Opinion ID: 1334242
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Future Dental Expenses

Text: The defendant also cites as error the admission of the testimony of the plaintiffs' dental expert, Dr. Leroy Jackson, who testified concerning the future dental expenses that Mr. Wilt would incur. The defendant contends that Dr. Jackson was unable to testify with a reasonable degree of certainty about Mr. Wilt's future dental expenses. The jury awarded Mr. Wilt $5000 under this category of damages. Dr. Jackson stated that while Mr. Wilt had dentures prior to the car accident, those dentures would have to be replaced because, prior to the accident, Mr. Wilt required only a partial-plate denture, and after the accident, he required a full-plate denture. Dr. Jackson testified that, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, he was certain that Mr. Wilt would require one or two additional upper dentures in his lifetime. [19] Dr. Jackson was not asked to separate the difference between Mr. Wilt's dental impairment before and after the accident. In Syllabus Point 13 of Jordan v. Bero, supra , we stated: In an injury case where the manifestations of the permanent injury may be obscure and the extent of the injury itself may be obscure because of its character, positive medical evidence to a degree of reasonable certainty that the injury is permanent is sufficient to take the question to the jury and to support an award of damages for the future effects of such injury. It is clear that Dr. Jackson testified to a degree of reasonable certainty that Mr. Wilt had suffered a permanent dental injury as a result of the accident. Thus, it was not error for the trial court to allow Dr. Jackson's testimony to be considered by the jury and the jury was free to award damages for the future effects of Mr. Wilt's injury.