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Facial Fractures Can Cause Serious Problems
A fracture is a broken bone and a facial fracture are is a broken bone or bones in the face.
Facial fractures can be caused by many different situations. Motor vehicle crashes, falls, violent assaults and sporting injuries are some of the most common causes of facial fractures.
When a patient experiences a facial fracture, they should always be concerned about possible other injuries or fractures in the face.
Some of the symptoms a patient with facial fractures may be pain, swelling, bruising and similar discomfort. Many other fractures may also be described as facial fractures.
Some of these may include broken nose, broken jaw, midface fracture, cheekbone fracture, eye socket fracture and dislocated jaw. Many of the same symptoms you see with facial fractures may also be exhibited with many of these different fractures.
If you suspect or think you may have any type of facial fractures, you should immediately seek medical attention. In the interim, apply ice on the face to prevent or reduce swelling and pain. If there is visible bleeding, apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
The type of medical treatment your doctor will administer will depend on the kind of facial fracture you have. For nasal fracture, the first thing the doctor will do is control the nosebleed, which is very common in a nasal facial fractures.
If there is excess blood inside the nose, the doctor will cut a hole to drain the blood out. Generally, when a nose gets broken, it's very swollen. For this reason, the doctor cannot always put it back into place right away.
The only time doctors recommend putting a nose back (reducing) is if it is needed for cosmetic reasons or if airflow is blocked. If it does need to be done, a specialist will do it after the swelling goes down.
When a jaw is fractured, it may be an open fracture where the bone is visible through the skin or in the mouth. These types of facial fractures require hospitalization. If jaw is a closed fracture, an oral surgeon is usually the choice of doctor to perform the treatment.
Midface fractures are more serious because of the possibility of other injuries in the face. In some cases, a tube needs to be inserted to assist with breathing or the patient may require surgery by a plastic surgeon.
Cheekbone fractures may require surgery to fix if it is causing a cosmetic problem from pushing in the face.
Many of the different facial fractures can become serious if they are not treated promptly by the patient before they see a physician. As with any kinds of fractures, the patient should seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid further damage.