My dentist left a dark bruise on my jaw, & abrasions inside my mouth. it was never acknowledged by him. what can i do to make him realize he did it to me?

Hello. : Hello. Sometimes iatrogenic trauma (trauma resulting from a dentists treatment or manner) can't be avoided. Research shows that for any type of medical provider (i.e., dentist, doctor, etc.) that some factors that may help to limit iatrogenic injury can include a provider being skilled, experienced and having up to date knowledge. However, with that said, there can be times that even in the hands of a highly skilled provider that incidental injuries can occur. The moto that most providers are expected to adhere to is "primum non nocere" or first do no harm. With that said, i don't know why your dentist is reacting in this manner. Maybe, he or she really is finding it difficult to believe that it was due to the dental work. Maybe the provider is concerned that by acknowledging it, that it could leave him or her open to litigation. Sometimes, plain old human pride can be an issue. How the issue is presented to the provider can also make a big difference in how the provider reactes. In reality, we can't control other people's responses. If sounds like you would feel better about this if the dentist acknowledged the cause. You may or may not get that response from him or her. I was once treated by a dentist for a tooth i broke while pregnant. The dentist was a nice guy, because i knew him socially before hand. However, he berated me for having eaten hard candy and had an extremely forcefull physical manner that made the dental work very painful. I learned that although he was very knowledgable, that most patients found him to be rough. I made a decision, to maintain a friendship but not to see him for dental work. If you have had a long doctor patient relationship that has been primarily positive, you might revisit the issue again. You might let the provider know that this has continued to bother you. However, if this is a new dentist and you are disatisfied with both his or her technique and bedside manner, you might opt to find a different provider.

Dr.Fowler : Dr.Fowler is right. Sometimes injury is unavoidable. The only thing you can do is talk to your dentist. Best of luck, dr. Zev kaufman.

Though : Though I have to agree with the other responses there is one possible explanation that was not covered. I have had numerous occasions where patients have come back after treatment with the same complaints that you described. What has happened is that the patient has injured their cheek or tongue accidentally because they were still numb and did not realize that they had caused damage to themselves. I always caution my patients to be careful until the numbness wears off. Many patients who take Aspirin or Aspirin products are prone to bruising even after simple procures.