Expert Care for Facial Trauma & Reconstructive Surgery

FAQ

What should I do immediately if a permanent tooth is knocked out from a facial injury?
If a permanent tooth is knocked out (avulsed) from a facial injury, you must immediately place it in milk or salt water and see an oral surgeon or dentist as fast as possible, as time is critical for a successful replantation. Crucial Handling Rule: Never attempt to wipe or scrub the tooth off. The live remnants of the ligament still attached to the root are absolutely vital to the success of replanting the tooth, and wiping them away will destroy them.

• Surgical Treatment: The oral surgeon will re-insert the tooth into the dental socket and stabilize it using a specialized form of splinting (wiring or bonding the teeth together). If the tooth or the supporting bone fractures are too severe to be saved, advanced dental implants are utilized later as permanent replacements.

How are fractured facial bones treated without wiring the jaw shut?
Oral surgeons treat fractures of the upper and lower jaws using an advanced technique called “rigid fixation,” which utilizes small, biocompatible plates and screws directly at the injury site to eliminate the need for wiring the jaw shut.

• The Recovery Advantage: Traditional methods often required wiring a patient’s jaws completely together for weeks to allow bones to heal. The modern development of rigid fixation profoundly improves the recovery period, providing immediate stability that allows patients to safely eat, speak, and return to normal jaw function much quicker.
• Scope of Treatment: This stabilization method is used safely to treat a wide variety of bone injuries across the maxillofacial region, including fractures of the jaw, cheek, nose, or eye sockets.

What specific types of facial trauma do oral and maxillofacial surgeons treat?
Board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons are uniquely qualified to provide emergency room coverage, acute treatment, and long-term reconstruction for soft tissue injuries, bone fractures, and trauma to special facial regions. Common trauma conditions managed by our surgeons include:

• Soft Tissue Injuries: Facial lacerations and intraoral lacerations (deep cuts inside the mouth or across the skin) that require complex suturing.
• Bone Fractures: Broken or fractured facial bones involving the cheeks, nose, eye sockets, and upper or lower jaws.
• Specialized Structures: Direct injuries affecting delicate facial nerves, salivary glands, or salivary ducts (outflow channels).
• Dental Trauma: Fractures in the supporting jawbone, displaced teeth, or completely knocked-out teeth caused by motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, or workplace accidents.

How do oral surgeons minimize visible scarring during facial reconstruction?
To minimize permanent scarring, oral surgeons prioritize a minimally invasive approach by accessing the underlying facial bones through the fewest and smallest incisions necessary.

• Strategic Placement: When incisions are medically required to repair fractures or deep tissue damage, they are carefully designed to be small and are strategically placed within natural skin folds or entirely inside the mouth.
• The Clinical Goal: Hiding the resulting scars ensures that the patient’s natural facial appearance and aesthetics are minimally affected, addressing both the physical and emotional weight that carries over from severe facial injuries.

What is the surgical timeline and goals for congenital cleft lip and palate care?
Cleft lip and palate care utilizes specialized, multi-staged surgeries timed precisely to your child’s physical development to restore muscle function, speech, and normal feeding capabilities.

• Cleft Palate Reconstruction (7 to 18 Months): Initially treated safely when the child is an infant to close the gap between the roof of the mouth and the nose, reconnecting the muscles necessary for speech and swallowing. In about 1 out of 5 children, a portion of the repair may split and form a hole (fistula); if large, this is treated with a secondary surgery.
• Hard Palate Bone Grafting (Ages 8 to 12): Performed when the cuspid teeth begin to develop. The surgeon places bone harvested from the child’s hip into the bony jaw defect to close the communication from the nose to the gum tissue.
• Cleft Lip Repair (Around 10 Years Old): Performed to close the separation in the upper lip, correct nostril deformities, restore normal muscle function, and provide a natural shape to the mouth.

What critical precautions are taken when repairing facial lacerations?
When repairing soft tissue facial lacerations, oral surgeons utilize precise suturing techniques to optimize the cosmetic result while systematically inspecting for hidden injuries to underlying nerves and glands.

• Anatomical Protection: Because facial cuts can easily involve deeper tissues, our board-certified surgeons meticulously diagnose and treat any underlying trauma to the facial nerves (which control expression) and the salivary glands or ducts. Ensuring these structures are intact and fully repaired preserves long-term functional health alongside aesthetic facial rehabilitation.