Facial Trauma: Hard Tissue Injuries

SkateboarderThe oral health system and the face are very intricate. When a traumatic injury occurs, it is important to seek out professional help from a qualified doctor or surgeon. Traumatic facial injuries can greatly affect a person’s life by causing debilitating pain and impairing oral function. When facial trauma affects hard tissue like joints, teeth, and bone, oral function can be incredibly disrupted. Treating injuries of this nature normally requires the expertise of oral surgeons because they have an intimate understanding of delicate facial anatomy and know how to increase oral function – especially with corrective surgeries that reconstruct or align hard tissue like the jaws. Tooth loss commonly accompanies facial trauma, too. Fortunately, our practice offers implant dentistry. Dental implants are one of the best tooth replacement methods available to patients.

When it comes to treating hard tissue injuries, our oral surgeons employ the latest treatment techniques and technology to ensure that our patients receive the most therapeutic and beneficial care possible.

Treating Damaged Jaws and Joints 

If a person is affected by blunt force trauma to the face, he or she may develop broken jaws or debilitating damage to the temporomandibular joints (TMJs). The nature of these injuries is severe because they produce pain and greatly diminish one’s ability to speak, eat, laugh, or even yawn. Treating trauma to bone and joints involves corrective and/or reconstructive surgeries. Sometimes trauma can affect the alignment of the jaw. If this occurs, jaw surgery to reposition the lower mandible is often necessary. Our objectives when performing reconstructive and corrective treatments for injured hard tissue are to increase oral function and reduce discomfort associated with facial trauma.

Addressing Tooth Loss Due to Hard Tissue Injuries

Blunt force to the face can easily knock out and dislodge teeth from their sockets. Tooth loss has lasting effects on a person’s health – especially if a person prolongs receiving replacement teeth. Our practice treats tooth loss by placing dental implants. Dental implants are titanium prosthetics used to replace the roots of missing teeth. Once stabilized, dental implants support restorations like crowns to complete the tooth replacement process.

For more information about our services, call us at Oral Surgery Associates of North Texas to reserve a consultation.