Any damage to your teeth such as a broken tooth can be traumatic. Not only is it painful but it can also cause you to be embarrassed about your appearance, especially if the damage is to your front teeth.

Getting the damage to your teeth treated and corrected is a priority to lessen both the pain and any concerns about your appearance, however, dental treatment can be expensive. If the damage to your teeth was caused due to no fault of yours, you could file a compensation claim just as you would with any other type of personal injury. Therefore, we’ve written this guide on teeth damage injury claims to show you how and when you could be compensated.

To help you through the claims process, our team of specialist advisors offer a no-obligation consultation. During the call, they’ll assess the merits of your teeth damage injury claim and explain your options for free. If they suspect you’ve got a valid claim, they’ll ask one of our solicitors to take over who’ll work for you on a No Win No Fee basis if they agree to represent you.

To start a teeth damage claim right away, please feel free to call us on 0800 6524 881. Alternatively, please continue reading to learn more about the claims process.

Am I Eligible To Claim Compensation For Damaged Teeth?

If somebody else’s negligence causes damage to your teeth, you might be eligible to claim compensation. For one of our personal injury solicitors to take on your case, you’ll need to show that:

• You were owed a duty of care by the defendant; and
• They broke that duty through an act of negligence; and
• Your teeth were damaged as a direct consequence of that accident.

You could claim compensation for a broken tooth, cracked, chipped, loose or grazed teeth and any other type of injury affecting your teeth, gums or injury to the jaw.

Common Causes Of Claims For Teeth Damage

Some of the most common reasons when you may be eligible to claim teeth damage compensation include:

• Road accidents – You may be eligible to claim if your teeth were damaged in a road traffic accident that was caused by another driver’s dangerous driving.
• Accidents at work – All employers are legally responsible for putting measures in place to ensure their workers’ safety in the workplace. If your employer failed in their duty to safeguard your protection and you suffered an accident at work causing damaged teeth as a result, you could file a teeth damage injury claim against them.
• Slips, trips and falls – You may also be able to claim compensation for broken teeth in a slip, trip or fall accident that was caused due to poor maintenance of a public walking area. Local authorities are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of public roads, pavements, parks and other walkways while shop, restaurant and supermarket owners are responsible for ensuring that their premises are free of any hazards to visitors.
• Medical or dental negligence – Dental negligence is a common cause for many teeth damage compensation claims. You could sue a dentist for messing up your teeth due to wrongful dental treatment.
• Physical violence – If you’ve suffered a broken tooth or teeth from an assault, you could be entitled to compensation. See our guide to claiming compensation for assault.

If you believe you have sustained tooth damage in an accident or incident that was somebody else’s fault, please get in touch to find out more about claiming.

Understanding Dental Negligence

Dental negligence is complex. It entails proving that your teeth damage was caused because of substandard care by your dentist. All dentists practicing in the UK are bound by the standards and guidelines issued by the General Dental Council.

According to the Council’s “Standards for Dental Professionals”, dentists must ensure that all dental treatment is performed in a safe and professional manner. If your dental treatment does not meet this guideline resulting in teeth damage, you may be within your rights to file a dental negligence claim.

Any of these circumstances below may be considered dental negligence:

Dental negligence may make an existing problem worse. A misdiagnosis, late treatment or error during the treatment could lead to other oral problems, including tooth erosion, abscesses or periodontitis. In a worst-case scenario, there may be more extensive damage such as a lingual nerve injury, which can be even more expensive and painful to correct.

How Much Compensation For Damaged Teeth Could I Claim?

Regardless of the type of tooth injury claim you’re making, compensation could be used to cover any suffering you’ve endured and the financial impact of your injuries. This means you may be eligible to claim for:

• Any physical pain caused by your damaged teeth.
• Psychological injury caused by anxiety, depression, embarrassment or similar issues.
• The cost of remedial dental treatment.
• Any impact your damaged teeth had on your hobbies or social life.
• Any income you lost if you couldn’t work whilst injured.
• Care costs if you needed somebody else to support you while you recovered.
• Travel expenses directly associated with your teeth damage.
• Future loss of income in cases where your earning capacity will be reduced by your injuries.

If you decide to proceed with a tooth damage injury claim, one of our solicitors will review your case carefully to make sure the full impact of your injuries is understood before filing your claim.

Tooth Damage Compensation Amounts

Without reviewing your case properly, it’s not possible to say exactly how much compensation you might be entitled to. However, we’ve added typical tooth damage compensation amounts below, to show some potential compensation ranges.

• Compensation for damage or loss of back teeth £1,090 – £1,710 per tooth.
• Compensation for serious damage or the loss of a front tooth £2,200 – £3,950.
• Compensation for serious damage or loss of both front teeth £4,350 – £7,630.
• Compensation for serious damage or loss of several front teeth £8,730 – £11,410.
• Compensation for significant damage to teeth, up to £38,130.

Importantly, these figures are not guaranteed as each claim is unique. As part of the claims process, you may need an independent assessment by a dental expert to try and ascertain the exact nature of your injuries. Your solicitor will look to arrange this locally for you.

Evidence To Support Teeth Damage Injury Claims

Whether you’re claiming for dental negligence or making a personal injury claim for tooth damage, you’ll need evidence to support your case. This is to try and help you prove how your teeth were damaged, who was responsible and the damage you sustained. Evidence that can help with this includes:

• Dental records. These can be requested during the claims process to help prove how you’re teeth were before the incident and the extent of any injuries.
• Accident report forms. If you’ve been injured at work or injured in a public place accident, you should report the accident and ask for a copy of the report. This will make it difficult for the defendant to deny the accident occurred.
• Witness statements. Try to get the contact details of anybody else who saw how you suffered a broken tooth or other teeth damage. They might be asked for a statement if it’s unclear what led to your accident.
• Camera footage. CCTV recordings or dashcam footage are also useful when trying to prove how you damaged your teeth. Therefore, try to obtain any relevant recordings before they are deleted.
• Photographs. During your recovery, it’s a good idea to take pictures of your teeth regularly. Also, you should photograph the accident scene as soon as you can to help explain how your accident happened.
• A list of expenses. As you can sometimes claim back costs associated with your damaged teeth, it’s worth collecting any relevant invoices or receipts and keeping them safe.
• A diary. Finally, you could keep a record of how you’ve been affected following the accident or incident in which your teeth were damaged. This could include a list of dates when your teeth injuries prevented you from working or participating in your usual activities.

As part of our free initial consultation, we’ll review any evidence you have available. Therefore, try to have as much ready as possible if you call for your free case review.

Time Limits For Teeth Damage Injury Claims

As you might know, medical negligence and personal injury claims have a 3-year time limit in the UK. If your claim is started too late, it might become statute-barred meaning you might not be compensated. It’s therefore a good idea to begin your teeth damage claim as soon as you can. The time limit begins from:

• The date of the accident in which your teeth were damaged; or
• Your date of knowledge. This might be the date a misdiagnosis was finally spotted for example.

If you start your claim as soon as you can, you’ll find it easier to remember what happened. At the same time, your solicitor will find it easier to secure evidence to support your claim.

If your child has suffered damage to their teeth in an accident, the 3-year time limit won’t apply. Instead, parents (and other adults) can claim on the child’s behalf so long as the claim is started before their 18^th birthday.

Making An Injury Claim For Damaged Teeth Using A Solicitor

Our solicitors offer a No Win No Fee service for any claim for teeth damage they take on. That means you won’t need to pay for their work up front which should make the claim much less stressful.

The easiest way to check if you’re eligible for our No Win No Fee service is to call our advice centre on 0800 6524 881. We’ll review your claim and explain your options straight away.

Please use our live chat service or give us a call if you have any additional queries about teeth damage injury claims.