Airbags, steering wheels and side windows can break, loosen or knock out front teeth in a split second. After a crash, the tooth is the urgent problem; the CTP claim has deadlines measured in weeks and months, not minutes. This guide covers dental first aid first, then how the NSW green slip scheme deals with treatment, including one question that has no simple answer.
First aid for the teeth
Once everyone is safe and emergency services have been called if needed, check the mouth and follow whichever situation applies.
An adult tooth has been knocked out
Hold the tooth by the crown, the white part you normally see, and keep your fingers off the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline, not tap water, and do not scrub it. If possible, put it back in the socket the right way round and bite gently on a clean cloth to hold it. If you cannot, keep it in milk or saline, or inside the cheek of an adult who is fully alert. Never let it dry out and do not store it in water. See a dentist immediately, ideally within 30 minutes.
A knocked-out baby tooth should never be put back, because this can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. The child should still see a dentist as soon as possible. Our guide to knocked-out tooth first aid covers handling and timing in more detail.
A tooth is broken, chipped or pushed out of place
Keep any broken pieces in milk, as some can be bonded back. If a tooth has been pushed sideways, driven up into the gum or partly out of its socket, do not try to move it yourself. These are called luxation injuries and usually need a dentist to reposition and splint the tooth. Our article on how luxation injuries are treated explains what is involved.
Hospital comes first if
Go to an emergency department before a dental practice if anyone lost consciousness, there may be a head or neck injury or a broken jaw, the teeth no longer close together normally, bleeding will not stop with firm pressure, or there is a deep facial wound. Teeth can be treated once the medical assessment is done. Our article on when to go to hospital for a dental problem sets out the difference.
Even if the teeth look fine, have them checked. Teeth can be loosened or cracked below the gum line after a collision, and a tooth pushed up into the bone can be easy to miss.
How the NSW green slip scheme works
Compulsory third party (CTP) insurance, the green slip, covers people injured in motor vehicle crashes in NSW under the Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017. SIRA, the State Insurance Regulatory Authority, regulates the scheme and its insurers. The CTP insurer manages your claim and decides on treatment requests.
SIRA's guide for injured people says you can claim up to 52 weeks of benefits, including medical and treatment expenses. If you were not at fault and your injuries are more than threshold injuries, you can claim benefits beyond 52 weeks.
Dates to keep in mind
SIRA's guide sets out several time limits:
- Report the crash to police within 28 days, and as soon as possible.
- Lodge your claim within three months of the crash.
- Lodge within 28 days if you want to claim back pay for lost earnings from the day after the crash.
Some early treatment can be approved by the insurer before a claim is made, but only within the first 28 days after the crash, and it needs the insurer's agreement first. It is worth calling the insurer rather than assuming. If any of these dates have passed or are close, check with SIRA or a lawyer straight away.
Where do dental injuries fit in the threshold rules
The scheme treats threshold injuries differently. SIRA describes two categories: soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash, and psychological injuries that are not a recognised psychiatric illness. People with only threshold injuries may get benefits for up to 52 weeks. SIRA gives fractures, nerve injuries and ligament or tendon ruptures as examples of injuries that are not threshold.
SIRA's threshold injury guidance does not mention teeth or dental injuries. A broken tooth or an injury to the bone holding the teeth may seem closer to a fracture than a soft tissue injury, but this article cannot tell you how a particular dental injury will be classified. The classification affects how long benefits run, so get advice from a lawyer who handles CTP claims, or ask SIRA, rather than relying on anyone's assumption.
Getting dental treatment approved
CTP insurers pay for treatment that is reasonable and necessary. SIRA's guidance for health providers says this means treatment directly related to the injuries, appropriate for the injury, aimed at helping the person get back to usual activities, provided by a suitably qualified practitioner and cost effective. The same guidance says the insurer must give a written response within 10 working days of receiving a treatment request, with reasons if it declines.
In practice, urgent care after a crash happens on clinical grounds. Planned work after that, such as root canal treatment, crowns or an implant, is usually requested in stages as the injury declares itself. If a tooth may need root canal treatment after trauma, that is often a later step, because a damaged nerve can take weeks or months to show it has died.
Problems that appear later
Dental injuries do not always show up on the day. A tooth that looked fine can darken over months as the nerve dies. A fine crack can stay quiet until the tooth splits during normal chewing. A loosened tooth can settle and then slowly lose root structure over a year or more. None of this means the problem was unrelated to the crash.
The best protection is a dated record from the time of the accident, with X-rays, followed by planned reviews rather than waiting for pain. A change is much easier to show when there are images from the week of the crash to compare with.
The sequence after a crash
| Step | What happens | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| First aid | Control bleeding; keep a knocked-out tooth or fragment in milk or saline | Minutes |
| Dental assessment | Examination, X-rays and a written record of the injury | Same day if a tooth is knocked out or displaced |
| Police report | Report the crash | Within 28 days, sooner if possible |
| Claim | Lodge with the CTP insurer | Within three months; within 28 days to back-date lost earnings |
| Treatment requests | Dentist requests approval for planned care | Insurer responds within 10 working days |
| Ongoing care | Staged treatment and reviews | Weeks to months |
What a dentist can and cannot do for your claim
A treating dentist can provide a dated record of the examination, including how you described the crash, X-rays taken at the first visit, clinical photographs, a written treatment plan with the reasons for it, treatment requests to the insurer, and itemised invoices quoting your claim number. Telling the dentist at the first visit that the injury happened in a car crash, and the date, makes the link clear in the notes from the start.
A dentist does not run your claim. Questions about entitlements, thresholds or damages are for a lawyer or SIRA.
Common questions
Does CTP pay for dental treatment after a car crash?
CTP insurers pay for treatment that is reasonable and necessary because of the injury, and planned treatment generally needs the insurer's approval first. How long benefits last can depend on how your injuries are classified.
Do I need to report the crash to police?
SIRA says to report it within 28 days, and as soon as possible.
What if my tooth looks fine?
Get it checked anyway. Injuries below the gum are not visible, and a record from the day of the crash helps if problems appear later.
Being seen comes first
If the crash happened today, the priority is an appointment, not a form. Call a dental practice, say it was a motor vehicle accident, and ask to be seen. At Lumi Dental in Melrose Park, we can assess the injury, take X-rays and provide the written records an insurer will ask for. Our dental emergency guide can help you judge how urgent it is, and our current offers list options for new patients.
Sources
- SIRA: A guide for people injured in a motor crash in NSW
- SIRA: Understanding threshold injury
- SIRA: Providing allied health services in the NSW CTP schemes, FAQs
This article is general information about dental first aid and the NSW CTP 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.
