Cranio-maxillofacial trauma encompasses any injury to the soft tissues of the face, neck, and scalp, as well as to the hard tissues of the facial skeleton including the teeth, facial bones, or the cranium. They also range in severity depending on the cause of the injury and can often involve injuries to other parts of the body.
Facial trauma can be caused by any number of things including motor vehicle accidents, sports injuries, interpersonal violence, falls, work-related accidents, and many other causes. Since the face is perhaps the most prominent feature of our physical identity, having a qualified provider treat your facial injury is critical. Surgeons at BMC are uniquely trained and capable of managing all facets of these injuries by receiving extensive experience throughout their careers in both the dental and medical aspects of soft and hard tissue trauma of the face.
Soft tissue injuries can be some of the most devastating injuries affecting any structure on the face and prove to be the most complex wounds to manage. These injuries can involve the soft tissues of the oral cavity, but with the department's dental background, BMC providers have a unique understanding of the relationship between the oral hard and soft tissues and can repair the soft tissues, allowing for optimal aesthetics and function. Soft tissue injury to the external structures of the face and neck are of obvious concern and BMC surgeons are capable of providing the best possible cosmetic and functional result. The providers in our practice are also capable of dealing with injuries that involve specialized structures such as facial nerves, sensory nerves of the face and mouth, and the ducts that drain tears and saliva.
Injuries to the hard tissues of the face range in severity and location depending on the location of the injury. The surgeons in our practice are well versed in management of injuries to all bones of the facial skeleton and cranium along this range of severity. BMC's approach is unique because of its dental and surgical background with restoring facial form and dental function. Fractures are approached through the most minimally invasive and cosmetic approaches possible. In the past, the most common ways to treat fractures of the facial bones involved prolonged wiring of the teeth and utilization of wires to stabilize fractured bone fragments. Today, with time and development of better technology, bones are able to be rigidly fixated with plates and screws and allowed to heal in a stable position, thus alleviating the need to wire the jaw. This accomplishes the ultimate goal of restoring facial form and return to early chewing function.