Dental Injuries Suffered In An Accident Help

There are many thousands of car, truck, and motorcycle accidents in the United States each year. When injuries are severe and life-threatening, accident victims may tend to overlook seemingly minor injuries to the teeth and mouth. However, some of these injuries can permanently damage your mouth. If you’ve received other injuries that are more life-threatening, by all means, tend to these right away. However, don’t forget to have your dental injuries addressed as soon as possible. If you’ve sustained the dental damages in a personal injury accident, you might even be entitled to compensation from a lawsuit.

Types of Dental Injuries Suffered Most Often

Dental damage can come in two forms: direct or indirect. Direct dental injuries can occur when the head or mouth strikes or is struck by another object. Indirect dental injuries can occur if the mouth is open during the accident, and the force of the collision causes it to close suddenly and abruptly. If the force is sufficient, the lower teeth can actually be crushed by the upper teeth.

No matter which type of dental harm happened to you, it will likely be painful and can have life-altering consequences as well. Tooth and mouth damage can interfere with your ability to eat and speak properly and may alter your appearance permanently.

The amount of damage suffered depends on what happened during the accident and how forceful the impact was. Which treatment you will need can depend on the severity and extent of the injury and how much tooth and soft tissue damage you experienced. Examples of dental injuries often caused by a car crash include:

• Fractured, Chipped, or Broken Teeth

Fractured teeth are a form of acute dental damage that can occur during a catastrophic auto collision. These injuries typically require treatment from a dental professional. Which treatment is needed will likely depend on the amount of damage, and which layers of the tooth are involved.

• Avulsed Tooth

An avulsed tooth occurs when a tooth is knocked out of its socket completely. If you can find the avulsed tooth, handle it carefully. This is an emergency situation, as there is only a short amount of time in which the tooth can be reimplanted if it is to survive. If the tooth doesn’t survive, you may need an orthodontic device, like a space maintainer, to keep the space where the tooth is missing open until a replacement tooth is inserted.

• Tooth Luxation

A tooth luxation is quite similar to an avulsed tooth, except it has only been loosened or knocked, right, left, or sideways—it hasn’t been completely knocked out of its socket. Treatment typically involves pushing the tooth back to its original position and possibly securing it there. 

Proving Liability

To prove liability, an attorney has to prove that the negligent party can be held legally accountable for the accident. Then, they have to prove that your dental damage was a direct result of that accident, and the medical records supplied by your orthodontist will serve as evidence for this purpose. Get started right away by scheduling a visit to a qualified and experienced orthodontist in Laguna Niguel, CA from John Redmond Orthodontics.