, but it is life altering especially when it goes on and on and on. In some cases the pain and depression caused by a nerve injury can be life threatening. DENTIST’S NEED TO TAKE THIS SERIOUS. Please maintain an understanding that patients injured with a nerve injury (pain and or numbness) need special follow-up and care. If they are one in a million don’t let them feel like a zero after being one of your patients. These patients have paid a high price for your service.

I truly appreciate you posting on this site. What you shared shows you are caring person and dentist.
It is important to hear from professionals. I hope you have learned something from this site that will help you be a better dentist to your patients.

“T’

i can't imagine how diffcult this may be. There are other anesthesia techniques that eliminate the need for your particular type of injury but not every one is a candidate and other risks are associated with theose as well. The only option existing today to prevent this particular type of injury is General anesthesia(GA). However, there are other risks associated with GA(notably death). Some individuals do opt for dental work under GA where all or almost all the treatment is completed in one visit. cost of GA can be prohibitive to most people. Unfortunately our science is not as advanced as we want it to be.
stay in touch with your Doctor. get 2nd,3rd,4th opinions. this type of injury can take years to regenerate. stay positive.

M

If you want to see some eye opening stats, go to
www.dentaltown.com
click on past issues to October 2003
see my article on malpractice survey (Baxter)