Things To Do After A Jaw Fracture

It often surprises people how easy it is to fracture your jaw. The structure of the lower jaw, in particular, makes it very susceptible to fractures even from a light blow. These jaw fractures can be painful, however, most of the time patients find the rehabilitation period even more difficult to bear than the initial pain and discomfort.

The average healing time for fractures of the jaw is around six to eight weeks, providing patients follow all the post-procedural instructions closely. Otherwise, there is a real risk of causing complications and delaying the time taken to complete healing.

Take Your Medications As Instructed

It seems obvious and something that almost everyone would do, but the reality is very different. Depending upon the nature of the injury, it is likely that the patient will be prescribed a combination of pain medication, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication and other drugs added as necessary.

This combination of drugs, along with the fact that eating will be severely compromised until the wires fixing the jaw are removed can be quite troublesome for some patients. Doctors will make every effort to include medication that can be taken as a liquid.

Food

For a large majority of fractures, the teeth will need to be ‘fixed’ together through the use of wires. This process is called as intermaxillary fixation and can be quite uncomfortable for the patients. The purpose behind wiring up the jaws is to prevent them from moving and thus allowing uncomplicated fracture healing to take place.

During this period, the kind of food that a patient can eat is limited to liquids or food that has been blended into a liquid. The initial healing period requires that patients to limit themselves to watery liquids that will be easy to take in until the swelling subsides, while the latter period can involve thicker liquids to be ingested.

The lack of fiber in this kind of diet often results in patients developing constipation and so high fiber foods or supplements are advised to be included in the diet.

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Even if the wires keeping the jaw together come off before the entire duration of healing is over, it is advisable for the patients to stick to a semi-solid or liquid diet.

Getting Used To The Wires

There is no way of getting around the wires holding your teeth together if the fracture demands it. There are instances of patients deliberately cutting off the wires out of frustration and that usually results in a lot more pain, discomfort and lasting damage than they had bargained for.

One of the problems with the wires is that they injure the gums or insides of the cheek and cause ulceration. Your dentist will be able to make you more comfortable by applying a sticky wax on the surface of the wires as well as prescribe medication to help with the ulceration.

Some of the wires can become loose or come off without compromising healing, but the mouth should remain immobilized. If jaw movement becomes possible due to wire breakage then you should get in touch with your dentist to have them reapplied.

Precautions After A Jaw Fracture

Oral Hygiene During This Phase

One of the most difficult things to do during this phase of healing is to ensure that your mouth remains clean and disease free. The use of a soft toothbrush gently around the surface of the teeth as well as the wires is a must to ensure that food debris does not stay lodged in the wires.

Your doctor is almost certain to prescribe you toothpaste that will have a high amount of fluoride for use during this period. Antibacterial mouthwashes are also of great use in maintaining oral hygiene.

There may be incisions in the mouth where the surgery for bone plating was performed. This area should be kept free from toothbrush trauma.

The lips will be dry and cracked as a result of all the stretching and pulling during the procedure as well as the anesthesia and reduced tongue movement. Applying Vaseline to the corner of the licks will help them remain moist and prevent cracking.

Avoid Strenuous Physical Activity 

While there is no need to be on bed rest for the entire duration of the expected 6 weeks of recovery, a fairly low amount of physical activity is preferred for the first two weeks after the procedure. Following this initial phase, normal activities can be resumed but any sporting activity, heavy lifting, aerobics, yoga or other such activities should be strictly avoided.

Not only will they painful to perform but the jarring movements will delay healing.

Reduced Mouth Opening Following Removal Of Wires

Once the wires holding the jaw together have been removed, patients will notice that their mouth opening has been reduced. It will also be painful to try and open their open mouth fully or exert any kind of pressure on them.

The specific nature of the injury makes it necessary for some amount of ‘guiding elastics’ to remain in the mouth after the wires have been removed to help retrain the jaw in its normal movements.

The mouth opening will recover over a period of time on its own or with the help of certain mouth physiotherapy exercises.

Prepare For Emergencies

In rare cases, there may be an emergency, like choking, that requires quick removal of the wires from the jaw. Patients or their attendees should keep scissors handy at all times in order to prepare for such a situation. The doctor will guide you as to what is the best way to go about such a thing during the time of fixing the wires.

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Don’t Miss Follow Up visits

Your doctor will schedule regular follow-up visits to ensure that the healing is going as progressed and patients should treat these visits with the utmost importance.

Conclusion

Jaw fractures are extremely difficult for patients because they require a drastic alteration in some of the things we take for granted like eating, chewing and even talking. It is imperative that all the instructions be followed as per the letter since the consequences of not doing so can lead to long term and permanent damage.