Lip Injuries After Dental Work: Is It Dental Negligence?

Lip injuries can occur despite the dentist providing an appropriate standard of care and are often considered an unavoidable risk of treatment.

Unavoidable lip injuries may include:

• Minor irritations or abrasions caused during dental treatment
• Swelling or bruising following treatment
• Accidental biting of the lip while numb
• Mild irritation from retractors or dental equipment used to hold the mouth open

These types of injuries are usually temporary and tend to heal on their own within a few days. Dentists should always take reasonable precautions, such as positioning the instruments carefully and advising patients not to eat until the anaesthetic has worn off. But even with appropriate care, some minor lip trauma can occur.

The lips are very sensitive, and some longer or more complex treatments may require the lips to be stretched or held in place for extended periods, which may cause some soreness.

In most of these situations, a lip injury does not automatically mean the dentist was negligent. Some minor injuries are recognised risks of dental treatment and can occur even with appropriate care and skill.

While many lip injuries are unavoidable, there are situations where the injury may have been caused, or made worse, by substandard care. If a dental professional fails to take reasonable precautions during treatment, or makes an avoidable error, this could potentially be classed as dental negligence.

Examples of lip injuries that may raise concerns include:

• Excessive or severe injury: If your lip injury is significantly more serious than would normally be expected from the treatment, such as deep lacerations or prolonged bleeding, this could indicate that proper care wasn’t taken during the procedure.
• Poor use of dental instruments: Dentists must handle instruments with care and precision. If they applied excessive force or used tools incorrectly, and this caused unnecessary injury to your lips, this could be classed as dental negligence.
• Failure to take reasonable precautions before treatment: During treatment, dentists should take reasonable steps to minimise unnecessary risk of injury. This may include using protective barriers or ensuring instruments are positioned safely. 
• Injuries caused by lack of skill or experience: All dental professionals must provide treatment that meets the acceptable professional dental standard. If an injury occurred because a procedure was carried out incorrectly, or appropriate care was not taken, this could be considered a breach of duty.
• Infection following a lip injury: While minor injuries can happen, they should be managed appropriately. If a lip injury becomes infected due to poor hygiene standards, inadequate treatment, or a failure to provide appropriate advice, this could also point towards negligence

To determine whether a lip injury may be the result of dental negligence, two key criteria must be met:

• Breach of duty: The dental professional failed to provide treatment that met an acceptable standard of care.
• Causation: This failure directly caused you harm that could have been avoided if proper care had been provided.

It’s not enough for an injury to have occurred – there must be evidence that the injury was caused by treatment that fell below the expected standard of care and that mistake caused avoidable harm and injury. 

Not sure whether your experience meets these criteria? The Dental Law Partnership can help. Get in touch for a free consultation and we’ll advise you on the next steps.

If you’ve suffered a lip injury after dental treatment and believe it may have been caused by negligent care, you may be entitled to make a dental negligence claim.

Starting a claim can help you:

• Get compensation for pain, suffering, and financial losses
• Cover the cost of any corrective treatment
• Hold the responsible dentist accountable
• Help prevent similar incidents from happening to others

Our specialist dental negligence team will listen to your experience and review your case to see whether you meet the criteria for a claim. If your claim is accepted and you choose to proceed, we’ll handle the entire process on your behalf – from gathering evidence to negotiating a settlement.

We operate on a no-win, no-fee basis, which means you won’t pay anything if your claim is unsuccessful.

If you think your lip injury may have been caused by poor dental care, start your dental negligence claim online today.