I go to this club regularly. It’s always been fine. There’s music, dancing, and drinking. Lots of fun. I don’t know what happened but a fight broke out two days ago. I wasn’t involved, but someone clocked me in the mouth with their elbow. It was significant enough where there was blood involved but my mom always said the mouth bleeds easily. This morning, though, one of my teeth is gray looking. Is this a dental emergency? Do I have to pay it or can the dentist bill the guy who clocked me? I know who he is.
Devon H.
Dear Devon,
I’m sorry you’ve experienced this. When a tooth turns gray it means your tooth is dead or dying. You will need to see an emergency dentist. Without blood flowing through the tooth it becomes a colony of bacteria that breeds extensively leading to decay and infection. You don’t want to leave this, you’ll quickly have a huge problem which can lead to you losing the tooth.
Unfortunately, the dentist can’t bill anyone he hasn’t performed services on without their permission. You could talk to the guilty party and see if he has the integrity to take responsibility for his actions, but other than his agreeing, the only recourse you have is to take him to small claims court.
Why is This a Dental Emergency?
As I mentioned above this is breeding bacteria. An infection will set in which will spread. Think about how close your jaw is to your heart and brain. You wouldn’t want an infection spreading to either of those. What could have been a simple root canal procedure (and possibly a dental crown) would then become life-threatening.
There are affordable dentists who’d be willing to work with you on payments. They would give you the care you need then set up payment plans. Some have in-house plans. Some work with Care Credit, a medical card that has low and even 0% interest payment plans.
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