A jaw fracture is a break in the lower jaw (mandible) or upper jaw (maxilla). The mandible is among the most commonly broken facial bones and, because of its arch shape, often breaks in two places at once.
The central concern is the bite. If the fragments heal out of line, the teeth no longer meet properly and chewing suffers. Treatment therefore aims to restore your own bite precisely and hold the bone still while it unites, which takes about 4 to 6 weeks.
Symptoms
- Pain and swelling of the jaw, worse on moving it
- Teeth that no longer meet as they did
- Difficulty opening the mouth
- Numbness of the lower lip or chin
- Bruising under the tongue or bleeding from the gum
- Loose or broken teeth or a step in the line of teeth
- Pain in front of the ear if the joint end (condyle) is broken
Causes and risk factors
Most result from assaults, road traffic collisions, falls, sports and cycling accidents. The bone is weakened, and may break with minor force, by large cysts, tumours, severe bone loss in a toothless jaw, osteonecrosis related to certain bone medicines or radiotherapy, and occasionally during or after a difficult wisdom tooth removal.
How it is diagnosed
- Clinical examination: Checks bite, mouth opening, lip sensation, tenderness and movement between fragments.
- Panoramic X-ray (OPG): Shows the whole mandible and is the usual first image.
- CT or cone beam CT: Defines upper jaw, condyle and complex fractures in three dimensions and guides surgery.
- Assessment of associated injuries: Airway, neck, head injury and teeth are checked, since facial trauma rarely comes alone.
Treatment options
- Soft diet and observation: For undisplaced, stable fractures with a normal bite, with close review.
- Closed reduction with intermaxillary fixation: Arch bars or screws with elastics or wires hold the teeth together in the correct bite for 2 to 6 weeks.
- Open reduction and internal fixation: Titanium miniplates and screws placed through incisions inside the mouth allow early jaw movement. The standard for displaced fractures.
- Condylar fracture management: Many are treated with elastics and early exercises. Surgery for marked displacement or a bite that cannot be restored.
- Antibiotics and mouth care: Fractures through a tooth socket are open to the mouth, so infection prevention matters.
- Secondary correction: Corrective jaw surgery, dental implants or bite adjustment for fractures that healed badly or teeth that were lost.
When it is urgent
A suspected broken jaw needs a local emergency department the same day. Call an ambulance if there is difficulty breathing, heavy bleeding, a tongue that seems to fall back, loss of consciousness, neck pain, or double vision after a facial injury.
Travelling to Türkiye for treatment
A fresh fracture should be fixed where you are within days: do not travel with it. Travel becomes reasonable later for planned correction of a malunited fracture, a bite that stayed wrong, jaw joint stiffness, removal of troublesome plates or replacement of lost teeth with implants. Send your CT and OPG in advance. Such surgery usually needs 10 to 14 days in Istanbul.
Send your reports, scans and a short history and a Clinic-Y coordinator replies within 24 hours with suitable teams and written, all-inclusive proposals side by side. Reviewing your case is free.
الأسئلة المتكررة
Will my jaw be wired shut?
Not always. Plates and screws often avoid it or shorten it to a week or two of light elastics.
How will I eat?
Liquid and pureed food at first, then soft food for about 6 weeks. A dietitian can help you maintain weight.
Are the plates removed later?
Usually not. They are taken out only if they cause infection, are felt through the gum or cause discomfort.
Will the lip numbness recover?
In most cases it improves over weeks to months as the nerve recovers, though some lasting change is possible.