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Broken or Dislocated Jaw

Oral health isn’t just about your teeth. The jawbone is a crucial player in many of your day-to-day functions, such as eating, breathing and speaking.

Since the jawbone is so important, you want to watch out for jaw pain, which could be a symptom of a fracture or dislocation. If you suspect a serious injury, address it as quickly as possible to prevent further jaw damage.

Fractured Jaw Symptoms

If you have recently experienced facial trauma, such as physical assault, a sports injury or a car accident, and you are experiencing jaw pain, your jaw may be fractured. You can test the theory by attempting to open and close your jaw. If something feels off when you do this, or you have lost teeth, this increases the likelihood of a fractured jaw. Assess your situation further by:

Examining your face: Check for swelling, bruising or protrusions on the side of your face.

Evaluating your pain level: Pay attention to the pain in your jaw as you chew and note any increases in your pain level.

If you experience any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately. Failure to treat a fractured jaw can result in infection.1

Dislocated Jaw Symptoms

While the symptoms of a dislocated jaw are different than those of a fractured jaw, the consequences of leaving it untreated are much the same. Pain is a symptom as well as: Difficulty speaking, Abnormal bite, An overbite that didn’t previously exist

Treatment Options

While common (only the nose is broken more frequently than the jaw), jaw injuries are treated as emergencies. As you await medical treatment, support your lower jaw to help stabilize it and keep your airway open. For both types of jaw injuries, you will need to see a doctor. Do not attempt to fix your own jaw as this could cause further pain and damage.

A doctor or oral surgeon will manipulate a dislocated jaw into the correct position. They may be able to do this manually after you’ve received anesthetics and muscle relaxants. These medications will minimize pain and allow the doctor to more easily manipulate the jaw.

Depending on the extent of the break, treatment for a jaw fracture may require surgery. Clean breaks may heal on their own while your jaw is immobilized, while multiple fractures will likely require surgical repair.

Recovery

Both dislocated and fractured jaws are bandaged or wired shut during recovery to prevent you from opening your jaw too wide and to keep your bite in its proper place. After resetting a dislocated jaw, your doctor may wrap a bandage around your head and under your chin.

During your recovery, you won’t be able to open your jaw very wide for at least six weeks. Your diet during this time will consist of mostly liquids as you likely won’t be able to chew solid food. A few of the soft foods you may be able to chew depending on your situation include:

Canned meat

Well-cooked pasta

Well-cooked rice

Soup

Canned fruit.

 

(04/03/2021)
by Lousville oral facial surgery

More Information: https://www.louisvilleoralfacialsurgery.com/single-post/identifying-fractured-dislocated-jaw

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