Teeth Injury Claims
Read our free guide explaining why teeth injuries happen and how our injury claims solicitors can help you make a claim for compensation.
Teeth injuries are a common consequence of accidents involving trauma to the head or face. Teeth injuries can be deeply distressing because they have several different aspects. The loss of teeth can be extremely painful, can cause difficulties eating (and potentially associated weight loss) and can also have a significant impact on your appearance. All of these aspects must be addressed when making a teeth injury compensation claim.
Making a teeth injury claim does not need to be expensive, stressful or difficult. We offer our services on a no win no fee basis for the majority of our clients. If you have suffered an accident leading to an injury to your teeth which was not your fault, you may be able to make a claim. Call us on 0121 565 4317 or use our online claims form to arrange a free, no obligation consultation. Our expert team of personal injury solicitors will discuss the details of your case to ensure that we understand the unique nature of your teeth injuries and give you the best possible advice about how to progress your claim.
How Teeth Injuries Happen
Teeth injuries are relatively common and usually occur following some kind of a blow to the head. Teeth are covered with a hard enamel, which does not heal in the ways that muscles or bones do. As a result, injuries to the enamel to the teeth are unlikely to heal without medical or dental assistance. Each tooth does also have a living nerve within it, which can also be damaged following an accident. Nerves also do not heal quickly or easily. As a result, any form of injury to the teeth is likely to be permanent.
Injuries to the teeth differ based on whether they are to the front or back teeth and whether the tooth is lost or can be repaired. There are also differences in whether the tooth injury is to one of the front or back teeth. Injury or damage to the teeth in the front of the mouth is likely to have much more of an impact on your appearance than those towards the back of the mouth. In contrast, damage or injury to the rear teeth is likely to lead to greater difficulty eating a wider range of foods than if the injury is to the front teeth.
Common Causes Of Teeth Injury Claims
Injury or damage to the teeth can only lead to a compensation claim when someone else was to blame for your accident, whether they were careless or negligent regarding your safety. There are several common accidents that lead to claims for damage or injury to the teeth.
- Accidents at work
Any trauma to the head, for example being struck by a piece of machinery or accidents where you should have been provided with face protection and were not, could lead to injuries to the teeth. It can be easier to prove liability (this is legal term for proving who was at fault for the accident) in cases where the other party is your employer as they have a statutory duty of care. This means that the threshold to show that they should have taken steps to protect your safety is lower than it might be in other cases. Many people worry that they may face reprisals at work if they make a teeth injury claim against their employer, but it is illegal for any workplace to discriminate against an employee for making any form of personal injury claim, including teeth injury claims. - Road Traffic Accidents
Accidents on the road are very common, and you can sustain damage and injury to the face and teeth no matter what kind of road user you are. Teeth injuries are common for drivers, pedestrians and motorcyclists who are involved in a road traffic accident, but cyclists are even more likely to suffer teeth injuries. This is because they are moving faster than pedestrians, are more likely to fall from slightly higher towards their head and face and they are wearing less comprehensive head and face protection than motorcyclists. If you have suffered an injury to your teeth as a result of a road traffic accident, call us on 0121 565 4317 or use our online claims form and it doesn’t matter what kind of road user you were. We will be able to advise you on the best steps to take to pursue a teeth injury claim. - Slips, Trips And Falls
Slips, trips and falls occur every day and many of them are both minor and just an unfortunate accident that wasn’t anyone’s fault. If your slip, trip or fall was caused by someone else being careless or negligent, however, you may be able to make a claim. This could include if you tripped over an uneven surface caused by poor maintenance of a public pavement or if you slip on an area of wet floor that no-one has put sufficient effort into warning you about and/or cleaning up. If your slip, trip or fall has led to an injury to your teeth, you should be able to claim compensation for that injury. - Medical Or Dental Negligence
Although the overwhelming majority of medical procedures go ahead with only positive results, sometimes things go wrong. In most cases this is due to a dental or medical staff member making a mistake and, for example, removing the wrong teeth or not being sufficiently careful to avoid damage to your teeth during a general anaesthetic. In a very few cases, this can be caused by a dental or medical practitioner advising you have unnecessary surgery performed. - Assault
Injuries to your teeth can also occur as a result of assault or other violent crime. Compensation for injuries you have sustained as a result of being the victim of violent crime may be handled differently to a more typical personal injury claim, as it is covered by the Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme. If you have suffered an injury to your teeth as a result of a violent crime, we will still be able to help you to obtain compensation. Call us on 0121 565 4317 or use our claims form to see how we can help.
How Do I Start A Teeth Injury Claim?
Making a compensation claim for an injury or damage to your teeth as a result of an accident that wasn’t your fault is very straightforward. As with all personal injury compensation claims, we strongly advise that you obtain legal advice before beginning your claim. We offer our services on a no win no fee basis to the majority of our clients. This means that you won’t need to pay anything up front to make your teeth injury compensation claim.
- Once you have signed a no win no fee agreement with us, we are able to act on your behalf. This means that we will write to the person who was responsible for your accident, letting them know that you are making a compensation claim for your accident, asking them to accept liability for your accident (this is the legal term for them accepting that they were at fault) and giving them a deadline to reply. This is the start of the claim process. Some people or organisations will accept liability immediately, especially if it is very clear how the accident or injury was their fault. If this happens, we are able to move straight away to step 3. In many cases, however, the other party does not immediately accept that they were at fault. If this happens, we move to step 2.
- If the other party does not accept liability for your accident, we will need to gather evidence to support your claim. This could be through obtaining pictures of the accident if you have any, witness statements, police reports or through obtaining testimony from industry experts as to whether the other party was taking sufficient care or not. Once we have gathered sufficient evidence, liability is almost always agreed. In the very rare situations where the other party does not accept liability, we will not be able to conduct any negotiations for compensation and will have to move to step 4. Otherwise, once liability has been agreed, we move to step 3.
- Once the other party has been notified and liability has been agreed, it is necessary to conduct negotiations to agree how much compensation you are entitled to. The other party will often offer a much lower figure than you deserve initially, to see whether you might accept it and also to lower your expectations for the rest of the negotiations. Our expert team of personal injury solicitors will notify you of every offer the other party makes, and it is always your decision as to whether you choose to accept. We will give you the benefit of our experience, however, advising you as to whether we believe that an offer is fair or not. This way, you are in control of the process but still gain all of the support you need to make the best possible decision for you.
- If we are unable to agree on a figure for compensation or if the other party refuses to accept liability, you may need to go to court to explain your teeth injury claim. If this happens, we will be with you and supporting you throughout the process, making sure that you are clear on what is happening at all times. It is worth stressing that this is very rare. The majority of cases are resolved long before they get anywhere near a courtroom.
- Payment. The final step is that you receive the compensation that has been agreed. This is the first time that you will have to pay any fees at all, and our fees are set as a percentage of your payment. This means that, if we are not able to obtain the compensation you deserve, you will not be left with any legal bills. It also means that you will always be left better off as a result of your successful teeth injury claim.
If you have suffered an accident leading to an injury or damage to your teeth, call us on 0121 565 4317 or use our claims form to arrange a free, no obligation consultations.