Facial Trauma: Hard Tissue Injuries

Facial trauma has profound effects on patient’s lives. From the debilitating pain associated with severe injuries to the damage trauma can do to the oral health system, oral surgery is often required to help patients regain oral function and improve quality of life. Following is some helpful information on hard tissue injuries and how they can be addressed with professional treatments.

Hard Tissues and the Oral Health System

Hard tissues include teeth and bones such as the upper and lower mandible as well as the joints that connect the lower mandible to the skull (TMJs). In addition to repairing damage done to hard tissues, dental professionals must be mindful of tissues like muscles, ligaments, and nerves near bones when providing treatment. Since the oral system is quite complex, great precision and care must be taken during any oral surgery to preserve or improve a patient’s appearance and oral function.

Tooth Extractions

Many times, following facial trauma, teeth may need to be extracted if they are badly damaged after a severe injury. When teeth cannot be saved with restorations or root canal treatment, they are surgically removed to prevent oral health complications such as abscesses. Extractions involve removing all remnants of a tooth including its roots.

Bone Grafting and Corrective Surgeries

If facial trauma has affected the density of the jaws or damaged the TMJs, bone grafts and/or oral surgery that are corrective in nature might be necessary. Bone grafts involve taking excess bone from another part of the body or from a tissue bank and grafting it to areas where bone has been damaged. Over time, new bone will fuse with older bone mass to improve its density. If facial trauma has caused misalignment of the jawbones, orthognathic surgery can reposition the jaws so that oral function is restored and so that the TMJs are not strained by improper jaw placement.

Treating facial trauma involves precise and thorough care that is customized to every patient’s unique situation. Our practice utilizes the latest technology and procedural techniques to provide excellent and compassionate care.

Call us today to reserve an appointment at Great River Oral Surgery or to discuss any concerns you have with our team.