Have you suffered a dental injury in an accident at work? You may have legal rights to recover financial benefits and compensation during your recovery. Let the legal team at Calhoon & Kaminsky, P.C. work to secure the financial relief you need and deserve. For over 20 years, our firm has fought for the rights and interests of injured workers throughout Pennsylvania while helping them manage daily challenges during their recovery.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation initial case review with a workers’ comp for dental injury lawyer to discuss your situation.
Common Causes of Dental Injuries at Work
Various kinds of workplace accidents can cause employees to sustain injuries to their mouths and teeth. Some of the top causes of dental injuries at work include:
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Falls from heights
- Falling object accidents
- Accidents with flying objects or debris
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Accidents involving defective tools, equipment, or machinery
- Workplace violence
Legal Rights and Workers’ Compensation for Dental Injuries
Employees who suffer workplace dental injuries may have the right to seek financial compensation from their employer under the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation system. Workers’ comp can provide benefits that help workers recover from dental injuries suffered on the job.
Under Pennsylvania’s workers’ comp law, an employee who sustains dental workplace injuries may have the right to receive benefits such as:
- Medical Benefits – Covers the cost of all reasonable and necessary treatment to repair dental injuries
- Wage Loss Benefits – Provides partial reimbursement of lost wages for time an injured employee cannot work or needs to transfer to a lower-paying part-time or modified duty role
- Specific Loss Benefits – Makes financial payments for a worker who suffers a severe and permanent disfigurement of the head, face, or neck due to dental injuries
Workers’ compensation can pay for any necessary dental procedures to fix damage caused by an injury, including:
- Fillings
- Tooth extractions
- Implants
- Sealants
- Veneers
- Caps
- Crowns
- Bridges
- Braces
- Bonding
- Dentures
When a worker sustains mouth or dental trauma due to the fault of a party unaffiliated with the worker’s employer, the injured worker may also have a third-party personal injury claim that can provide compensation, including for losses not covered by workers’ comp.
A Hershey workers’ comp attorney can help an injured worker seek financial recovery for:
- Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation
- Costs of long-term disability care
- Lost income from missed work
- Lost earning capacity and employment benefits resulting from permanent disabilities
- Physical pain caused by injuries and subsequent treatment (such as post-operative pain)
- Emotional trauma or distress
- Lost quality of life due to disabilities, permanent scarring, or disfigurement
Immediate Steps After a Dental Injury
After sustaining a dental injury at work, you can take steps to protect your rights to recover financial benefits for your medical treatment or lost wages. Things you should do after suffering a mouth injury in a workplace accident include the following:
- Report the workplace accident and your injury to your employer as soon as possible, preferably in writing. Your employer may have forms for you to report your work injury. Check if your employer has a list of designated healthcare providers you must choose for your initial care.
- Seek immediate medical attention to diagnose your injury and develop a treatment plan.
- Follow your provider’s treatment recommendations and recovery instructions.
- Keep any bills, invoices, or receipts for expenses you incur during your recovery.
- Gather your pay stubs to determine your lost income if you miss time from work.
Finally, talk to a workplace injury attorney from Calhoon & Kaminsky, P.C., as soon as possible to discuss your legal options for obtaining financial recovery, such as filing a workers’ compensation claim or pursuing a third-party personal injury case.
Choosing the Right Dental Care Provider
Under the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation system, employers can create a list of designated healthcare providers from which injured employees must seek treatment for a work-related injury. Employees must use a provider on the list for at least 90 days from their first visit with their provider; after that, an injured employee may seek treatment from any provider they wish. Furthermore, workers’ comp regulations ban employers from steering employees toward a specific provider on the list.
However, suppose the employer’s list does not include a provider in a specialty required to treat the employee’s injury (such as dentistry, dental surgery, orthodontics, or oral/maxillofacial surgery). In that case, the employee may seek treatment from a provider of their choosing.
When you have the right to choose a dental care provider for your work-related dental injury, you should consider various factors to find the best provider for your needs. Things to consider when choosing a dental care provider include:
- Does the provider’s office have a convenient location and hours?
- Does the provider offer all the treatment and services you need?
- Will the provider accept workers’ compensation payments?
- Does the provider use a treatment approach compatible with your needs and preferences? For example, does the provider offer anesthesia if you feel anxious during treatments?
Long-Term Treatment and Recovery
Depending on the severity of your dental injury, you may need a long course of treatment and recovery to repair the damage, heal, and regain full function.
Long-term recovery may occur after intensive treatment, such as maxillofacial surgery to repair the jaw, palate, or other bone structures or surgeries to extract damaged teeth and replace them with implants. Depending on the treatment needed, you may need to change your diet temporarily to avoid specific foods to allow your injury to heal.
Unfortunately, some surgeries can also leave you with permanent scarring or disfigurement.
Legal Assistance: When to Consult a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
You can best protect your health and legal rights by consulting a Hershey workers’ comp attorney as soon as possible when your employer delays or denies your workers’ compensation dental claim. You have limited time to pursue a formal claim to demand worker’s comp benefits from your employer. A workers’ compensation attorney can also identify other legal options you may have for obtaining compensation for your injury, such as third-party claims.
Contact Our Hershey Workers’ Comp Attorneys After a Dental Injury at Work
After suffering workplace dental injuries, you may have the right to seek financial coverage for your treatment and care to repair your injuries. Contact Calhoon & Kaminsky, P.C., today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a knowledgeable Hershey workers’ comp lawyer. We’ll assess your case and explain your options for obtaining the benefits you deserve from your employer or financial compensation from other liable parties.
