Dental Malpractice Lawyers in the United States (2026)
If your dental injury might support a malpractice claim, you'll need to find out which records to gather. Get a review before your state's filing deadline.
Of the 2 firms that show dental malpractice work on our 1 city list in the United States, CohenMalad, LLP scores highest on malpractice focus, published results, client reviews and experience, followed by Stewart & Stewart Attorneys. Each firm keeps its best score from the cities it serves; open a city for its full list.
Best Dental Malpractice Lawyers in the United States
Feature your firm first on this page
This spot goes to one firm for a year. It's shown first, above everyone below, and labeled Featured.
4.6205 Google reviewsRated 4.6 out of 5 on Google from 205 reviews
Best for: Birth and dental injury claims
CohenMalad, LLP's site addresses dental malpractice as well as birth injury. That distinction can help if your concern involves dental treatment rather than hospital care. Gregory L.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
4.8623 Google reviewsRated 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 623 reviews
Best for: Dental injury and infant death
On its site, Stewart & Stewart Attorneys lists settlements involving medical malpractice and the death of an infant. Amounts aren't listed for either. Alongside wrongful death, the firm's malpractice topics include dental malpractice.
We order firms by how much of their work is medical malpractice, the results they publish, what their clients say, their experience, their standing with the regulator and the recognition they have earned, all from public records and the firms' own sites. How lists are made
Dental malpractice lawyers by state
The rules change from one state to the next, so the lawyers near you are the ones to call.
Google reviews of the firms on our lists, quoted as their clients wrote them and linked to where they were posted. We don't write, edit or pick reviews for pay.
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Lizzy
November 2026 · Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
“My names MaryElizabeth I was helped by Greg and his assistants. I'd have to say they went above and beyond to help me get the best settlement!! After 6 months we settled at the highest amount possible!! I am so thankful and grateful for them and will definitely refer any friend or family to them!! Thank you guys again!”
“The Baer team, especially Melinda, was instrumental in helping me through the aftermath of a car accident.
Melinda was friendly, transparent, and always took the time to answer my questions. She made the entire process much less stressful and gave me confidence every step of the way.
I highly recommend the Baer team!”
“FVF is what you should look for in a law firm. They bring talent, experience and a track record of wins but are incredibly human. Mark in particular.... he never stopped fighting for us and never encouraged us to do anything other than what we felt was right. It was the best possible experience we could have hoped for.”
A dentist's care may amount to malpractice when it falls below the applicable standard of care and leaves you injured. Pain doesn't establish negligence. A lawyer may need to look into an extraction error or missed diagnosis; having pain doesn't tell you the dentist did something negligent. Get treatment for your current condition before you start gathering your dental records. With those records, a lawyer in your state can check whether you might have a claim and tell you the filing deadline.
What dental malpractice means
Being unhappy with the result doesn't tell you what, if anything, went wrong with your dental care. Someone reviewing your claim has to compare what the dentist did with the care they should have provided in those circumstances. They also need to check whether that shortfall hurt you.
Those are different questions. If you need more dental treatment, that alone doesn't show your original dentist made a mistake they could have avoided while treating you. The dentist's reassurance doesn't answer whether you have grounds for a legal claim. The chart and a clinical assessment can tell you more than either person's first impression alone.
The page titled Dental Malpractice Law identifies misdiagnosis and failure to obtain informed consent as possible reasons a dentist could be liable. Extraction errors appear there, too. A lawyer can investigate any of these concerns; simply identifying one doesn't establish that the dentist owes you damages.
Treatment errors and missed diagnoses
During an extraction, a tooth is removed. A claim about an extraction needs to address whether the dentist should have removed the tooth at all or performed the procedure differently to meet the required standard. Tell the reviewer exactly what the dentist said to expect and what you learned from later treatment. The words “botched extraction” don't explain what actually happened.
A misdiagnosis claim asks whether the dentist got the diagnosis wrong, rather than only questioning the treatment. The lawyer needs your earlier dental records along with the later diagnosis if, for example, you believe your dentist failed to recognize oral cancer. A later diagnosis alone still isn't proof of negligence. Someone must review the earlier care to see whether it caused harm beyond what you already had.
Our Misdiagnosis & Delayed Diagnosis page has more information about claims involving a wrong or late diagnosis. Be clear about each examination date, especially if you saw more than one provider.
Questions about consent need their own review, apart from the treatment. While you still remember the conversation, write down what the dentist told you before treatment; keep any consent form they gave you, too. An undisclosed risk raises a different question than whether the dentist made a mistake during the procedure. You can read more on the Informed Consent page. Ask a lawyer how the rules in your state apply to the treatment you received.
Concerns after treatment: get care, then document
A nerve injury or a concern about infection needs attention from a clinician who can assess you. This page can't determine whether your symptoms are part of expected recovery or came from a treatment error. Get care first, before asking for legal advice. Ask your treating dentist or physician which problems need to be addressed right now.
Your health questions need their own attention. Describe your treatment to the clinician, including when you first noticed the problem and how it has changed since then. Ask the clinician to write down what they found and the care they propose. Asking for an assessment doesn't mean you're accusing the original dentist of having done something wrong.
A commenter in a Florida Reddit discussion reported retained roots, an abscess and a fractured sinus, followed by hospitalization and emergency surgery. The commenter said those problems could warrant having a dental claim reviewed. Nothing in that discussion verifies the reported clinical findings or establishes a lawsuit result; these remain the commenter's claims.
That comment links the injury to treatment, prompting a question about what the dentist did. The records would still have to show that the original dental care led to the later problems before anyone could draw that connection. You can ask for a review because the harm was serious, even though its seriousness doesn't tell you who caused it.
A reviewer compares the dentist's work with the standard of care, the benchmark for assessing that treatment. They first need to know which decision or action by the dentist you're questioning. Give specifics. Someone hearing “I had a terrible experience” will understand your concern, but still won't know what the dentist did that failed to meet the standard.
Ask the lawyer how they would establish the benchmark for your case, and whether doing so would require an expert witness to review your records. What's required depends on your state's rules. Another dentist's criticism may help the review; the lawyer has to figure out what it actually shows about your care.
The connection to your injury
You establish causation by showing that the error you allege caused the injury you're claiming. Saying “this happened after my appointment” gives the timing, but leaves other questions unanswered. The lawyer needs the original chart and the next treating provider's findings to check whether the alleged error caused your injury.
Give the lawyer both sets of records if you have them, including information that makes your account harder to explain. Include the pages that don't favor you. Missing pages could contain something that would lead the lawyer to assess your claim differently.
The harm being claimed
Tell the lawyer how the injury affects your life. Describe the limitations you still have without guessing whether they're permanent, and save bills from any care you've needed since. Keep any recommendation your provider gives you for further treatment.
You may be unhappy with the result without having an injury that gives you grounds for a claim. Ask what injury the documents show and what still needs to be clarified. Discuss whether pursuing the case makes practical sense before going ahead with it.
Prepare for a case review
Build a clear account without delaying care
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Write a dated treatment history
Describe the appointment you're concerned about, then go through the later visits and give the dates when you first noticed something was wrong. Make clear which details come from memory and which appear in your records.
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Request the original dental records
Ask for the treatment plan and consent documents along with your chart and any available images. Save those copies. Tell the lawyer reviewing your case about anything that seems missing from the record, rather than trying to piece it together yourself.
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Gather records of subsequent care
If you were hospitalized, include hospital records when gathering the later provider's findings and treatment recommendations. Those documents give the lawyer a way to check whether your injury is connected to the original dental care.
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Preserve communications and expenses
When saving messages with the dental office, also keep receipts for additional care. Make a note of the date of any phone call and who you spoke with. Rather than present your notes as a transcript, make clear that they're your own notes.
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Contact a lawyer in your state
Ask about the deadline right away as you explain the procedure and what's concerning you now. Before you have all the records, make that first inquiry. Ask what the firm needs before it can decide whether to investigate your claim.
When you first call, be specific. You could give the firm something concrete to assess by saying, “The later dentist found a problem after my extraction, and I have that report”. Still waiting for a diagnosis? Say what you don't know instead of filling in the gap with a conclusion of your own.
Deadlines differ by state
Which state applies determines the dental malpractice filing deadline. You can't safely use the same filing deadline for every claim across the country. After finding the relevant location on our U.S. state pages, ask a lawyer in that state how the statute of limitations applies to your treatment dates.
Another dentist's confirmation of your concern doesn't necessarily mark the start of the filing clock. Along with the treatment date, tell the lawyer when you first learned that something might have gone wrong. Tell the lawyer right away if you were a child at the time. To find out whether that changes the rules, ask.
Choosing a dental malpractice lawyer
When a firm says it handles dental malpractice, ask what that means for the concern you have. The practice-area label isn't enough to go on. Even with that label, you don't know whether the firm will take your type of case or who will review the dental records.
Ask whether the firm has handled claims involving the particular procedure or diagnosis that you're concerned about.
When asking who initially assesses the case, find out which documents they need.
Ask how the firm would arrange an appropriate dental expert review if your case needs one.
Before you agree to representation, ask for fees and responsibility for case expenses to be explained in writing.
Some firms list a telephone number with an invitation to call them for a consultation. For the contacts below, the sources are Lane & Glassman's dental malpractice listing and The Berberian Firm's Los Angeles listing. Although these contacts are listed here, this isn't a ranking or a statement that either firm will accept your case.
Published dental malpractice consultation contacts
The Berberian Firm's listing says that you won't pay for the initial consultation. Before consulting any firm, ask what the consultation covers and whether a later records review will cost you. An invitation to call doesn't mean the firm promises to represent you. Nor does that invitation predict a recovery.
What to do next
You don't have to decide today whether your dentist's care amounted to malpractice. While getting care, request your records. A lawyer can assess your concerns without you first having to decide that the dentist's care was negligent.
When you first explain what happened, keep it brief and include the documents you already have. Tell them which records you're still waiting to receive. Rather than leave the deadline until the conversation ends, ask about it early.
The records need to show that care below the required standard caused harm, but deciding whether it's worth suing also means asking whether pursuing the case makes practical sense for you. When the lawyer explains possible grounds for a case, ask them to walk through the weaknesses, too. A serious injury deserves review, but it doesn't by itself show that the dentist is liable. Discuss fees and case expenses before you agree to representation.
What is considered malpractice in dentistry?
Dental malpractice is dental care that injures you because it falls below the applicable standard. According to Dental Malpractice Law, misdiagnosis and failure to obtain informed consent are possible grounds for liability, with extraction errors also included. Each case needs review before anyone can draw conclusions. To find out what must be established, ask a lawyer in your state whether your dental chart supports your concern.
How much can you sue for dental malpractice?
You can't reliably say how much a claim is worth before someone reviews your injury under the state rules that apply. When describing continuing limitations, don't assume they're permanent; bring bills for later care and any written recommendations you have for further treatment. Ask which of your losses could be included in a claim. Although a consultation advertisement doesn't establish your case's value, a lawyer can explain what documentation you'll need for the review.
What is the most common reason patients sue dentists?
There's no supported national ranking here to establish which reason patients sue dentists is the most common. According to Dental Malpractice Law, possible claims include misdiagnosis and consent failures, along with extraction errors. The person reviewing your claim needs to look at what your records show the dentist did or failed to do, not how often other patients have made that same allegation.
How hard is it to sue your dentist?
Even if a problem followed treatment, showing that sequence isn't enough for a claim. Reviewing the claim means checking what care the dentist should have provided and whether falling short of that standard caused your injury. Before filing, ask what your state requires and how the lawyer would handle expert review. A clear account of your treatment helps the review, but you'll still need the original chart and records from your later care.
How much compensation can you receive for dental negligence?
Whatever the claim, no one can promise an outcome or amount. Before discussing possible recovery, a lawyer must assess liability and the harm you've documented, with your state's rules also shaping that review. When asking treating providers to record their findings, keep your receipts for additional care, too. If you don't have access to someone else's records and injury details, be especially cautious about using their claimed result as a guide to your own situation.
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