The Board found that the additional dental disability was not caused by VA treatment, but rather coincidental to it. The Veteran's pre-existing conditions were aggravated by her own actions (clenching and bruxism), which is considered willful misconduct.
The deciding factor: The additional disabilities are deemed to be a result of the Veteran's own conduct in clenching and grinding her teeth, not due to VA treatment.
- Claimed conditions
- temporomandibular joint disease, limited motion of the jaw, further dental malocclusions, gum problems, fractured teeth, loose teeth
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- October 25, 2011
- Citation
- 1139471
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 1139471.
What this means for you
A denial is a starting point, not the end of the road. You can see why this claim fell short — and, if you are still inside the one-year window, the appeal lanes that may remain open to you.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Dismissed
The Veteran withdrew his appeal for service connection of loose teeth and extraction at the Board hearing.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case due to a pre-decisional duty to assist error, and will provide proper notice as required under 38 U.S.C. § 5104.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for sleep apnea, fractured teeth for compensation purposes, and remanded the claim for shingles.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for service connection for a dental disability, for compensation purposes, as there was no evidence of a compensable dental disability under 38 C.F.R. § 4.150 during the appeal period.
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