Broken Jaw in Car Accident San Diego
A fairly common injury resulting from an automobile accident, a fall, or a blow to the face is a broken (fractured) jaw. There are two bones that may be broken. One is the “mandible,” the lower jawbone. The other is the bone that makes up the upper jaw, the “maxilla.” The term jaw fracture generally refers to a break in the mandible, while a break of the maxilla is considered a facial injury. (When the maxilla is broken, there are usually other bones of the face that are broken as well. Breaks to the maxilla may cause double vision, numbness in the skin below the eye, or an irregularity of the cheekbone.)
A broken jawbone is a common facial injury; only the nose is broken more frequently. The most common cause of a broken jaw is injury to the face. This may be due to a motor vehicle accident, a physical assault, an industrial accident, or a recreational or sports injury. An impact with a dashboard during an automobile accident can fracture any part of the jaw. The force of the impact can dislodge teeth and cause fragments of the broken jaw to pierce the gum or damage nearby blood vessels and nerves. A broken or dislocated jaw requires immediate medical attention. Emergency situations include difficulty breathing or heavy bleeding.
The jawbone (mandible) is a long bone that includes the chin and angles up toward the ears on both sides of the face. On each side, the end of the jawbone is rounded like a ball. This ball (a “condyle”) is the part of the jaw joint right in front of your ear that lets you open and close your mouth. The jaw joint is called the temporomandibular joint, or TMJ.
Symptoms and complications of a broken jaw can include:
Pain in the face or jaw, located in front of the ear on the affected side, and gets worse with movement
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Bruising, swelling, and tenderness along your jaw or below your ear
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Bleeding from the mouth
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Airway blockage
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Breathing blood or food into the lungs
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Jaw joint (TMJ) pain and other problems
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Your jaw is deformed, crooked, or shifted out of its normal midline position
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You have a painful lump in your jaw or below your ear
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Jaw tenderness or pain, especially when chewing or biting
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The feeling that your teeth don’t fit together properly or that your bite is “off” (“malocclusion”)
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Improperly aligned teeth
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Missing or loose teeth
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Difficulty opening your mouth widely
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Numbness in your lower lip or chin resulting from nerve damage
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Very limited movement of the jaw (with a severe fracture)
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Drooling because of the inability to close the mouth
If you have been injured in an automobile accident or other accident, or suffered a blow to the jaw the results in severe pain, it is important that you seek immediate medical treatment. To diagnose a jaw fracture, the doctor will conduct a physical examination of the area and take standard X-rays of your jaw. Sometimes the doctor will order a special dental panoramic X-ray (Panorex), and in some cases, especially for fractures near the TMJ, a CT scan may be ordered. A potential but very serious consequence of jaw fractures is a problem breathing due to loss of support to the tongue. If you have any signs of breathing problems, you should get immediate medical attention by dialing 911 to summon the paramedics.
In more than half the cases of jaw fracture, the jaw breaks in two places: a “direct” fracture where the jaw was hit, and an “indirect” fracture somewhere else along the opposite side of the jaw. This second fracture is usually near one of the ends of the jawbone, close to the jaw joint (TMJ). The second fracture occurs when the force of impact travels upward along the jaw and snaps the relatively thin part of the jawbone just below the ear.
If you have been subject to that degree of trauma that was forceful enough to break your jaw, you must also be evaluated by the medical doctors to determine whether you have suffered any injuries to your spine in the neck area (your “cervical vertebrae”) or whether you suffered a concussion or have bleeding within the skull. X-rays should be taken of your upper spine to diagnose whether or not you have suffered a fracture of a cervical vertebra. Sometimes a fracture goes through a tooth or its socket (an “open fracture”) creating an opening into the mouth, which requires immediate treatment with antibiotics to prevent it from becoming infected with oral bacterial.
The specific treatment for a broken jaw depends on how badly broken the bone is. If you have only a minor fracture, you may only need pain medications and to follow a soft or liquid diet for a while. Surgery is often needed for moderate to severe fractures. To stabilize the broken lower jaw, it may be wired to the upper jaw. This may last six to eight weeks, depending on the rate the person heals. During this time, the broken-jaw victim is only able to drink liquids through a straw. Small rubber bands are used to hold the teeth together for a few weeks, at which time they are removed to allow some motion and reduce joint stiffness.
Alternatively, depending on the nature and extent of the fracture, the doctor may surgically repair the broken jaw with a metal plate that is screwed into the bone on each side of the fracture. If a metal plate is used, the jaw is immobilized for only a few days, after which the victim should eat only soft food for several weeks. If fragments of bone have pierced the skin or if teeth were lost or loosened, the doctor will probably prescribe an antibiotic to reduce the risk of infection.
A person whose jaw has been wired shut should have metal cutters readily available to cut the wire in the event of vomiting or choking. If the wires must be cut, you should consult your doctor promptly so they can be replaced. You should call your doctor if you develop a high temperature, experience a severe headache, lose feeling in your face, have severe pain that will not go away despite the use of painkillers, or if the wires or splints become loose. You should seek immediate emergency health care if you have difficulty breathing.
If you have suffered a broken jaw, with proper and prompt medical care the jaw should heal in about two months. However, where there are several fractures or the person heals poorly, long-term complications can include facial deformity, long-lasting facial pain, or pain or limitation of the movement at the jaw joint and a bad bite.
A dislocated jaw means the lower jawbone (the mandible) has moved out of its normal position at one or both joints where the jawbone connects to the skull (the TMJ). When a person presents with a dislocated jaw, the doctor may be able to place it back to the correct position using the thumbs. Numbing medications (anesthetics) may be required to relax the strong jaw muscles. The jaw may need to be stabilized. This usually involves bandaging the jaw to keep the mouth from opening widely. In some cases, surgery may be needed to repair a dislocated jaw, particularly where the person suffers from repeated jaw dislocations occur.
If you have been injured in an accident and suffered a broken jaw, you should contact an experienced personal injury law firm as soon as possible. It is also important to contact an experienced personal injury law firm promptly, as the law firm may want to send its own investigators to the scene of the accident to inspect and take pictures of the vehicles, the accident site, and any dangerous condition that caused or contributed to the accident, especially before there is a change in the condition of the area or vehicle. The attorney or his or her investigator will also want to talk to any witnesses to the accident as soon as possible while the facts are still fresh in their minds.
An experienced personal injury law firm can also help with seeing to it that you obtain appropriate and thorough medical care for your physical, emotional, and psychological injuries suffered as a result of the accident. The attorneys in the firm can also do everything possible to ensure that you obtain full compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, property damage, lost wages, and all of your other injuries and damages.
Our Law Firm has experience in diligently representing clients who have been in accidents resulting in a broken jaw. We understand the physical, financial, and emotional toll a broken jaw can take on the injured victim and his or her family. We will work our hardest on your behalf to get you the maximum recovery possible.
Call now for a free consultation of your case: 858.909.9090