Facial Fracture Treatment

Self-Care at Home

Home care is limited until a doctor sees you.

• Use an ice pack on the area to help with pain and swelling.
• Apply direct pressure to bleeding areas.

Medical Treatment

• Nasal fracture
  • First, the doctor will control your nosebleed (if you have one). If there is a collection of blood inside your nose, called a septal hematoma, the doctor will drain it by cutting a hole in it to let the blood out.
  • Because your nose will be very swollen at first, a broken nose is not immediately put back into place (reduced). Even after the swelling goes down, reducing a broken nose is necessary only if you will have a poor cosmetic result or your airflow is obstructed. If it is necessary, a specialist will do it at a follow-up appointment. By this time, the swelling should have gone down, and the bone should be put in place more accurately.
  • Fractures of the bones inside your nose (ethmoid fractures) require hospitalization.
• Jaw (mandibular) fracture
  • A broken bone that is visible through the skin or inside the mouth, called an open fracture, requires hospital admission and intravenous antibiotics.
  • Most of the time, if you have a closed fracture of your jaw, you will be referred to an oral surgeon for treatment.
• Midface (maxillary) fracture
  • Because of the severity of a midface fracture and its associated injuries, you may require a tube to be inserted to help you breathe, and you will most likely be hospitalized.
  • These fractures usually require surgery. This is usually performed by a plastic surgeon or ENT specialist.
• Cheekbone (zygomatic) fracture: If your zygomatic arch is fractured, you may require surgery to repair it if the fracture is pushed in causing a cosmetic defect.
• Eye socket (orbital) fracture
  • The timing of and need for eye socket fracture repair is controversial.
  • Some specialists feel surgical repair is needed only if you have persistent double vision or your eye recedes into the socket.
  • Others use CT scans to help them make the decision. You should decide whether to have surgery with the consulting specialist.
• Temporomandibular joint dislocation: This is usually realigned in the emergency department. A local anesthetic can be used as well as medication to relax the jaw muscles.