An accident could change your life at any second. Whether it occurs during a sports game, while you are driving, or under other circumstances, a hard blow to your face could result in serious injuries. Fortunately, oral surgeons are available to help patients recover from such sad instances to the extent possible. Exactly how do oral surgeons treat facial trauma? This blog post explains the basics.
What Kinds of Injuries Do Oral Surgeons Treat?
Oral surgeons are well qualified to treat numerous types of facial injuries, including:
- Loose or knocked-out teeth
- Fractures of the upper and lower jaws
- Orbital bone fractures
- Cheekbone fractures
- Nasal fractures
- Damage to the salivary glands
- Lacerations to the tongue or other soft oral tissues
- And more
Depending on the details of your injury, your oral surgeon may coordinate with other specialists on your medical team in order to achieve the best possible outcome.
What Is the Treatment Process Like?
After taking some X-rays and performing a thorough visual evaluation of the injured area, your surgeon will be able to start designing a treatment plan. They can walk you through the details of the proposed procedure and give you realistic expectations for the road ahead.
Surgery to repair facial injuries may be performed under local or general anesthesia. In either case, you can expect to be fairly comfortable during the procedure. Throughout your appointment, your team may use plates and screws to repair bone, place implants to replace missing teeth, use sutures to address soft tissue wounds, and more.
Your surgical team’s goal will be to restore the function of your facial structures to the extent possible while also taking aesthetics into account. Additionally, they will pay careful attention to your bite if they need to work directly on your oral structures. They want you to look and feel as good as possible!
Recovering and Following Up
Depending on the exact nature of your injuries, you might need to prepare yourself for a long treatment process that involves multiple procedures. You may also need to attend several follow-up appointments with various specialists. For example, you might need to visit a facial plastic surgeon as well as an oral surgeon.
Severe facial injuries require expert care! An oral surgeon may be a key part of the team that helps you get back to feeling as normal and healthy as possible.
Meet the Practice
Piney Point Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery is home to three board-certified oral surgeons who work together to help patients who are suffering from various types of facial injuries. They always strive to provide comfortable and efficient treatment that considers patients’ health and long-term quality of life. If you would like to learn more about how they address facial trauma, contact our Houston office at 713-783-5560.