Dental Injury After St. Louis Auto Accident

Trauma to the oral region constitutes nearly 5% of all reasons why people seek dental care. A good portion of those is caused by auto accidents.

Dental injuries may not be the first thing you’d think a person may suffer after an accident. It’s also possible for some patients to have more pressing medical needs that need taken care of, such as fractures and concussions, so dental health issues often get left aside. However, if you’ve suffered dental damage as a result of a car accident in Missouri, you should include this injury in your claim.

Types of Dental Injuries

Depending on the impact, a person can have a variety of dental issues resulting from the accident. The most common ones are caused when the head or mouth get struck forcefully when the car is hit, causing chipped or fractured teeth.

These dental issues are often very painful, so people may try to self-medicate to make the pain go away instead of treating the causes. Cosmetic issues caused by these injuries can also produce long-lasting self-esteem problems, especially if the damage is visible (if the front teeth are affected, for example.)

Apart from fractured teeth, there are two other possible dental injuries caused by a car collision:

• Tooth avulsion - when the tooth is completely dislodged from its socket;

• Tooth luxation -  loosen tooth that moves.

What Should You Do?

If you have any more serious injuries, it’s understandable you’ll want to take care of them first. However, once your condition improves, it’s important to get medical care for your teeth as well. The dentist will most likely x-ray your mouth to determine the extent of the damage and decide what treatment is best.

Treatment can be surgery, implants, or other procedures depending on your damage. However, you should know that most of these are quite expensive, and if you don’t have dental insurance, you will have to pay for them out of your pocket unless you add them to your injury claim.

To successfully get compensation for your dental injuries, you will have to prove they are directly caused by the accident. That is why you should not skip on getting your teeth checked after an accident. The x-rays and dentist diagnosis will serve as proof of your claim and can help you negotiate your settlement. Even if you had some dental injuries before the accident, the dentist can establish which were caused by the accident, and which were not.

Speak With a Car Injury Lawyer

Your best chance at getting a fair settlement to cover your medical costs, including for dental treatment, is working with a St. Louis car injury lawyer. You should reach out to one as soon as possible and bring them your case for evaluation. They can help you determine what your best course of action is. Give us a call 24/7 at (314) 361-4242 for FREE legal advice.