If you have a dental injury at work and a whole adult tooth has been knocked out, deal with the tooth first and the paperwork second, because time out of the socket is the single biggest factor in whether that tooth can be saved. The claim can be lodged this afternoon or tomorrow. The tooth cannot wait that long. This guide runs the clinical minutes first, then the NSW notification and approval mechanics, then the documentation a treating dentist provides for a claim.
Key takeaways
- Handle a knocked-out adult tooth by the crown only, never the root, and get to a dentist urgently.
- A knocked-out baby tooth should not be replanted, which is the opposite of the advice for an adult tooth.
- Tell your employer as soon as possible; once aware, the employer must notify its workers compensation insurer within 48 hours.
- Treatment given within 48 hours of the injury does not need prior insurer approval, but most treatment after that generally does.
- SIRA is the regulator and icare is the insurer for most NSW employers; they are different organisations doing different jobs.
- You generally have six months from the date of injury to lodge a claim, with limited extensions in defined circumstances.
The first ten minutes
Whatever the incident, the sequence is the same: make the area safe, control bleeding with firm pressure using a clean cloth or gauze, look for anything that has come out of the mouth, and get to a dentist or a hospital emergency department. Then work through whichever of the following applies.
A whole adult tooth has come out
- Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown, the part you normally see and bite with. Do not touch the root surface.
- Do not scrub, scrape or wipe the root. The cells on that surface are what allow the tooth to reattach, and cleaning them off works against you.
- If it is visibly dirty, rinse it briefly. Do not soak it and do not use tap water for storage.
- The best outcome is generally associated with putting the tooth straight back into its socket the right way round, then biting gently on a clean cloth to hold it in place.
- If replanting is not possible, store the tooth in milk. The person's own saliva, held inside the cheek, is an alternative if they are fully conscious and not at risk of swallowing it. Not tap water.
- Get to a dentist urgently. Time out of the socket matters more than almost anything else you can control.
A knocked-out baby tooth is the exception and should not be replanted, because replanting can damage the developing adult tooth underneath. Take the child to be assessed anyway. We cover the detail in our full guide to knocked-out tooth first aid and the storage question specifically in why milk is the standard storage medium.
A tooth is chipped or broken
Keep any fragment you can find and put it in milk, the same as a whole tooth. Some fragments can be bonded back onto the tooth, and a piece that has dried out on a workbench for an hour is a much poorer prospect. Rinse the mouth gently with water. If the broken surface is sharp, orthodontic wax or sugar-free chewing gum over the edge will stop it cutting your tongue on the way in.
A tooth is loose or has moved
Do not push, wiggle or test it. Avoid biting on that side, keep to soft food, and get assessed quickly. Teeth that are displaced or loosened often need repositioning and splinting, and they respond better when that happens early rather than after a few days of movement.
Jaw, lip or facial injury
Go to a hospital emergency department rather than a dental practice if there is a suspected broken jaw, an inability to close the teeth together normally, a deep facial wound, heavy bleeding you cannot control, or any loss of consciousness. Those need medical assessment first.
One line worth taking seriously: do not try to diagnose it yourself. Teeth that look untouched are often loosened or fractured below the gum line, and a knock to the jaw can crack a root without leaving a mark. Get it looked at even when it seems minor, because an early record of the injury also matters for the claim.
Telling your employer, and the 48 hour rule
Notify your employer as soon as possible after the injury. Do it in writing if you can, even a short message, so there is a time stamp. Ask for the incident to be entered in the register of injuries.
Once an employer becomes aware of a workplace injury, they must notify their workers compensation insurer within 48 hours. That period includes weekends and public holidays, so a Friday afternoon injury does not get a Monday start. After notification, the insurer is expected to contact you within three business days and give you a claim number. Write that number down. Every later conversation, invoice and report hangs off it.
SIRA and icare are not the same body
This confuses almost everyone, and it costs people time on the phone. The State Insurance Regulatory Authority, SIRA, is the NSW Government regulator. It sets the Workers Compensation Guidelines and oversees how the scheme operates. icare is the NSW Government insurer and scheme agent for most employers, and it is the organisation that actually manages a claim and pays for treatment.
Some employers are insured by a specialised or self-insurance arrangement rather than through icare, so ask your employer who their insurer is rather than assuming. If you have a question about a decision on your claim, it goes to the insurer. If you have a question about how the rules should be applied, that is SIRA's territory.
Treatment approval, and what the 48 hour window really means
Treatment given within 48 hours of the injury does not require prior insurer approval. That window exists precisely because emergency care cannot wait for an administrative decision, and it is why a dentist can replant a tooth on the day without ringing anyone first.
Beyond that window, most treatment, including ongoing dental treatment, generally needs pre-approval from the insurer before it is provided. That is set out in SIRA's Workers Compensation Guidelines, in the practice guidance on pre-approval of treatment. In practice it means your dentist submits a request describing the proposed treatment and why it is reasonably necessary because of the work injury, and waits for the insurer's decision before starting.
Dental treatment can be claimed as medical and related treatment under the Workers Compensation Act 1987 where it is reasonably necessary and connected to an accepted work injury. Two conditions, both of which matter. Reasonably necessary is a clinical question. Connected to the accepted injury is a claims question, and it is the reason a same-day dental record naming the incident is so useful.
Invoices for treatment provided to an injured worker generally need to be submitted to the insurer within 30 days of the service, so your dentist will usually want the claim number before the appointment rather than after.
Claim deadlines
You generally have six months from the date of injury to lodge a claim. That can extend to up to three years where there is a reasonable excuse, such as being out of NSW or a genuine mistake, and beyond three years only where the injury caused death or serious permanent impairment and there is a reasonable excuse for the delay.
Six months sounds generous and it is not, because dental injuries have a habit of declaring themselves late. A tooth that took a knock can stay quiet for weeks and then die off, needing root canal treatment or extraction months later. If a tooth was involved in a workplace incident, get it recorded at the time even if nothing seems wrong, so the later problem is not orphaned from the event that caused it.
Different situations, different answers
Coverage is not uniform, and the differences catch people out. The table below sets out the common situations.
| Situation | Who is generally covered | Notification step | Approval needed before treatment | Who to contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Injury at the workplace | Workers, including casuals and apprentices | Tell your employer as soon as possible; they notify the insurer within 48 hours | Not for treatment within 48 hours of the injury; generally yes after that | Your employer, then the workers compensation insurer |
| Injury during a work errand off site | Workers carrying out work duties away from the usual workplace | Same as an on-site injury; note the task you were performing | Same 48 hour rule, then pre-approval | Your employer, then the insurer |
| Injury travelling to or from work | Assessed as a journey claim, only where there is a real and substantial connection between the employment and the journey | Lodged on the standard workers injury claim form | Same 48 hour rule, then pre-approval | Your employer and the insurer; each journey claim is assessed individually |
| Dentures or a dental prosthesis damaged at work | Claimable as a damaged artificial aid where connected to a workplace injury | Report with the incident and keep the damaged appliance | Generally yes for repair or replacement work | Your employer, then the insurer |
| Self-employed or sole trader | Generally not classified as workers, so not automatically covered for their own injuries | No employer notification pathway | Not applicable under the scheme | Your own income protection or personal accident insurer |
| Casual or part-time worker | Covered as workers in the same way as full-time staff | Tell your employer as soon as possible | Same 48 hour rule, then pre-approval | Your employer, then the insurer |
Damaged dentures and other personal items
Personal items damaged in direct connection with a workplace injury can be claimed, including artificial aids, spectacles and clothing. Dentures and dental prostheses fall within the artificial aids category when they are damaged in a workplace incident.
Keep the damaged appliance and every piece of it, even if it looks beyond repair. Do not attempt a home repair with glue; it can make a proper repair impossible and it introduces materials that should not go near the mouth. What to do with a broken denture covers the practical side of that.
What a treating dentist actually provides
The clinical documentation is what turns an incident into a supportable claim, and it is worth knowing what to ask for so the appointment produces it.
- A dated clinical record of the examination that states the reported mechanism of injury in your own words.
- Radiographs taken on the day, which establish the baseline that later changes are measured against.
- Clinical photographs where the injury is visible.
- A written treatment plan describing what is proposed, the clinical reasoning, and the expected sequence.
- A treatment request to the insurer for anything beyond the first 48 hours, framed against the accepted injury.
- Itemised invoices quoting the claim number, submitted within the required timeframe.
Bring the claim number, the insurer's name, and your employer's details to the appointment. If you do not have a claim number yet because the injury only just happened, say so and the practice will usually record the incident details and follow up.
Common questions
Does workers compensation cover dental treatment?
Dental treatment can be claimed as medical and related treatment where it is reasonably necessary and connected to an accepted work injury. It is not automatic. Treatment within 48 hours of the injury does not need prior approval, and treatment after that generally does, so the pathway matters as much as the entitlement.
What should I do if I break a tooth at work?
Keep any fragment in milk, control bleeding with firm pressure, and get seen the same day. Report the incident to your employer straight away so it is recorded. Do not wait to see whether it settles, because a fracture that extends below the gum needs assessing early.
How long do I have to report a workplace injury in NSW?
Notify your employer as soon as possible after it happens. For lodging a claim, the general period is six months from the date of injury, extendable to three years with a reasonable excuse and further only in defined serious circumstances. Earlier is always better than technically allowed.
Can I claim workers compensation as a sole trader?
Generally no. Sole traders and other genuinely self-employed people are usually not classified as workers under the Act and are not automatically covered by the NSW scheme for their own injuries. Cover for that situation typically comes from separate income protection or personal accident insurance.
What is a journey claim?
A claim for an injury sustained travelling to or from work, or between two places of work. In NSW it is only payable where there is a real and substantial connection between the employment and the journey. Each one is assessed individually and is lodged on the standard workers injury claim form.
Does workers comp cover damaged dentures?
Dentures sit within the artificial aids category of personal items, so they can be claimed where the damage is connected to a workplace injury. Keep the pieces, report it with the incident, and expect repair or replacement work to need insurer approval like any other treatment.
If it happened today
The priority right now is being seen, not sorting out the claim. Call a dental practice, describe what happened, and say it is an injury. If you are in Melrose Park or nearby, the team at Lumi Dental can assess the injury, take the imaging, and provide the written documentation an insurer will ask for. If you are not sure whether to go to a dentist or a hospital, what to do in a dental emergency and our broader dental emergency guide will help you decide. For anything not urgent, current options for new patients are on our current deals page.
This article is general information about first aid and the NSW workers compensation scheme; it is not legal or financial advice and is not a substitute for personal dental advice, so please seek advice on your own claim and see a dentist about your own injury.
