Facial Trauma Specialist

What conditions are considered facial trauma?

Dr. Esla is on staff at local hospitals and delivers emergency room coverage for facial injuries, which include the following:

• Facial lacerations
• Intra-oral lacerations
• Knocked-out teeth
• Fractured facial bones, such as in the cheek, nose, or eye socket
• Fractured upper or lower jaws

What causes facial trauma?

Facial trauma may occur as a result of an automobile accident, sports injury, accidental fall, physical fight, or work-related injury. Facial trauma may include mostly soft tissue, such as the skin and gums, or the hard tissue of the bones. Special regions may also be involved, including the eyes, facial nerves, or salivary glands.

How are soft tissue issues treated?

Dr. Esla usually uses sutures for soft tissue injuries, such as lacerations, on your face. He takes care to provide a repair that yields the best cosmetic result possible, and inspects for and treats injuries to structures such as facial nerves, salivary glands, and salivary ducts. Dr. Esla is a well-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeon and is proficient at diagnosing and treating all types of facial lacerations.

How are bone injuries, or fractures, of the face treated?

Dr. Esla treats fractures of the bones of the face in a manner similar to the treatment of fractures in other parts of the body.

The exact method Dr. Esla uses depends on various factors, including the location of the fracture, its severity, and your age and general health. It’s more challenging to stabilize fractured facial bones than other bones in your body; however, techniques such as wiring of the jaw makes it possible.

When treating facial fractures, Dr. Esla makes every effort to preserve your facial features and appearance. He places any incisions required to access damaged facial bones in indiscreet areas and keeps them as small as possible.

How does an oral surgeon treat teeth injured during facial trauma?

Oral surgeons like Dr. Esla treat fractures in your teeth’s supporting bone or replant teeth that have been displaced or knocked out. If your tooth is knocked out, place it in in salt water or milk. The sooner Dr. Esla re-inserts the tooth into the dental socket, the better chance it will survive, so contact him as soon as possible. Do not wipe the tooth off; if you do, you might remove the remnants of the ligament that hold the tooth in the jaw, making it impossible to replant the tooth.