Oral and Facial Trauma

Indiana Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates care for individuals who have sustained injuries to the face, mouth, and teeth.   Our doctors are on staff at Methodist Hospital, a level-one trauma center, as well as many of the surrounding Indianapolis hospitals.  Patients are also referred directly to our practice throughout central Indiana.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons evaluate and manage injuries commonly resulting from sporting accidents, motor vehicle accidents, and interpersonal violence.  Our group treats patients with:

• Facial and oral lacerations (cuts)
• Teeth that have been damaged or displaced (pushed out of position or the socket)
• Fractures of the lower jaw (mandible) or upper jaw (maxilla)
• Facial bone fractures (cheekbone, nose, eye socket, forehead)

Care for these injuries involve preserving and repairing the injured areas in a humane fashion using the most up-to-date techniques.  Injuries to the face and mouth can have a significant impact on one’s appearance, vision, breathing, chewing, and nutrition.  Our surgeons are committed to achieving the most optimal esthetic and functional outcome for our patients who have been injured.  Often complex injuries will require a staged approach to treatment.  After wounds have healed, we can also offer scar revision and reconstruction of any post-traumatic defects with bone grafts and/or implants.

Injuries to the teeth and surrounding dental structures

Isolated injuries to teeth are quite common and may require the expertise of various dental specialists. Oral surgeons usually are involved in treating fractures in the supporting socket bone or in replanting teeth that have been displaced or knocked out. These types of injuries are treated by one of a number of forms of splinting (stabilizing by wiring or bonding teeth together). If a tooth is knocked out, it should be placed in milk or held in the patient’s mouth. Never attempt to wipe the tooth off.  The sooner the tooth is re-inserted into the dental socket, the better chance it will survive. Therefore, the patient should see a dentist or oral surgeon as soon as possible. Other dental specialists may be called upon such as endodontists, who may perform root canal therapy, and/or restorative dentists to repair or rebuild fractured teeth. In the event that injured teeth cannot be saved or repaired, dental implants are often now utilized as replacements for missing teeth.