Facial injuries are also known medically as maxillofacial injuries or facial trauma. Some examples of the possible injuries that you could sustain to your face are; a broken jaw, eye socket fracture and nose fracture. These are just a few examples of some of the many injuries that you could possibly gain to your face. A facial injury describes any injury that could possible happen to your facial area; they are any injury that affect your mouth, nose, eyes or jaw.

Almost everyone has either experienced a facial injury or knows someone that has. Most of the facial injuries that occur are caused by sports, work related injuries, road traffic accidents or a slip, trip or fall as well as an act of violence. Injuries to your facial area are extremely serious as they have the potential to affect your sight, breathing and your ability to speak and swallow. One of the most serious injuries that you can sustain is a broken facial bone or a fracture. Both of these aspects can affect your lower jaw, upper jaw, palate, cheekbones and your eye sockets as well as a combination of all of these. While not all facial injuries are extensive, they are all complex since they affect an area of the body that is critical to breathing, eating, speaking and seeing.

Symptoms of a facial fracture include pain, swelling and bruising and they may involve the need to have surgery in order to repair it. If a facial injury occurs and the victim is unconscious, disoriented, nauseated, dizzy or otherwise incapacitated, call 999 immediately. It is highly important that you do not attempt to move the individual yourself. If however these symptoms are not present but the injury that has been sustained is severe or you are uncertain about its severity then it is essential that you take the person to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible.

Once the individual is at the hospital they will most likely be seen by several medical professionals, one of which will most likely be an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. A maxillofacial surgeon is a surgical specialist when it comes to the dental profession. They are specifically trained to repair injuries to the mouth, face and jaws.

When it comes to the treatment of facial injuries, the treatment that you receive will depend on the injuries that you have suffered. If you have suffered soft tissue damage then the bleeding with be controlled and the swelling will be reduced as well as the pain being controlled. The main principles of treating a facial fracture are the same as treating a broken arm or leg. This is because the parts of the bone must be lined up and held in position long enough for them to heal. This may take six or more weeks depending on the individual’s age and the fractures complexity.

If you have suffered from a facial injury that was caused through an accident that wasn’t your fault then you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation. If you are hoping to make a claim for compensation then it is important that you contact a legal team today who will be able to help you with every aspect of your claim.

Helen is the web master of Accident Consult, specialists in all aspects of Facial Injuries.