Are Dental Injuries Covered By Personal Injury Cases?

We commonly think of medical and dental problems as separate issues. Still, when an accident causes trauma to the mouth, teeth, and jaw, the two come together, and injury victims understand that dental trauma is a serious injury. There are many types of injuries that can cause trauma to the face and mouth, including dental injuries. Just as with other types of injuries, if the accident was preventable and occurred because of someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions—a situation best evaluated by a St. Louis personal injury lawyer—the injury victim does not have to be left responsible for the economic damages as well as the painful physical injury.

What Types of Accidents Cause Dental Injuries?

The teeth are critical for more than just an attractive appearance. They also make it possible to intake adequate nutrition, aid in proper speech, and support the jaw and facial structure. When an accident causes dental injuries, it can quickly become a serious emergency. Common causes of dental injuries include the following:

• Slip-and-fall accidents
• Falls from heights
• Car accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Scooter accidents
• Workplace injuries
• Sports injuries
• Acts of violence

If a dental injury occurred through no fault of your own but was the direct result of someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you can hold them financially accountable through a personal injury claim.

What Types of Dental Injuries are Caused by Trauma?

Car accidents and other causes of blunt force trauma to the face and mouth can cause dental injuries such as the following:

• Broken teeth
• Chipped teeth
• Dental avulsion (knocked out teeth)
• Fractured jaw
• Dental intrusion (teeth jammed into the socket)
• Injury to the tongue
• Contusions or bruises in the mouth and jaw
• Inflammation
• Lacerations inside the mouth

Dental injuries range from mild, such as cracked or chipped teeth, to severe trauma requiring emergency care. Severe mouth and dental injuries can cause swelling that impedes the ability to swallow and breathe, sometimes becoming a life-threatening emergency.

Proving Liability In Dental Injury Claims

A dental injury can significantly disrupt the injury victim’s life, causing pain, difficulty eating, and temporary or permanent disfigurement. It also requires painful and expensive dental procedures. Recovering compensation for these damages requires evidence that meets the legal standards for liability by showing that the responsible party owed a duty of reasonable care to the injury victim, they violated this duty, and the violation of reasonable care directly caused the injury. Finally, the dental injury victim must prove that they suffered damages from the injury. Compensation for dental injury damages typically comes from the at-fault party’s insurance, such as car insurance after a traffic accident, or premises liability insurance after a slip-and-fall injury causes dental and facial trauma.

What Damages Can I Recover In a Dental Injury Claim?

When someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions cause dental injuries, the injury victim may hold them financially accountable through a personal injury claim for damages such as the following:

• Medical and dental expenses
• Future dental expenses for reconstruction or repair procedures
• Lost wages
• Future income loss
• Compensation for pain and suffering

In some cases, a dental injury victim can recover additional compensation for disfigurement if the mouth and dental trauma cause permanent, noticeable harm to the teeth, jaw, and overall facial appearance.