Our Oral And Maxilo-facial Surgeons Are Specialist Doctors For Jaw Fractures In Jamnagar
Treatment for a jaw fracture or break might also require surgery, depending on the extent of the injury. Clean breaks may heal on their own while your jaw is immobilized. Multiple fractures of the jawbone or displaced breaks in the part of the bone that’s pushed off to one side may require surgical repair.
Symptoms Of A Broken Jaw Include:
- Pain
- Jaw stiffness
- Difficulty in breathing
- Discomfort when chewing
- Swelling, including facial swelling
- Numbness and bruising in the face
- Bleeding, including bleeding from the mouth
- Dental-related discomfort, such as numbness in the gums or loosened teeth
Pain, swelling and bleeding are the most immediate symptoms of a broken jaw. Your entire face can swell, making your jaw painful and stiff. Bleeding from the mouth can occur, causing breathing difficulties in some patients. The blood flow can block your airways. You may experience the most pain and tenderness when chewing or speaking. If you have a severe jaw fracture, you might experience limited ability to move your jaw or be unable to move your jaw at all.
Numbness and bruising in the face and gums are also normal to have if your jaw is fractured or broken. Breaking the bone can cause other abnormalities with the shape of your face. You might notice that your jaw or face has a lumpy appearance. The impact of your injury could also cause loosened or lost teeth.
Frequently Asked Questions About Jaw Fractures And Their Answers
How long does it take to heal a fractured jaw?
Many jaw fractures require surgery. Because of that, patients may need to follow up with an oral surgeon. Healing time varies with the type of fracture; in general, the average time to heal a jawbone fracture takes about six weeks.
Can a broken jaw heal on its own?
Treatment for a fractured jaw depends on how badly the bone is broken. If you have a minor fracture, it can heal on its own. You may only need pain medication. Surgery is often needed for moderate to severe fractures.
What happens if you leave a broken jaw untreated?
It is important not to leave broken bones untreated as this may well result in difficulty with eating and drinking. Fractures of any bones in the jaw will alter the way your mouth opens and closes, treatment will prevent risk of infections, dental decay and long term conditions such as arthritis.
Do they still wire jaws shut?
Jaw wiring is known in the medical community as maxillomandibular fixation. This procedure connects your lower and upper jaw bones together. Your doctor may use wires or other materials like elastic bands or metal devices to keep the jaw together. While your jaw is wired shut, you’ll need to maintain a liquid diet.
Following is a guide to what you should expect and what care or precautions you should take after a surgical procedure like Facial Fracture Surgery:
What You Should Expect
- It is common to experience mild pain and/or swelling for approximately 3 days. If pain and/or swelling persist for more than 3 days, please contact us.
- If you experience severe pain and/or swelling, contact us immediately.
- Use ice pack or cold pack as directed for reducing swelling.
- Small blood spots while spitting or minor bleeding for a day or two is common after oral surgeries. If there is a profuse (excessive) bleeding, please contact us immediately.
- If the procedure was done under local anesthesia, you may feel numbness for 3-4 hours in certain parts of your mouth and face. If numbness persists for more than 12 hours, please contact us.
- You may experience facial muscle soreness due to excessive opening of mouth. Contact us and we will determine if you need any medication for the same. Use warm towel pack or hot water bag to apply on area of muscle soreness only after 72 hours.
- Practice opening and closing of mouth (unless advised otherwise) after 24 hours. It is essential to keep your facial muscle moving.
- If you have been given sutures (stitches) you will have to come to our dental center after 7 days for its removal, unless advised otherwise.
What Care Or Precautions You Should Take
- If you have been given the gauze dressing then keep the gauze dressing pressed with your opposing teeth or jaw for 1 hour.
- It is essential to keep the gauze dressing pressed so do not speak or try to eat or drink anything for 1 hour till gauze dressing is in mouth.
- Remove the gauze dressing exactly after 1 hour of its placement.
- Do not go to sleep while gauze is in mouth.
- Once you remove gauze dressing after 1 hour and if the bleeding has stopped, you can take 1 cup of ice cream (plain vanilla is preferable), juice or milkshake and take medication as directed to avoid pain after the anesthesia wears off.
- Once you remove gauze dressing after 1 hour, if there is persistent profuse (excessive) bleeding, place a new gauze dressing and keep it pressed with your opposing teeth or jaw and contact us immediately.
- Avoid hot food and drinks like very hot tea or coffee for first 24 hours and preferably 48 hours.
- Eat soft and cold diet that does not require too much chewing.
- Avoid crunchy foods like chips for 1 week.
- Do not use straw for drinking any liquids for 48 hours.
- Do not drink carbonated drinks for 1 week.
- Use opposite side of your mouth for chewing and not the side from where tooth is removed at least for 48 hours.
- If surgery was done on both sides of mouth or full mouth, for the first 48 hours take grinded food processed in a grinder so that you can swallow it without much chewing and start taking regular soft diet after 48 hours of surgery.
- Avoid smoking and tobacco chewing strictly for first 48 hours.
- Do not spit, rinse or gargle for first 24 hours after surgery.
- If anesthesia was given in lower jaw then please avoid eating anything until the anesthesia wears off and the numbness is gone.
- Do not brush or floss for the first 24 hours after surgery.
- Continue gentle brushing and flossing twice daily only after 24 hours of procedure. Care should be taken to avoid rinsing forcefully after brushing. Good oral hygiene is a key to success of treatment.
- Gently Rinse your mouth with water after every meal after 48 hours of surgery.
- You should “lay low” for one to two weeks. Minimal activities with bed rest are recommended. Do not work out at the gym or play sports activities for at least 3 weeks.
- The surgical sites will take a few weeks to completely heal up. However you should gradually return to normal function within one to two weeks.
- If you have been prescribed any medication, take it regularly according to prescription and do not alter the schedule or duration of medication without consulting your dentist.
- If you have been given sutures (stitches) care should be taken to not to pull them out while chewing and brushing.
You should contact us immediately if you notice any of the following:
– Bleeding is profuse (choking on blood).
– Bleeding is continuous (still changing bright red gauze after 24 hours).
– Severe pain not well controlled by medications.
– Rash, hives or difficulty breathing after taking the medications that suggest an allergic reactions.
– Persistent fever lasting more than 24 hours.
– Discharge coming out from the surgical site.Perfect Dental® is the best dental clinic in Jamnagar and our team of specialist doctors is highly skilled and experienced best dentists in Jamnagar. We have a highest success rate of 97%.