As a dental professional, it’s essential to have various forms of insurance and coverage. Dentist liability insurance is not required by law in most states in the U.S. However, liability insurance could save against costly unexpected claims, protecting you financially.

At some point in your career as a dentist, you could become involved in a litigation process. Lawsuits against you or your dentary firm can be expensive, even if you win the case. However, you can protect yourself and your practice by investing in dentist liability insurance.

Dentist liability insurance covers acts and omissions you could fall liable for. These scenarios vary, but may include:

  • A patient trips over a piece of equipment left out, landing on the ground and spraining their wrist
  • You misplace a scaler or other piece of equipment and a patient picks this up, hurting or cutting themselves
  • The corner of the chair the patient sits on is sharp, cutting the patient and causing them to bleed

As you can see, the possibilities for claims are endless. A patient or member of the public can make a claim against you as their dentist, other employees within your practice, or against your dental firm as a whole.

Accidents happen, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare for them.

What does dental liability insurance cover?

Dental liability insurance covers all costs associated with any legal battles or fees you encounter. So, for instance: if a patient does fall, trips and hurts themselves and then decides to put in a claim against you, all legal fees and other associated costs would be covered by your insurance.

Without this insurance in place, even the most innocent of accidents could put you out of business (if the claim is serious) or run the risk of you losing your dental license. 

Once again, while dental liability insurance isn’t compulsory in every state, we highly recommend investing in it to protect your license as a dentist, your employees, and your dental practice.

To find out more information about our dentist liability insurance, including costs and what’s included, please click here.