Car Crash Attorneys St. Louis: Facial Fractures

Our face is made up of various bones, many of which are fused together. In a car accident, a driver or their passengers can suffer minor or severe facial fractures depending on the location of the fractures and whether or not the bones are displaced. Open fractures are typically more serious compared to closed fractures, because open wounds are prone to infections and difficult to treat.
 

Signs and Symptoms of Facial Fractures

Anytime there is a trauma to the face that causes significant pain, bruising, swelling, double vision or visual disturbances, a facial fracture is likely the cause. Each facial fracture has its own set of symptoms. For example, a person who sustains a nasal fracture may experience nasal swelling, nasal deformity, tenderness, deformity of the nasal bridge and clear nasal discharge. Some other symptoms may include:
 

• Broken jaw or broken mandible symptoms
• Pain in the jaw
• Tenderness in the jaw bone
• Bruising at the base of the tongue
• Malocclusion, which means the teeth do not align correctly
• Maxillary fracture or midface fracture
• Visual disturbances
• Bruising under the eyes
• Distortion of the facial features
• Clear nasal discharge in case of cerebrospinal fluid leakage
• Difficulty breathing
• Temporomandibular Joint dislocation symptoms
• Deviation of the jaw to one side
• Inability to close the mouth
• Tenderness over the Temporomandibular Joint on one or both sides
• Zygomatic or cheekbone fractures
• Sunken or flattened cheeks
• Visual changes
• Numbness below the eye
•  Blood in the eye
• Pain that worsens with movement of the jaw
• Eye sockets or orbital fracture symptoms
• Numbness under the eye on affected side
• Double vision when looking upward
• Sunken eye

Diagnosis of Facial Fractures

An X-ray can help diagnosing a facial fracture, especially a nasal fracture. However, facial fractures in other areas may require a CT scan or MRI of the head or face. To diagnose a maxillary or mandibular fracture a special dental X-ray may be required.

Treatment of Facial Fractures

The treatment of facial fracture depends primarily on which part of the face is injuries. For example, in case of nasal fracture, the first step is to control bleeding and drain any septal hematomas. Once the swelling is reduced, surgical reduction of the nose may be done. Open jaw fractures are serious and requires hospitalization IV antibiotics, and surgery.

Midface fractures often require endotracheal intubation, because the swelling can impede the airway. These fractures often require surgical intervention.
 

Compensation for Facial Fractures

The prognosis of facial fractures depends on the severity and the area of the face injured. However, in many cases, hospitalization and surgical intervention may be required. This means, the medical expenses may run into thousands of dollars, so it becomes important to claim appropriate compensation from the at-fault driver to cover past and future medical and other expenses. To get rightful compensation, you will need services of a competent St Louis Car Wreck Lawyer.