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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Treat Injuries to Teeth, Mouth, Jaws and Facial Structures At th e hospital. the individu al w ill mos t likely be see n by several medical perso nnel. one of wh o m wi ll probably be an O ral and Ma xill o Facial Surgeo n. Oral and Ma xillofaci,ll Surgeo ns, the surgi cal specialists o f th e demal pro fessio n , are spec ifically train ed to n:'pair injuries to th e mouth, fac e and j aws. AFt er fo ur yc'a rs of dem dl sc ho o l, Oral and M ax illo facial Surgeo ns cO lllplete fo ur o r m o re years of h osp ital- based surgic al residency trainin g th at may include rotations through rebc ed m edi ca l field s, includin g illteru,ll medi cine, ge neral surge ry, anestb esiology, otolaryn gology, pla stic surge ry, em erge ncy medicine and o th er med­ ical spe cialty areas. At th e co nclu sion of this demandin g prog ram , Oral and Ma xill ofacial Surgeons :Ire well-pre­ pared to pc' do rm th e Full scope o f th e speciairy, w hi c h includes em erge ncy care for th e tee th , mou th,jaws, and asso ciated fa cial stru cCll res.

Treating Facial Injury One of th e most (01111110n types o f se riou s injury to th e tace occ urs when b o nes are bro­ ken . Fractures on involve the lower jaw, upper j:lw, palate, ch eekb ones , eye sockets and ( o mbi -

FacialfraCillres 'lIa)' illlJoh'f the lIIandiMe, al/d ma), ocwr at Ihe locatio'15 il/ustrared.

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lowerjalll,

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When maxillofacial frac tures are compkx o r multipl e incisions to expose the bones alld a combinatio n of wi rin g or pbting techniques may be needed. The repo sitionin~ techniqlle used by the Oral and Ma xillofac ial Surgeon depe nds upon the locatio n and sewri­ ty o f th e fracture. In th e case of a break ill the upper or lowe r jaw, for example, Ill etal braces may be fastened to the teeth and rubb er bands or wires used to hold the jaws together. Patients \.vit h fe w or no teeth may need den­ tllres or specially cOIlstmcted splints to aligIl and secure th e fracture. Oftell, pa ti ents w ho sU.l tain facial fracture s have o ther m edi cal problems as well The Oral and Maxi llofaci;ll Surgeon is trained to co ordi nate his o r her treat m ent wit h that of other doctors. ~xtt'miw,

I U ' Fort Iji·acrur,.

Lc F"rl I1fracrurc

Lc Fori

In jractl/n'

Mid/acial, or Lc Forl,jracwres cften occur in Ihree weak areas ill the face. '/7wse illjuril's call afFect s((!ht al1d the ability to breathe, speak and swallow. natio ns of these bont's. These injuries ca n affect sight and the ability to brea th e, speak and swal­ low. Treatment ofte n requ ires hospitalization. The princip les for trea ting fKial fracture s are the same as for a broken arm or leg. The parts of th e bont' mu st be lined up (reduce d) and held in position long enough to permit them time to hea l. This may req uire six o r more weeks dep endi ng on the pJtient's age and til e fra cture's complexity.

Dpring the' healin g period when jaws Jre wired shu t, th e Oral Jnd MaxilioElCial Surgeon presc rib es a nutritio nal liquid or pureed di e t, w hi ch will help the healing process by keeping th e pati ent in good health. Afte r discha rge frol11 the hospital, the doctor g ives the pa ti ent instru cti ons on co ntinued fJci al and oral ca re.

(a) Extensive maxillofacial jractllres are ~ftel'l IlC((J I/I­ panied by other medical proiJIel/ls. The 01'111 al/.d Mllxillcifacial Su~eeon coordiuates rrealmeltl wilh other medical specialties to retur,., the patielll 10 th eir normal activities as 500 11 as possible. Th e you,.,}! woman pictured i/l fig. (a) prior to surgery Ilud ~)) followi,.,}! s~'Tj!ery to repllir her i'li~lries.

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Don't Treat Any Facial Injury Ligh t ly

Football. Helmets with face guard s and mo uth gua rds sh o uld b e worn. MallY o f th e h elm ets rnanufac tured for youngt'r players h ave plas ti c [lee gu ard s that can be bent back in to th e fa ce and C Gently pac. nose with gauze. > Apply ice. 00 not blow nose

5. shou ld cover the upper and / or lower teeth and gums.

ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEONS: AN IMPORTANT LINK O ral and m axi llof:1cial surgery is th e specialty of de ntistry that incl udes the di a gno~i s, surgical .llld adj un ctive trea tment of diseases, injuri es and defects involving both th e function al and esthe ti c aspec ts of the hard and soft cissues of th e o ral and ma xillofacial region. An Oral and MaxilloClcial Surgeo n is a !,Tfadu­ o f an accred ited demal sc hool w ho has co mpl eted an add iti onal fO ll( or m ore years of trainin g in an acc redited, hospi tal-based o ra l and ma xillofacial surgery residen cy program.