Several situations can lead to facial trauma in Clearfield, UT, often after an automobile accident. Other common causes of facial trauma include sports injuries and falls. For people in Clearfield or nearby areas dealing with injuries to the mouth, jaw, or face, treatment typically involves specialized oral and maxillofacial surgeons who manage emergency care, surgical reconstruction, and post-operative rehabilitation because delayed treatment can lead to lasting problems with appearance, nerve function, breathing, or vision. Facial injuries are commonly classified into soft tissue, bone, and special regions, including:
- Damage to the bones of the head and face – Fractures are most common in the nose and mandible, but the facial bones and the upper jaw can also be affected. Soft tissue injuries are also possible. In order to get a proper diagnosis, CT scanning and other forms of advanced 3D imaging for oral surgery are required since they detect fractures of the face bones more consistently than standard X-rays, help determine severity, and guide proper treatment while also identifying soft tissue injuries.
- Damage to the facial nerve or the trigeminal nerve may develop because of face and head trauma.
- Damage to the eye because of direct contact
- A proportion of patients who experience facial trauma also suffer from brain damage, and some of these patients have co-existing cervical spine injury, which should be taken into consideration.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are responsible for the initial treatment of substantial facial trauma involving the mouth, jaw, and face, including emergency care and reconstruction in serious cases: they will wire or plate the shattered bone, stitch any lacerations to the skin or soft tissue, and graft any soft tissue that suffered severe damage.
As a result, much of the care that follows focuses on post-operative rehabilitation and recovery, and patients with facial fractures must follow detailed postoperative instructions for facial fracture recovery to support optimal healing.
Injuries to the Teeth & Treatments
Injury to the Soft Tissue
Seeing a doctor as soon as possible after suffering a face injury is recommended, and some soft-tissue injuries, including facial lacerations, and other facial injuries require emergency care right away. Some face fractures may be life threatening, so consultation with a specialist should happen as soon as possible after the injury. The actions of others may inflict permanent damage to your respiratory system, airway passageways, central nervous system, or eyesight that cannot be restored.
Injury to the Bone
When a bony injury occurs, maxillofacial trauma may require oral and maxillofacial surgery or maxillofacial surgery, which is often when patients should visit an oral surgeon for specialized care. When the jaw and surrounding structures are damaged, injuries to the teeth or missing teeth can also be evaluated. This may include the use of wires or plating, and surgeons may perform surgery with either approach depending on the injury, as well as more extensive surgical methods to restore the injured bone, such as bone grafting.
Phase of Proliferation
The body continues to mend after the surgical repair processes have been finished, resulting in the formation of scar tissues. Approximately 2-3 weeks pass between the formation of scar tissue and the formation of collagen; during this period, there is a slowdown of scar tissue growth that lasts for the next 4-6 months. Collagen is the primary component of scar tissue, and it is laid down during this phase.
Thereafter, there comes the remodeling (also known as maturation) phase, during which the scar tissue continues to rebuild and remodel, becoming more organized and functional, and becoming more comparable to the tissue it is attempting to restore. This procedure might take up to a year to complete.
Rehabilitation
Treating facial trauma typically begins with emergency stabilization, followed by surgical intervention and rehabilitation when appropriate.
Manual treatments applied to the soft tissues are widely used with the goal of returning the flexibility of the soft tissues to the patient. Given the nature of scar tissue, it has a propensity to lose both elasticity and length throughout the healing process, which may result in a restricted range of motion.
Once the length of the tissue has been determined, the patient should be urged to move the afflicted part of the face actively via the newly achieved range of motion. These exercises are referred to as Active Exercises, and your therapist or surgeon will review them with you during your first visit to our oral and facial surgery office.
Overall, in some cases surgery is the most appropriate approach to help you heal efficiently after experiencing facial trauma. In these events, an expert oral surgeon should always be consulted, and complex cases may also require collaboration with other medical specialties, such as the team at our Oral & Facial Surgery Institute in Southern Utah, where prompt care is critical for facial trauma reconstruction. During follow-up and rehabilitation planning, patients should also review treatment options with the surgeon, including support for the mouth and temporomandibular joint when movement is limited after trauma or surgery, and in some cases surgical options such as TMJ surgery for jaw pain treatment may be discussed.
Conclusion
Being in practice for a couple of years now, we are an oral surgery office providing convenient dental and facial services with the expertise to handle complex cases, including oral surgery in St. George, UT and oral surgery in Mesquite, NV, all delivered with a patient-centered approach described on our About us – Oral & Facial Surgery Institute page. Our board-certified oral surgeon, Dr. Shawn B. Davis, has passed demanding exams beyond dental school and completed years of rigorous surgical training, and he offers comprehensive care ranging from dental implants in Mesquite to full-arch restorations and wisdom teeth removal as part of our oral surgery and dental implant services in Southern Utah. If you have any questions or concerns about facial trauma treatment, schedule a consultation with Dr. Davis, DMD at Shawn B. Davis, DMD, Oral & Facial Surgery Institute, Dental Implant Specialists today or call us at (435) 628-1100.