Maxillofacial trauma is any injury to the face or jaws. Facial trauma may present with skin lacerations, burns, obstruction to the nasal cavity or sinuses, damage to the orbital (eye) sockets, fracture to the jawbone, and missing or broken teeth.
What is the most commonly fractured structure of the maxillofacial complex?
In patients who require surgery, the most commonly fractured bone is the mandible (41.6–75.2%) [1, 13, 15]. The second and third most commonly fractured bones vary with the series, being the maxilla and orbit (39.8% each) in one series [1] but the malar bone (15.2%) and maxilla (6.4%) in another [15].
What is the major cause of maxillofacial injury?
The common causes of maxillofacial fractures worldwide are motor vehicle accidents, falls, assaults, firearm injuries, sports, and industrial accidents (4).
How is a maxillary fracture treated?
Maxillary fractures are treated by reduc- tion and immobilization. Establishment of preinjury occlusion and midface buttress alignment provides the foundation for this treatment. The goals of treatment of LeFort fractures are to reestablish preinjury occlusion with normal height and projection of the face.
What doctor treats facial fractures?
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are doctors who are trained to handle different types of facial injuries, including various types of fractures. They can give you the right reconstructive and sometimes rehabilitative procedures to ensure you get the best long-term results.
How do you assess a facial fracture?
The initial assessment of these injuries must include an eye examination. At a minimum this examination should include visual acuity, pupillary light reflexes and ocular movements. Any acute decrease in visual acuity should immediately be referred to an ophthalmologist or maxillofacial surgeon.
How long does a facial fracture take to heal?
They will heal themselves over 3-6 weeks. want to bring the broken bones back into a normal alignment (called ‘reducing’ the fracture) and keep it/them in this place (called ‘fixing the fracture’), preventing further injury. Sometimes they will need to operate to do this.
Do all facial fractures require surgery?
Often, a facial fracture may be left to heal on its own. No treatment may be necessary if the broken bones stay in a normal position, but injuries causing severe fractures may need to be surgically repaired.
How long does facial trauma take to heal?
Facial trauma repair is surgery to fix an injury to the face or jaw. The surgery may have been done to stop bleeding, repair damaged tissue, or fix broken bones. Your face may be swollen and bruised. It may take 5 to 7 days for the swelling to go down, and 10 to 14 days for the bruising to fade.
How many types of maxillary fracture are there?
His experiments determined the areas of structural weakness of the maxilla designated as “lines of weakness” where fractures occurred. These fractures are classified into three distinct groups based on the direction of the fracture: horizontal, pyramidal or transverse.
How long does it take for a fractured maxilla to heal?
Although the plates and screws hold your jaw in place it still takes about six weeks for your jaw to heal completely. During this time you need to eat soft food only. Your surgeon will give you advice on this. You must be careful to avoid another injury as it may push your jaw out of position again.
What does maxillary fractures mean?
A maxilla fracture happens when the maxilla becomes cracked or broken . This often happens due to injuries to the face, such as from falling, a car accident, getting punched, or running into an object. These injuries can be significant. Maxilla fractures and other fractures that occur to the front of the face are also known as mid-face fractures .
How to recover from a broken heel?
Surgical treatment of calcaneus fractures usually involves making an incision over the outside of the foot and placing a metal plate and screws into the broken heel bone. Your doctor will attempt to restore the normal alignment of the bone and return the cartilage surface as close to normal as possible.
What do you need to know about facial fractures?
Nasal bones (broken nose): Nasal bone fractures are the most common type of facial fracture.
What is considered a maxillofacial trauma to the jaw?
Maxillofacial trauma is any physical trauma to the face. This can include: The most common sport and vehicle-related trauma to the mouth and jaws are dentoalveolar/tooth injuries and lower jaw fractures. A less common type is called a Le Fort injury (upper jaw fracture). Cheekbone fractures, known as zygoma, or orbital fractures, may also occur.
