Facial trauma is rare, but when it does occur, oral and maxillofacial surgeons like Drs. Lieblich, Fletcher, and Gill at Avon Oral, Facial and Dental Implant Surgery are the experts that will treat your injuries. Most hospitals have an oral surgeon on call for facial injury cases because oral surgeons have years of specialized training diagnosing and treating damage to facial structures. Our oral surgeons have many years of hospital-based experience treating emergency facial trauma. We will do everything we can to attend to your injury case as quickly as possible.
Facial Injuries Treated by Oral Surgeons
Oral surgeons can treat a wide variety of facial injuries and conditions. Some of the most common ones include
- Dental injuries like broken teeth or teeth that have been knocked out
- Facial and intraoral cuts
- Facial fractures
- Fractures to the jaws
For severe injuries and injuries that occur after-hours, you may need to go to a hospital emergency room.
Treating Dental Injuries
If your tooth is knocked out, don’t panic. An oral surgeon or dentist may be able to reinsert the tooth. First, to control the bleeding, apply pressure to your tooth socket using clean gauze or a cloth. Then, place the tooth in a cup of whole milk or saliva — do not clean off any blood or tissues attached to it (these tissues are critical to saving the tooth) —and bring it to a dental professional right away. The chances of saving the tooth are better the sooner we treat you.
Treating Facial Cuts
Facial lacerations will usually be treated with suturing (stitches). Oral surgeons receive special training in suturing techniques that reduce scarring — severe facial wounds should, whenever possible, be sutured by an oral surgeon to prevent scarring and functional problems.
Treating Facial Fractures
When an oral surgeon treats broken facial bones, they treat them in a similar way as broken bones in other parts of the body — the broken bones are held in their proper positions until they can heal. Because casts are hard to place around facial fractures, oral surgeons use different methods of stabilization that produce the best cosmetic and functional results — often tiny wires, screws, or plates will be placed to stabilize facial bones. If you have a facial bone injury, you will undergo either IV sedation or general anesthesia to ensure that you do not feel anything during surgery.
Facial Trauma Treatment in Avon, CT
Our staff at Avon Oral, Facial and Dental Implant Surgery will see facial trauma injury cases as soon as possible — usually the day you call. For severe injuries and injuries that occur after hours, proceed to the emergency room where there will be an oral surgeon on call to treat you. Please contact our office to learn more about facial trauma injury treatment and prevention.