Xanthoula Maitou, Dentolegal Consultant at Dental Protection, looks at a case where a patient asks a dentist to reverse treatment provided by another dentist.

Dentists can sometimes face situations where it might be tempting to go along with an action to accommodate a particular patient.

A patient cannot consent to treatment when sedated, so the simple answer is not to do anything the patient has not agreed to, as this case demonstrates...

Without adequate records being made of patients being warned about possible treatment outcomes, you’ve little chance of defending yourself in court, as this case illustrates...

An experienced oral surgeon received a referral from a general dental practitioner colleague requesting that he remove a painful and impacted lower right third molar....

If you can’t genuinely claim competence in a procedure, you shouldn’t carry it out. Referring to someone who can is the best option…

When it comes to changing a patient’s appearance, you must be careful not to assume your vision is the same as theirs...

When three opinions clash in the settlement of a difference in clinical opinion, something is clearly amiss...

Keeping patients informed of any negative developments in their treatment is always a better policy than trying to hide something for whatever reason...

As this case illustrates, making comments without knowing the full story can lead to problems...

While it can be all too easy to want to maximise profits, doing so can rub patients up the wrong way. Changing the way you practise can make a real, positive difference...

Taking over from another dentist can lead to conflict – but protecting the interests of the patients remains paramount...

The importance of discussing and documenting everything with your patients cannot be over-emphasised, as this case proves...

Making assumptions can have serious consequences, as this cautionary case illustrates...