If a Dentist Drills Through Your Tongue is He Liable

[Just and Fair]

My question involves medical malpractice in the state of: Michigan

If a Dentist drills through your tongue because he didn't see you in pain from the drilling...and his drill goes through your tongue...is this malpractice?
Just curious ..this happened about 1 and a half - 2 yrs ago and I always wondered. He never even called to see if I was alright.

[aaron]

It depends on why it happened. For example, if the dentist is working and you choose to stick your tongue unexpectedly in the way of his drill, he might not have time to react before the drill hits your tongue.

The notion that a dentist would "drill[] through your tongue because he didn't see you in pain from the drilling" doesn't make sense. What was the actual reason the injury occurred?

[Just and Fair]

He was drilling on a tooth...I felt pain and flinched..and he drilled through my tongue.

[Adam G]

Malpractice is when a professional fails to follow the accepted standard of care for his/her profession. If a reasonable dentist would not have drilled through your tongue doing the same procedure, then it's likely dental malpractice.

The issue with any malpractice case is damages. The fact that you didn't include in your post some information about having gangrene in your tongue and having it subsequently amputated leads me to believe that you did not have substantial damages.

[jk]

He was drilling on a tooth...I felt pain and flinched..and he drilled through my tongue.

if you stuck your tongue in the way of the drill, it is unlikely you would have any claim. Most people realize the consequence of putting a body part under a drill and due to that, people generally don't put their tongues under a drill.