Roswell Dental Assistants: 2026 Work Comp Rights

The ache in Sarah’s right wrist wasn’t sudden. It started as a dull throb after long days at the dental office in Roswell where she’d worked as a dedicated dental assistant for nearly seven years. Her hands were in constant motion, performing countless precise, repetitive tasks, suctioning, mixing, passing instruments, charting. By early 2026, that throb had turned into a sharp, burning pain, so bad that opening a jar was an agonizing task. As a 32-year-old single mom, Sarah knew this wasn’t just being tired. It felt like her career and her ability to support her daughter were slipping away. A doctor finally gave her the diagnosis: severe wrist tendonitis, caused directly by her work. This kind of debilitating injury brings up a huge question for people in her shoes: what can a dental assistant do when a repetitive motion injury destroys their ability to work? This isn’t a rare story. Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), which include tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and cubital tunnel syndrome, are a well-known occupational hazard in any job that demands fine motor skills and holding awkward positions for a long time. Dental professionals are prime candidates. What many injured workers don’t know is that the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation (SBWC) recognizes these injuries as compensable, but only if you prove your case correctly. When Sarah first told her employer, Dr. Evans, about her wrist, his response was sympathetic but in the end unhelpful. “Try to rest it when you can, Sarah,” he said, handing her some over-the-counter pain pills from the office supply cabinet. I’ve seen this exact scenario play out a hundred times. This informal approach, even if the boss means well, just delays real medical care and can seriously mess up a workers’ compensation claim down the road. Employers, especially in smaller practices like a local dental office, might not understand the legal gravity of these injuries. What Sarah did next was smart. She went for formal medical help, not just relying on Dr. Evans’s casual advice. Her orthopedic specialist at Northside Hospital Forsyth confirmed the tendonitis and laid out a treatment plan: physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs, and, the most worrying part, a period of reduced work activity. That medical diagnosis became the first solid piece of evidence connecting her job to her condition. Without a doctor’s clear opinion establishing causation, a workers’ comp claim for a repetitive injury is an uphill fight from the start. The report from her specialist flat-out stated that Sarah’s duties as a dental assistant, with the constant wrist flexion and extension, were the main cause of her tendonitis. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is thinking workers’ comp only covers a sudden accident, like a slip and fall. That’s just not how it works in Georgia. O.C.G.A. Section 34-9-1(4) defines an “injury” as something “by accident arising out of and in the course of the employment.” While “accident” sounds like a single event, Georgia courts have expanded that idea over the years to include injuries that build up gradually from repetitive trauma. The catch? You have to tie it to a specific work activity that caused or aggravated the problem. This is where the medical evidence and a clear story about your job duties become everything. Sarah’s daily work involved holding a suction aspirator for long periods, mixing heavy impression materials, and helping with procedures that all required sustained, precise hand and wrist work. She spent hours a day leaning over patients, often in strained positions that put even more stress on her joints. All that consistent, day-after-day micro-trauma finally added up to severe tendonitis. Her physical therapist, Dr. Lee, was great about documenting the specific range-of-motion limits, her poor grip strength, and exactly which simulated work tasks made the pain flare up. That detailed therapy record became an invaluable piece of evidence. The next thing Sarah had to do was officially notify her employer. Georgia law gives you 30 days to report a work-related injury. The tricky part with gradual injuries like tendonitis is figuring out when that 30-day clock starts. It begins on the date you knew, or reasonably should have known, that your job was causing the injury. Sarah did it perfectly: she gave Dr. Evans a formal letter detailing her diagnosis and stating her belief that it was a result of her work duties. Always put it in writing. A verbal chat can be forgotten or disputed later. Once he got the formal notice, Dr. Evans passed her off to their workers’ compensation insurance carrier. The carrier, as they always do, immediately started its own investigation. This means they’ll want to interview you, comb through your medical records, and often demand you see one of their doctors for an independent medical examination (IME). This is the stage where a lot of injured workers get intimidated and just give up. The insurance company’s job, remember, is to pay out as little as possible. The adjuster started asking about Sarah’s hobbies and chores at home, trying to suggest something else caused her wrist pain. It’s a standard play from their book. But Sarah didn’t have any wrist problems before she started working as a dental assistant, and her specialist had already given a strong opinion tying the injury directly to her job. The insurance company also created a frustrating delay by refusing to approve her physical therapy right away. They wanted more records and kept trying to force a second opinion from a doctor on their approved list. In Georgia, your employer generally has the right to make you choose a doctor from a pre-approved panel, but that initial choice can be a big fight (and a big deal for your case). It’s an important point: you’re supposed to get a choice from a list of at least six doctors, not just be sent to one specific doctor. If the employer fails to give you a valid panel, you might win the right to see any doctor you want. Sarah’s attorney advised her to cooperate with the IME but also prepared her for what to expect. These exams are paid for by the insurance company, so while they’re called “independent,” they can sometimes produce a report that downplays the injury or its connection to your work. Her attorney made sure the IME doctor received all of her medical records, including the initial diagnosis and all her physical therapy notes, well before the appointment. Taking that step helps prevent the IME doctor from making a snap judgment based on incomplete information. After a full exam and reviewing all the records, the IME doctor actually agreed with Sarah’s treating physician. That was a massive win for her case. With two doctors now on record supporting the work-relatedness of her tendonitis, it became very difficult for the insurance company to deny the claim. They finally authorized all her medical treatments, even including occupational therapy to figure out ergonomic changes for her workstation.

On top of medical care, Sarah had the problem of lost pay. Her doctor put her on light-duty restrictions, but her dental office had no light-duty work for her to do, leaving her temporarily unemployed. Georgia workers’ comp law has temporary total disability (TTD) benefits for this exact situation, which pay a part of your lost income. The benefit is usually two-thirds of your average weekly wage, capped at a maximum set by the state (the cap is adjusted periodically, and was a specific amount in 2026). Calculating that average weekly wage is something Sarah’s attorney handled carefully, using her earnings from the 13 weeks before she was taken out of work. It can get complicated if your hours fluctuate, and a mistake in the calculation can cost you a lot of money. Sarah’s case was eventually resolved with a settlement that paid for all her past medical bills, covered her ongoing physical therapy, and gave her a lump sum for a portion of her lost wages. The settlement also included money for future medical needs related to her wrist tendonitis, which is absolutely necessary for a chronic condition like this. The whole experience taught a clear lesson: if you have a work injury that came on slowly, you have to know your rights and act fast. If you wait too long or don’t document the connection between the injury and your job, you can lose your chance to get the benefits you need. People often worry that filing a workers’ comp claim means they’ll be fired. While it’s illegal for an employer to fire you just for filing a claim, the process can certainly create some tension at work. But the protections and benefits you get from a valid claim are worth far more than that risk. Georgia’s laws are there to provide a safety net, making sure you get medical care and some income while you recover.

For any dental assistant in Roswell or anywhere else in Georgia feeling that same kind of pain, the advice is simple: don’t just work through it. Get to a doctor right away. Be very clear with them about what your job entails and why you think it’s related to your symptoms. Then, notify your employer in writing as soon as you suspect the injury is work-related. These first moves are the foundation of a strong claim and are what you need to do to protect your rights.