I hereby give my consent for Dr. Moorhouse to perform the following procedures/ treatments/ surgeries: removal of teeth #17 and #32.
The possible risks include but are not limited to:
- Postoperative discomfort and swelling that may necessitate several days of home rest.
- Heavy bleeding that may be prolonged
- Injury to adjacent teeth or fillings.
- Postoperative infection requiring additional treatment and delayed healing.
- Stretching the corners of the mouth which may result in cracking or bruising.
- Limited mouth opening for several days or weeks.
- Decision to leave a small root fragment if its removal is determined to be more detrimental than beneficial to the patient.
- Unforeseen reaction to any of the medications used.
- Bite or temporomandibular joint changes.
Therefore:
- I understand that certain anesthetic risks, including serious bodily injury, are inherent in any procedure involving a general anesthetic.
- In the event that some condition should arise during the course of the operation, I authorize Doctor Moorhouse to use any additional procedures, other than those mentioned, to afford a successful outcome to the operation.
- No guarantee or warranty of results has been given to me that the proposed procedures will be curative and or successful to my complete satisfaction.
- I understand that I am fully responsible for all fees incurred in this office and insurance does not relieve me of these responsibilities. All fees are due in full at the time of surgery unless prior arrangements have been made.
Well... Thanks Doc. Now that I feel comfortable, where do I sign?
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5 comments:
You have completely and successfully scared me out of getting any of my wisdom teeth removed, even though they are impacted and do not fit inside my mouth. I was already scared and not about to sign up, but you just nailed the last nail in the coffin.
Interesting, because our residents were just lectured on informed consent.
The law requires that the physician discloses two types of risks to the patient: the worst possible risks, and the most likely risks.
This combination results in that laundry list of bad things, from death to chapped lips.
But the "informed consent" that is required by law isn't actually your signature on that form. It is "a process of communication between a patient and physician that results in the patient's authorization or agreement to undergo a specific medical intervention."
The form is supposed to just be documentation of this communication process. It is a conversational opener, which ought to lead to a dialogue with patient questions and physician answers. You should be able to ask about the items on the form ("How likely is this one? How many of your patients has it happened to? What steps do you take to prevent this other one? What are my other options?") until you are satisfied that the procedure is a "good risk" for you.
A "good" physician, in my opinion, will talk candidly about the "real" risks of the procedure; telling you which things you should reasonably expect, and what he would do in the outlying worst cases.
When I got my wisdom teeth out in high school, two had to be broken up, but two made it out whole. I saved them to make cuff links out of them, but I never got around to it. I wonder where they are now?
Ryan, I can't believe you wouldn't fasten one of those into your prosthodontic tooth. A prosthodontic tooth made out of one of your own teeth? That's brilliant!
Having a molar instead of a lateral incisor? Not so brilliant. I'd look like a vampire with one really pudgy fang.
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