Facial Trauma

Facial trauma, or maxillofacial injury, includes any injury to the face, mouth, or jaw. The most common facial trauma injuries are caused by accidents – at work, at home, in your car, recreational sports, or an act of violence. Facial injuries can affect a patient’s sight and the ability to breathe, speak, and swallow.

As respected Oral and Maxillofacial surgeons, Dr. Eklund is uniquely qualified to repair and treat injuries to the face, mouth, and jaws. They understands that injuries to the face can leave behind not only a physical scar, but an emotional one as well. When repairing any type of facial trauma, Dr. Eklund takes into account how the treatment provided will influence his patient’s long term function and appearance. 

Dr. Eklund has skillfully repaired the following types of facial injury:

• Facial lacerations
• Intra-oral lacerations
• Avulsed (knocked out) teeth
• Fractures involving the upper or lower jaw, palate, eye sockets, cheekbones, and any combination of these bones

Typically, facial injuries are classified as:

• soft tissue injuries (skin and gums)
• bone fractures, or
• injuries to the eyes, facial nerves, or the salivary glands

Maxillofacial Soft Tissue Injuries

With soft tissue injuries, such as lacerations on the face, repairs are made by suturing. Dr. Eklund inspects for and treats injuries to facial nerves, salivary glands, and salivary ducts – while also ensuring the best cosmetic outcome possible. During Dr. Eklund’s 34 years in practice, he has successfully diagnosed and treated thousands of facial lacerations.

Maxillofacial Bone Fractures

Treating maxillofacial fractures is similar to treating a broken arm or leg. The fractured bones must be lined up and held in position long enough to heal. When an arm or a leg is fractured, a cast is used to stabilize the bones to allow for proper healing. Since the doctor cannot place a cast on your face, he uses wiring, surgical plating, or a combination of both depending on the patient's age and the fracture's complexity.  

 Under Dr. Eklund's skilled hands, the fewest incisions necessary are made. When exterior incisions are necessary, he ensures that they are as small as possible and placed so that the resultant scar is hidden.

Lost (Knocked Out) Teeth

A knocked out tooth can sometimes be replanted by one of a number of forms of splinting (stabilizing by wiring or bonding teeth together). If you can find the tooth that has been knocked out, bring it with you and seek medical attention immediately. The sooner the tooth is re-inserted into the dental socket, the better odds of tooth survival.  

To transport a knocked out tooth:

• If possible, try to replace the tooth in the socket, to the level of the adjacent teeth. Bite down on wet gauze to keep the tooth in place until you can reach our office.
• If the tooth cannot be transported in your mouth, place it in a container of saliva, salt water, or milk.
• Only handle the knocked out tooth by the crown (chewing edge). Never attempt to wipe the tooth off, since remnants of the ligament that hold the tooth in the jaw are attached and are vital to the success of replanting the tooth.  Do not attempt to clean the tooth with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.

In the event that injured teeth cannot be saved or repaired, Dr. Eklund is skilled at using dental implants to replace missing teeth.

 Facial trauma surgery is an outpatient procedure performed in complete comfort at Southwest Oral & Implant Surgery’s sterile surgical suite. You have a choice of anesthesia options including local anesthesia, local anesthesia with nitrous (laughing gas), or intravenous (IV) sedation (twilight sleep or conscious sedation). No matter which option you choose, the trained staff at Southwest Oral & Implant Surgery will be at your side to reassure you and answer any questions you may have.

Contact Us

If you are a dentist or a physician who is interested in referring your patients to Dr. Eklund, visit the Referring Doctors section for more information. If you are a patient who would like to schedule an appointment, visit the Contact Us section for hours, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses.