Car accidents are a leading cause of traumatic injuries. Even if you are involved in a “less serious” accident, you can experience lasting injuries that may impact the quality of your life moving forward.
While all types of injuries can occur in a car accident, one that isn’t commonly thought of in car accidents is dental injuries. If you experience a dental injury, you have to deal with the pain and medical costs related to the situation. Depending on the severity of the injury, it may take a huge toll on your financial well-being.
While this is true, dental injuries, just like other injuries caused by a car accident, can be compensated through a personal injury lawsuit. If you have experienced a dental injury due to a car accident, our team at Zimmet & Zimmet is ready to help.
It can also be beneficial to learn more about some of the most common dental injuries that can occur because of a car accident.
Common Dental Injuries Seen in Car Accidents
The dental injury you experience varies based on the car accident and your situation. These can usually be separated into direct and indirect injuries.
A direct injury occurs when your mouth is directly struck by something. An indirect injury occurs if the mouth is forced shut unnaturally, causing the teeth to crush together.
These types of injuries can result in several different types of damage to your teeth. Some of the most common damage seen includes:
Avulsed Tooth
If a tooth is completely knocked out of its socket, it is considered an avulsed tooth. If this happens to you, and you can locate the tooth, be sure you don’t pick it up by the roots. Only touch the crown.
Once you get the tooth, put it in a container filled with whole milk, saline solution, or saliva. Accident victims must get medical care as quickly as possible, as you only have about two hours to have the tooth restored. After two hours pass, the tooth will likely not survive.
Tooth Luxation
The tooth becomes loose with this dental injury, but it isn’t knocked out completely. The damaged tooth will move forward, backward, and side to side with tooth luxation. The treatment for these injuries typically involves pushing the tooth into the proper position. However, it is a good idea to see a dentist to make sure no other damage is present.
Fractured Teeth
In some catastrophic auto collisions, acute dental trauma may occur. A dental fracture requires treatment to fix the damaged tooth or teeth. Usually, dental fractures are broken into three different categories.
- Ellis I: This injury means there is a fracture in the crown and that it only extends through the tooth’s enamel. With these injuries, your teeth will have rougher edges, but they are not tender and won’t change in color.
- Ellis II: With this injury, a fracture occurs to the enamel and dentin layers. If this type of fracture occurs, the affected teeth will be tender when touched and exposed to air. There’s also a yellow dentin layer that may be able to be seen during an exam.
- Ellis III: This fracture involves the enamel, dentin, and pulp layers. They create the same sensitivity issues that Ellis II fractures do. However, the damage will usually expose a pink, red, or blood at the center of your tooth.
Common Causes of Dental Injuries
As mentioned above, dental injuries in a car accident can occur from direct or indirect factors. Unfortunately, both can become extremely costly, which is why it is such a good idea to retain the services of our Daytona Beach car accident attorneys.
If the accident occurs at higher speeds, then the forces that are involved are much stronger and, as a result, cause more serious injuries. Some of the most common causes of a dental injury during a car crash include:
- Rear-end collisions
- Distracted drivers
- Blindspot collisions
- Texting and driving
This means that common causes of dental injuries are also causes of other common personal injuries.
Contact Our Legal Team for Help
If you have suffered dental injuries due to a car accident caused by someone else, you have the right to recover compensation. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and discuss your case. We are here to help.
