Facial Trauma
Sustaining an injury is challenging, especially when it involves your face. At Tahoe Oral Surgery, we understand the complexities that facial injuries bring and the importance of restoring function and a sense of normalcy and confidence in one's appearance.
Our experienced team of specialists is proficient in dealing with various facial traumas, whether it's an injury to the soft tissues, bone fractures, or harm to particular regions such as the nerves and salivary glands. From emergency care to long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation, we strive to offer personalized, compassionate, and comprehensive treatment strategies to facilitate your recovery journey.
Why Choose Our Oral Surgeons in South Lake Tahoe and Truckee
While serving at Highland Hospital in Oakland and Bellevue Hospital in New York, Dr. Martin and Dr. Appelblatt underwent specialized training to handle facial trauma. This allowed them to gain first-hand experience dealing with multifaceted facial injuries.
Although most facial trauma cases treated by these oral surgeons in Tahoe typically involve dental and oral injuries, harm to the facial skin, facial bones, and jaw are also frequently seen.
Some conditions we address include:
- Fractured facial bones (e.g., jaws, cheek, nose)
- Facial lacerations
- Intraoral lacerations
- Avulsed (knocked-out) teeth
Types of Facial Injuries
Facial injuries are typically divided into three categories:
- Soft tissue injuries (impacting the skin, muscles, and gingiva)
- Bone injuries (fractures of bones, tooth damage)
- Injuries to other areas, such as the facial nerves or the salivary glands
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries to the face are usually remedied through suturing, taking extra caution to facilitate proper healing with optimal cosmetic results. We must also consider the potential damage to structures like nerves, salivary glands, and vessels, carefully examining these areas to mitigate the risk of unobserved damage that could lead to ongoing complications.
Bone Injuries
When treating all kinds of fractures in the maxillofacial region, the primary objective is to restore and stabilize the bone in its proper position. Because we cannot apply a cast to facial bones, we use special techniques and materials to provide support during the healing process.
We commonly use intermaxillary fixation and rigid fixation for bone injuries or fractures. Intermaxillary fixation, a stabilization method used for jaw fractures, involves placing surgical braces around the teeth and fixing them together. This is commonly done by wiring the jaws together, which can last 4–8 weeks, depending on the fracture's type and severity. On the other hand, rigid fixation is another method that offers fracture stabilization through surgically positioning small titanium plates and screws.
Dental Injuries 
The most frequent type of facial trauma we encounter is tooth injuries. As the initial specialists involved, Dr. Martin and Dr. Appelblatt attend to the immediate injury, stabilize bone fractures, suture any soft tissue injuries, and implant or graft bone where teeth have been lost.
In cases where permanent teeth have been severely damaged or lost and can't be saved, dental implants typically offer the best solution for restoring missing teeth with replacements that look, feel, and function like natural teeth.
Oral Surgery for Facial Trauma in South Lake Tahoe
Do you need oral surgery for facial trauma in Truckee or South Lake Tahoe? Dr. Martin and Dr. Appelblatt are exceptionally-skilled oral surgeons in Tahoe who take pride in their meticulous and modern approach to treatment. Please call Tahoe Oral Surgery to book a consultation or speak with a member of our team. We have oral surgery offices in Truckee and South Lake Tahoe.
