Emergency aid for jaw fracture

Among all possible injuries to the bones of the facial skeleton, the most common trauma (70% of cases) is a jaw fracture.

A jaw fracture is a disruption of bone integrity during trauma. Both unilateral and bilateral fractures of the lower or upper jaw are possible.

There are many types of jaw fractures:

• By location, it can be a central, lateral, angular fracture of the lower jaw (i.e., fracture of the angle of the lower jaw) or a fracture of the condylar process of the lower jaw.
• By extent, there can be a unilateral or bilateral fracture of the lower jaw.
• By complexity – a lower jaw fracture with or without displacement.
• By form – an open fracture of the lower jaw or a closed fracture of the lower jaw.

Most commonly, we are talking about the lower jaw due to its mobility. The upper jaw is affected in only 2-5% of bone injury cases.

Treatment of an upper jaw fracture, especially in cases of multiple fractures, usually involves a combination of intermaxillary splinting and osteosynthesis.

Osteosynthesis is the joining of bone fragments in the correct position using screws and/or plates. Such plates can be removed after surgery, but most often they remain in the patient for life.

If a patient is diagnosed with a displaced lower jaw fracture or multiple fractures, osteosynthesis may also be indicated.

A jaw fracture – the surgery it necessitates – requires the removal of teeth at the fracture site. Subsequently, the patient will need prosthetics or dental implantation.

Sometimes a fracture is accompanied by a dislocation. In such cases, surgery with repositioning of the condylar process is necessary: the processes are placed in the correct position and fixed. A fracture-dislocation is possible with fractures of the condylar processes of the lower jaw.

If there is no fracture but there is a jaw joint dislocation, then surgery is not needed, and the doctor can reduce the jaw under anesthesia.

The main symptom of a jaw dislocation is the inability to close the mouth.

Types of jaw dislocations:

• anterior;
• posterior;
• lateral;
• combined.

A jaw fracture is hard to ignore, as it is accompanied by:

• persistent pain;
• swelling;
• bleeding into the oral cavity (in open fractures);
• inability to speak, swallow, chew, and open the mouth.

First aid for a jaw fracture:

• pain shock relief (use of painkillers and hemostatic medications);
• applying cold;
• bandaging with a bandage (for lower jaw fractures);
• transporting the patient to a clinic.

To confirm a fracture and rule out a jaw bruise, an X-ray examination is necessary. It is impossible not to treat a jaw fracture. The treatment method involves jaw fracture surgery and immobilization.

Any fractures, including jaw fractures, and especially displaced jaw fractures, are simpler, easier, and more effective to treat immediately. Therefore, in case of injuries and suspicion of a fracture, you should immediately consult a maxillofacial surgeon – the price of delay is a long rehabilitation. Osadchyi Dental Clinic specializes in performing maxillofacial surgery of any complexity.

Delayed or improper treatment of a jaw fracture can lead to:

• osteomyelitis (bone inflammation);
• formation of a false joint (the bone at the fracture site will be mobile).

Further treatment of osteomyelitis will be performed surgically. During the surgery, necrotic tissues are removed and sanitation is performed.

Not every dental clinic in Ukraine and Kyiv can provide jaw fracture treatment services. The fact is that such surgeries do not fall within the competence of dentists – this is the field of maxillofacial surgery. Unfortunately, there are few specialists in this field in the country and even in Kyiv.

At Osadchyi Dental Clinic, maxillofacial surgery is one of the most important specializations, and our experience in this field spans several decades.

The cost of jaw fracture surgery can vary – everything depends on the complexity of the case. The price is influenced by the number of necessary procedures, the cost of materials, and possible additional services.

Not only injuries can make a person turn to a maxillofacial surgeon. Cases when people cannot pull a lightbulb out of their mouth or even without a lightbulb their jaw gets stuck also occur in practice.

To help the patient, bilateral anesthesia is administered: the muscles relax and it becomes possible to extract the lightbulb or unjam the jaw.