Broken OR Dislocated Jaw
Alternate Names : Dislocated Jaw, Fractured Jaw
What are the treatments for the injury?
A broken or dislocated jaw requires immediate medical attention. Some people
with jaw fractures will have bleeding and difficulty breathing. Other first aid
steps include the following:
Check for signs of circulation, such as normal breathing, coughing, or
movement in response to stimulation.
Contact the emergency medical
system immediately.
Start cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, if the person stops breathing.
Use 15 chest compressions for every 2 mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths.
Do not try to relocate or move the jaw. Until proper medical care can be
given, the rescuer or assistant should use his or her hands to gently support the injured person's jaw.
A healthcare professional can move a dislocated jaw back into place.
Sometimes this requires sedating the person with a fairly strong
medication.
Occasionally, even with
anesthesia, the jaw cannot be moved back into its original position. If this is the case,
surgery may be needed to fasten the joints.
After the jaw is moved, it will need to be held in a steady position for
a significant amount of time. This is usually done by either wiring the jaw shut or by taping
around the outside of the head to keep the jaw from opening widely. The tape or
wires are usually left in place for 6 weeks.
What are the side effects of the treatments?
Treatment for a dislocated or broken jaw is often painful. If wiring is done,
a person could vomit and choke on the vomited material. For this reason, people
are nearly always given wire cutters.
Infection of the gums and bone where the wires are placed is also possible. A
lesser concern is weight loss and
lack of nutrition because of the difficulty of chewing food while the jaws are wired shut.
High-calorie shakes and foods that do not require chewing can be used.
What happens after treatment for the injury?
After the jaw has been repaired, the person should be particularly careful when
yawning and sneezing. If the jaw is broken, soft foods should be eaten.
It is important to make sure that risky situations are avoided to prevent the
injury from happening again. Once the jaw has healed and the wires have been
removed, some people will experience pain in their temporomandibular joint, or
TMJ. A healthcare professional can prescribe pain medications and exercises to help reduce pain.
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