While paralysis, shattered bones, or long-term cognitive problems from brain injuries are all possible in a car crash, there are other injury types that can be just as devastating. Dental injuries in particular are frequently extremely expensive, and in serious cases can drastically interfere with the enjoyment of daily life. The good news is that you have a legal avenue to recover monetary damages, but you’ll need the help of an experienced personal injury attorney to prove who is specifically liable for the damage to your teeth.
Virginia Car Accident Dental Injuries
Despite the clear importance to everyday normal functioning, dental work like replacing broken or lost teeth is often considered an elective or cosmetic treatment by insurance. That means your insurance provider may not directly cover needed dental work, even in cases of catastrophic injury caused by negligent behavior.
For many car crash victims that can become a major problem, as fixes for serious trauma to the mouth typically need to be addressed very quickly to have any chance of saving broken teeth. A damaged tooth that develops an infection can even become deadly if the problem isn’t handled promptly.
Dental injuries can take place in a variety of ways during any given collision. There are instances where a victim’s face strikes the steering wheel or airbag, or they could be ejected from the vehicle entirely. Severe damage can also occur if your mouth snaps closed during the accident, or if something was in your mouth at the time of the crash. In any of these cases, you may find yourself dealing with dental injuries such as:
- Avulsed teeth (complete loss when the tooth is ejected from the mouth)
- Broken jawbone
- Chipped or cracked teeth
- Facial disfigurement
- Luxation (loosened teeth)
Potential Damages for Tooth Injuries After a Car Crash
Like with any other type of injury, you have a legal right to seek compensation for dental treatment if your accident was caused by negligent behavior. Victims in Virginia vehicle collisions have required dental work such as:
- Bonding
- Crowns
- Enamel shaping
- Extractions
- Fillings
- Implants
- Root canals
- Veneers
With the help of an attorney, you can hold the at-fault driver responsible for covering those medical costs, loss of wages for the time recovering while you couldn’t work, and potentially the emotional trauma and embarrassment that can come from a disfiguring injury.
Dental injuries may also involve long-term gum tenderness and pain, as well as issues like difficulty eating or talking. Working with a skilled personal injury lawyer helps ensure any settlement or court judgment covers those impacts to your life and costs you may incur if additional surgeries or treatments are needed.
An Attorney Protects Your Legal Rights After a Collision
No matter how mild your dental injury appears right after the accident, receiving medical attention quickly is paramount to recovering damages. If you sustain a blow to your mouth in a collision, be sure to see a doctor at the ER and then a dentist.
You need a medical professional to check for other potential wounds like a traumatic brain injury, but there’s another crucial reason to get a checkup after an accident. A hospital visit initiates the process of documenting your injuries. Your attorney can then use those medical records to prove the dental injury was caused by the negligent driver responsible for the crash.
Besides investigating the accident and gathering evidence, it is important to allow your attorney to handle communications with your insurance provider after a dental injury. Don’t provide a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster or agree to release all of your medical records immediately after the crash.
A skilled lawyer will help you avoid these all-too-common tactics from insurers that can result in a reduced or completely denied claim. Finally, a lawyer can help by finding additional sources of compensation, which may involve bringing a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent driver or other parties responsible for the accident.
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