Maxillofacial Trauma : Treatment, Procedure, Cost And Side Effects

Maxillofacial trauma is also known as the facial trauma. This can occur when soft tissue is injured by burns, bruises, cuts, or lacerations. Fracture of the facial bones such as jaw bone fracture, cheekbone fracture, or nasal fractures lead to Maxillofacial trauma. The facial trauma is many caused due to accidents, falls, violence, gymnastics, contact sports, etc. The symptoms of maxillofacial trauma include changes in feeling over the face, missing teeth, double vision, difficulty in breathing through the nose due to swelling and bleeding, uneven face, swollen eyelids, numbness of upper lip or cheek, decreased eye movement, blurry vision etc. Besides the beauty of face, the maxillofacial can cause other severe problems like the nerves of eyes, face and salivary glands are damaged, speech can be affected. The person might face problem while swallowing and breathing.

When facial trauma occurs, the person is advised to take treatment immediately. Using X-ray or CT scans, the injury can be located and determined. Dressing can be placed on the wound or cuts to avoid infection and scar. If the fracture is mild, keeping an ice bag would reduce the pain. If the injury or fracture is severe, then the doctor would advise antibiotic treatment or surgery. If the Maxillofacial trauma is in the oral region, the dentist would change the position or structure of the tooth or teeth. For extreme facial injuries, a combination of wiring and plating techniques are used.

The treatment varies with the type and intensity of injury. The facial skin is much softer than the skin on the body. Any injury on the soft facial tissue would affect the skin, eyes, nose or lips and even the beauty of the face. These injuries are rarely life threating. These facial injuries are handled by dermatologists and if the injury is severe, they are operated by the plastic surgeons.

1. If the facial check cells are affected, primary closure is used to heal the cells. If primary closure is not possible, doctors opt for local advancements, transposition, or regional flaps that repair many defects of the facial skin.
2. The facial fractures are treated in the same manner as any other fracture. The fractures are treated and stabilized by the surgical placement of small plates and screws at the injured site. This type of treatment is called internal fixation of the fracture.
3. Severe facial cuts may require microvascular reconstructive surgery. This treatment is carried out by the plastic surgeon, in which he/she rebuilds the patient's face and neck using blood vessels, bones, and tissue, including muscle and skin from other body parts.
4. Oral surgeons treat the fractures or displacement of supporting bone or teeth. If the teeth break or come out, it can be fixed back into the oral socket. The sooner it is fitted, it would have a better chance of surviving. Endodontists can also rectify the fracture through root canal procedure. Dental implants are often used as the replacement to the missing tooth/teeth.

Children usually have the tendency of falling while playing, running, or even walking. Extreme care must be taken else the injury may affect the facial soft tissue or even break the facial bones. The surgery cannot be done on a child below 15 years. It is not advisable and also would not provide satisfactory results. Adults above the age of 20 can easily undergo the treatment. The person must be fit and healthy to undergo this treatment. Doctors run various scans and tests before advising a surgery. People who are addicted to appearance are generally advised against the surgery.

Patients who have serious health problems like diabetics, high blood pressure, heart disease, severe bleeding or blood clotting issues are not eligible for the treatment. People who are in depression cannot undergo the surgery. Before the treatment, the patient must consult with the doctors and let them know your medical history and current medications. This would help them in proceeding further with the treatment. People who smoke and consume alcohol are not eligible for the treatment. The surgeon would also make some changes in diet and ask to do some exercise before the surgery. Obese people are advised against the surgery.

If the facial fracture is not much severe, then it can be cured through antibiotics. But the antibiotics have some side effects including vomiting, indigestion, nausea or sometimes may even cause abdominal pain. The surgery would result in some side-effects if not performed properly. Hematoma, deep vein thrombosis, nerve damage, organ (nose, lips or eyes) damage, infection, scarring is some of the side-effects of the surgery. Before the surgery, anesthesia is given. Some patient may develop complications and their body would not react well to the anesthesia. Even after the surgery, the patient might be dissatisfied with his/ her general appearance. In case any patient reports any other complexity after undergoing the treatment the patient is advised to consult the doctor immediately.

The doctor advises the patient to change their diet. If the surgery has been done in the oral region, the patient is advised to have soft food or liquid only. For around two to four weeks after the treatment, the patient is asked not to drink or smoke. He/ she must exercise daily after the treatment. The area where the surgery was done must be properly taken care. The wound or the stitches must be cleaned on a regular basis to avoid infection. Keep your head elevated while walking or sitting. Have many pillows to keep yourself comfortable while sleeping. Drink loads of water. Avoid blood thinning medications after the surgery. Foods that are high in salicylates affect the blood, hence must be avoided after the surgery.

The treatment recovery time varies from the patient condition to condition and differs from the mode of the treatment opted for the patient. If the cheek or lips are mildly bruised or swollen, they may recover within five to six weeks. For the swelling to go completely, it may take around six months. The scars would take around a year or more to heal completely. Depending on the intensity of scar or injury, the procedure may take around an hour to six hours. Most of the cases, the patients are treated in three or four sittings. In about two- week time, the patient can resume his/ her daily normal activities. The time taken by residual swelling, bruising, and changes in skin sensation to resolve would be around more than a year.

If the injury is not severe, it can be cured through tablets, which cost less than 500 rupees. If the cuts or burns are fresh, they need to be dressed or cleaned. This would cost around two thousand rupees. If there is a fracture in the facial bone, depending on the severity of the fracture, the average cost ranges from 1000 to 50,000 rupees. If the scars and wounds are severe and deep, the doctor would prefer surgery. The surgery starts from 15,000 and goes up o one lac rupees or more, depending on the patient's condition.

If the patient is pretty sure what he/ she wants, the treatment can be carried out easily. If you consult the experienced plastic surgeons, they may provide you with satisfactory results. If there is a fracture in the oral region, the dentists can easily resolve it and the results are generally permanent. Even the facial surgery and operations provide permanent results but would take longer time for the scar or swelling to completely heal. But treatments like full facelifts, tightening, mini lifts last only for two to five years. The results may also vary from person to person.

The injuries can be prevented by taking extra care during high- risk activities like playing sports, driving, alcohol use, tobacco consumption etc. if the wound or cut is not deep, it can be fixed by taking oral medications. If the fracture of face bone is not severe, the fracture can be rectified by taking antibiotics. Fresh wounds and cuts can be stitched and dressed immediately. With advancements, many alternatives like fillers, bio-stimulators, fat modulators, and neuro-modulators are used to rectify the facial skin. With these alternatives, the patient need not go under the knife and needle. Ayurveda medications can also be taken.