Facial trauma is an injury to the face. It can hurt the bones that give the face its shape. It can hurt the sockets around the eyes. It can also hurt the jaws that let you bite and speak. The injury can be small, like one clean break. It can also be large, with several breaks at the same time.

MaxillofacialAbout the face and the jaws. A maxillofacial surgeon treats the bones and soft tissue of the face, mouth, and jaws. surgeons repair these injuries. They have three goals. First, they make the face its correct shape again. Second, they make the face work again. This includes your bite, your vision, and your breathing. Third, they keep you safe while the bones heal.

If the injury is new, this page is background reading. It is not first aid. A serious facial injury needs urgent medical care. Call your local emergency number.

How surgeons look at the face

Think of the face in three layers, from top to bottom.

  • Upper face: the forehead and the frontal sinusAn air space inside the bones of the face or the forehead..
  • Mid-face: the cheekbones, the eye sockets, the nose, and the upper jaw. This is the most complex part.
  • Lower face: the lower jaw. This is the only part that moves.

An injury can affect one layer. In a bad accident, it can affect all three layers at the same time. Doctors call this panfacial trauma.

The main types of injury

Each type has its own page with more detail:

  • Mandible (lower jaw) fractures. This is the facial bone that breaks most often.
  • Midface and maxilla fractures (Le Fort I, II, III). These breaks separate the upper jaw and mid-face in set patterns.
  • Zygomatic complex (cheekbone) fractures. The cheek looks flat or pushed in.
  • Orbital and naso-orbito-ethmoid (NOE) fractures. Breaks around the eye socket and the top of the nose.
  • Nasal and frontal sinus fractures. The nose and the forehead sinus.
  • Dentoalveolar injuries. Teeth that are knocked out, loose, or broken, and the bone that holds them.
  • Soft-tissue facial lacerations. Cuts and wounds in the skin and tissue.
  • Panfacial trauma. Several areas are hurt at the same time.

How surgeons repair the face

Surgeons often fix a facial fractureA break or a crack in a bone. with small titaniumA strong, light metal. Surgeons use it for the plates and screws that hold bone. plates and screws. The plates hold the bone in the correct position while it heals. This is like the repair of a broken arm. The metal usually stays in for life. Surgeons often make the cuts inside the mouth or in natural skin lines. This keeps the scars hidden. Some small fractures do not need surgery. They heal with time and care.

See how plates and screws fix bone.