Treatment of Mandibular Fractures

Treatment of Mandibular Fractures : A middle-aged man of about 35 years came to the OPD at Richardsons Dental and Craniofacial Hospital with a history of slipping and falling on his face while sightseeing close to a lake. He had a laceration in the area of his chin, difficulty in opening his mouth, improper occlusion and slight pain in front of his right ear. After clinical examination by Dr. Sunil Richardson, a Cone Beam CT scan was done at Richardsons  Dental & Craniofacial hospital for assessment of any facial fractures sustained. He was found to have a fracture of his right condylar head, symphyseal fracture of the lower jaw ( mandible ) and right coronoid fracture. Being a teacher, our patient wanted the fastest recovery so that he could rejoin his work. We decided to fix his fracture with titanium plates and screws and also did Eric’s arch bar fixation for later elastics. His laceration was closed with fine sutures. He could go home in two days and would resume work two days later.

Patients with most jaw fractures don’t need their mouth to be wired shut anymore. Also, almost all of these mandibular fractures are treated from within the mouth and so there is no external scar. This means that the facial esthetics is taken care of while normalizing function. Fractured teeth are also fixed and some may require root canal treatments as well.