I got hit in the mouth by someone, but don’t want to tell the emergency dentist what happened. I was doing something I should not have been at the time. Because of that, I don’t want to get the authorities involved. Is it required to tell him what happened?  I honestly thought this would heal on its own, but the tooth is definitely getting worse and is turning gray and hurting more.

Name Withheld

Dear Anonymous,

There are certain things that are mandatory reportings for medical professionals. This would include people who are a danger to themselves or people who are a danger to others. I don’t know if you fall into that category based on what you said. What the dentist does need to know is the details of the injury.

In your case, that would be that you got hit in your mouth. I’m not sure any other details would really matter. Make sure he or she knows that you were hit in the mouth. A traumatic injury gets looked at differently than other types of injuries because there are hidden dangers to the tooth in those cases.

Please don’t put off having this looked at out of fear of reprisal. You can keep that part secret. The graying tooth means the tooth is dead or dying. When that happens you need a root canal treatment. Under some circumstances, you could put off getting that seen. However, your injury is combined with pain.

Pain indicates an active infection. That is serious and you don’t want to give it time to spread. Your jaw is close to your heart, lungs, and brain. If it reaches that area, a dental emergency can turn into something life threatening.

This blog is brought to you by Hoffman Estates Dentist Dr. William Becker.