A few weeks ago I had one of the worst experiences of my life when my friends and I went to a local venue for live music. Nothing out of the ordinary was going on, we’d been to this place many times and it has always been ok. Well, for whatever reason, people got real rowdy this time, and a huge fight broke out. I wasn’t really involved, but some guy shoved me and I swung back. The next thing I know, the bouncer is coming back at me and knocks me on my face. We got out mostly unscathed, but my mouth was bleeding pretty bad and we called it a night to sleep it off. I kind of thought things would heal up on their own, but it looks like my bottom teeth are turning gray. I haven’t gone to the doctor for it and am wondering if this is something I should see an emergency dentist for or will it heal up? I also want to know if it’s likely that the venue will pay for this because it was their bouncer that injured me. — John
John,
From what you describe, it sounds like those injured teeth may be “dead” or dying. When teeth go through a traumatic incident, it can kill the pulp of the tooth. This sometimes manifests itself as a grayish color, almost like a bruise, Unfortunately, once they start changing color, there’s not much you can do other than get a root canal. Without blood flowing into the tooth, the inside becomes stagnant; a real breeding ground for bacteria. A root canal, will keep it from getting infected.
You should see an emergency dentist if you have:
- Toothache
- Signs of Infection
- Severely Broken Tooth
- Oral or Facial Pain
It doesn’t sound like you’re in a lot of pain, however, if you were, you’d want to go to your dental office as soon as possible. If it’s just the the “color” at this point, it’s not necessarily a dental emergency, but you do want to get in as soon as your schedule allows, so you can catch it before it blows up into an infection.
As for the venue paying for your treatment, it’s really hard to say. If they have a report of the incident, they may be willing to pay for the damage. If not, it may be something you need to seek legal advice over and try to get reparations in court. In any case, please do not put off treatment until you’re sure they’ll pay for it – especially if it goes to court. You might wind up with additional costs and hardships for delaying treatment, and generally speaking, courts expect you to get care right away if you have a legitimate injury. Again, though, you’ll want to speak to a lawyer for legal advice.
This blog post is brought to you by Des Moines cosmetic dentist, Dr. Phelan Thomas. For more information on the services he provides, please visit his Des Moines cosmetic dentist website.