Dental liability insurance: do you need it?
As a dentist, you may be confused about what type of insurance you need and why. And if you’re a dental nurse, then things just got even more bewildering.
But hang in there – we’re here to help guide you on what insurance you need. In particular, this article will discuss dental liability insurance.
As a dentist, dental liability insurance protects you if a patient puts in a claim against you or your practice, protecting you financially.
For example, perhaps a patient tripped and fell in your care, cut themselves on a piece of equipment, or you provided a service of care that wasn’t up to their standards. Whatever it is, you need protection and adequate coverage.
Dental liability insurance will cover legal fees and other associated costs, whether a mistake was made on your part or if a patient feels dissatisfied and intends to sue. Without the correct insurance in place, even if you win the case, you could come out worse for wear, financially speaking.
So, with this in mind, the remainder of this blog post will discuss more on dental liability insurance, if you really need it, and a little on dental nurse liability insurance.
But do you really need it?
Yes. Dental liability insurance protects you from unforeseen circumstances (which, let’s face it, are becoming more common).
Many liability cases relate to negligence, but some things are out of your control. Perhaps you were unaware of a pre-existing dental issue, a patient claims you caused nerve damage, or maybe they tripped and fell on what they claimed was a “wet surface.”
And while these claims may or may not be true, if you don’t have coverage, then you’ll likely need to pay these out of pocket.
Some dentists and health practices provide their healthcare workers with some kind of insurance. But usually, the coverage is not sufficient, meaning you could end up paying towards the case anyways, win or lose.
Liability insurance is crucial for dentists
We live in a world where more and more people are seeking compensation for what they think was negligible care.
As a dentist, you have a duty of care to provide the very best treatment and care to your patients. However, if a patient feels the level of care is below adequate, then this is when they can seek compensation.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s your first time in a dental practice or you’ve been in the industry the last three decades: you need insurance to protect yourself and your clients.
Liability insurance, although not required by law in most states in the United States, is crucial – it protects you when you need it most.
There are other types of dental nurse insurance out there too
Often, many people forget about dental nurses and their insurance needs – the spotlight is instead focused on dentists.
But once again, some insurance is usually provided by the healthcare provider or dental practice. But it’s worth checking to see what’s included within your coverage, and what’s not.
You may choose to invest in dental liability insurance to protect yourself, alongside the existing insurance you may or may not have in place.
Alongside dental nurse liability insurance, there is also worker’s compensation, disability insurance, and others.
And while most of these are targeted at dental practices, there are other types of insurance you may wish to invest in as a dental nurse or practitioner.
To find out more about these insurance types, check out our full page dedicated to dental insurance.
To summarise
Although dentist liability insurance is not required by law in a lot of States in America (ensure to check), we would highly recommend investing in this insurance.
You need it to protect yourself financially in the event that a patient sues, which happens more often than you may think (or you may already have experienced).
The same applies to dental nurse liability insurance – it’s worth asking your employer what insurance is provided, and making a decision on whether you also need dental liability insurance to protect you and the job you love so much.