Often the oral surgeon is called upon to see patients who have sustained injuries to the hard and soft tissues of the face and jaws. This attention is not only given to the teeth and gum tissue that may be involved, but also contusions, lacerations, and fractures that occur in the facial and jaw bones. The oral surgeon is considered an expert in handling these injuries , but must be called upon immediately to be of some help. If one must resort to going to a hospital emergency room, than they should likewise call an oral surgeon or have the ER staff call for them. You must realize that Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are not in attendance at most hospitals , except some of the major teaching medical centers. However, they are active members of the hospital medical staff and can be contacted immediately by pager.
If you find that your
bite is not the same, extreme sudden swelling has taken place, or you are
having trouble opening your mouth, these may be signs of significant jaw
injury. Likewise, infections spread very rapidly in the head and neck area
and can be life threatening. If teeth are knocked out, try to replace them
with help immediately. If this cannot be done , then place under the tongue
of floor of the mouth, or better yet , place them in milk.
KEY POINT: call the oral surgery office for immediate attention. These teeth maybe reimplanted and stabilized at the office. The surgeons¹ office is usually equipped to do almost any surgical procedure with comfortable anesthesia moreso than the hospital ER.
KEY POINT: 3M company has a product that preserves
avulsed teeth. This can be obtain from the oral surgery office for most
schools, hospitals, daycare facililities, etc. Call
our office or EMAIL if necessary.Oral
and maxillofacial surgeons are likewise trained in facial cosmetic surgery
today and are more than capable of handling facial lacerations. We are
only a phonecall away.