FACE FRACTURES
Facial fractures can occur alone in high-energy traumas such as traffic accidents, work accidents, falling from a height, as a part of general injuries in the body, and in simple traumas such as fist blows. Fractures that occur in the facial region can cause visual, chewing, speech impairment, aesthetic collapse, numbness due to nerve damage, depending on the region they are located. Therefore, they should be repaired when the general condition of the person is appropriate. If there are additional problems related to the injury, they are treated first, and when the life-threatening situation of the person disappears, facial fracture treatment is performed.
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What bones are found in the face area?
In the face area, the lower jaw and upper jaw bones, nasal bone, cheekbones are the first to be noticed. Facial bones unite with skull bones They form the eye socket, the jaw joint, and the base of the nose. The nerves and vessels of the face pass through the grooves or holes in these bones.
Which bone is most affected in facial fractures?
The most common fractures of the lower jawbone are encountered in facial traumas, but considering the cases where many patients with nasal bone fractures are left to heal spontaneously without applying to the hospital, it can be concluded that nasal fractures are actually higher.
The nasal bone, the corner part of the lower jaw and the part extending to the jaw joint, the base of the eye socket are the weak parts of the face that can be broken even in low-energy traumas. Depending on the severity of the trauma, multiple fractures may occur in several bones.
How is the diagnosis made in facial fractures?
In facial fractures, the general condition of the patient is evaluated first. In the presence of other life-threatening injuries, first of all, they are treated. General facial examination is performed, incisions that may accompany bone fractures are evaluated. Vision and eye movements are evaluated, jaw movements and facial expressions are checked. It is checked whether there is a loss of sensation in the face area. Fracture is usually determined by physical examination. Facial bones are evaluated by x-ray or tomography to make the diagnosis incision.
Facial fractures are treated?
For the treatment of facial fractures, first of all, it is expected that the general condition has completely healed and is in a state to allow surgery. Sometimes in patients with good general condition, if the eye area or mouth is very edematous, surgery can be planned after the edema subsides. Broken bones are reached by making incisions from the under-eye eyelash edge for the eye area, through the hair, under the eyebrows, inside the mouth for the chin, or from the corner of the chin. Titanium plates are fixed with screws and fractures are fixed. In fractures involving the lower or upper jaw, the two jaw bones can be connected to each other with wires attached from the gums. In some jaw fractures, this treatment called intermaxillary fixation may be sufficient alone. Treatment of fractures varies according to the location of the fracture, its size and type.
How should recovery be after facial fractures?
If necessary, the eye can be kept closed for two days after facial fractures surgery. Nutrition is provided with watery liquid soft foods until healing is completed in jaw fractures. Within a week or two, the edema in the facial area will recede, but it may take several months for the bones to fully heal.
Who gets facial fractures repaired?
Facial fractures are applied by Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons who have received adequate training and gained expertise.
What are the problems that may occur after facial fractures?
Some facial fractures may have numbness in the cheek area and may persist after surgery. There may be swelling in the face area. There may be limitation in jaw function. Infection due to plaques may occur.