The self-inflicted injury of Tobias Erin Rogers
A large cheek gash exposing his teeth and gums, canonically caused by chewing through his own flesh due to CIPA (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain).
While it serves as a striking horror visual, this injury is completely unrealistic from an anatomical and medical standpoint for several reasons:
Major Anatomical Realities:
Constant Drooling: The cheek and lip muscles (like the buccinator and orbicularis oris) form a tight seal to keep saliva in your mouth. A hole of that size breaks the vacuum, causing continuous, uncontrollable drooling.
Inability to Eat or Speak: Lacking a sealed cheek wall makes it impossible to swallow properly or create the air pressure needed to articulate words. Toby would not be able to talk or chew solid food without it spilling out.
Severe Blood Loss: The cheek is densely populated by major blood vessels, including the facial artery and vein. Chewing deep enough into the muscle to expose teeth would slice these vessels, causing massive, potentially fatal blood loss without immediate surgical intervention.
Fatal Infection Risk: The human mouth is packed with bacteria. An open, exposed wound of that size directly next to the jawbone would rapidly lead to severe infections like sepsis or osteomyelitis (bone infection), which are fatal without modern antibiotics.
Muscle Retraction and Healing: Genuine open wounds do not maintain perfectly framed openings. Without structural support, the surrounding cheek tissue would likely sag, shrivel, and aggressively attempt to close or scar, rather than preserving a clean "peek-a-boo" gap to the teeth.
