Dentist wins appeal over bad crown, root canal

DETROIT (AP) -- For a Detroit-area man with a history of questionable dental care, this might cause another toothache. The Michigan Supreme Court has dismissed a lawsuit by Rodney Hanna, who'd accused a dentist of using the wrong size crown and failing to perform root canals on two bad teeth. The Supreme Court's decision last week had nothing to do with the quality of Hanna's care in 2006. Rather, the court ruled in favor of Dr. Dario Merlos for a technical reason. The court says Hanna's lawsuit lacked a critical document when it was filed, an affidavit from an expert who could say the claim had merit. Hanna's lawyer says it was attached but turned up missing from the Wayne County court file. Republicans who control the Supreme Court ended the lawsuit. Published: Thu, Apr 19, 2012