Facial Fracture

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it? The facial (fa-shull) bones are the bones in the face. They include the orbit (bones around the eye), the cheek bones, or the bones in the upper jaw. A facial fracture (frak-shur) is a break in one of these bones. These bones may take weeks or months to heal. An x-ray will show when the broken bone(s) is healed.

Causes: You may have broken a facial bone from an injury or accident.

Signs and Symptoms: You may have swelling, pain, bruising, or bleeding. Your face may be bruised, numb, or tingle. Because of swelling or the break, your face may not look normal. You may also have double vision or numbness of your cheek .

Care: You may need an x-ray or CT scan of your face. You may need surgery if you have a bad fracture. Acetaminophen (uh-c-tuh-min-o-fin) or ibuprofen (i-bew-pro-fin) may help your pain. Caregivers may give you stronger medicine if you have a lot of pain. You may need antibiotic (an-ti-bi-ah-tik) medicine if you have a break in your skin or gums. Gently put an ice pack on the skin over the break to lessen the swelling. Do not press down hard on the broken bone.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

Link to Page

Print Page

Email Page