There are no winners in car accidents.
The best one can hope for is a minimum of injury to all parties involved. Due to modern improvements in airbag technology, deaths continue to drop. Facial trauma and injuries, however, are on the rise and are the most common damage motorists suffer. Facial injuries can stem from debris such as broken glass, being ejected from the car; air bags which can inflate at a rate of 200 mph and contact with the steering wheel or dashboard.
Because there are a variety of ways people become injured in car accidents, the injuries themselves can vary widely in location, severity, and prognosis. Facial injuries are especially serious due to the dense network of blood vessels throughout the head, which may lead to increased bleeding from seemingly minor trauma to that area. Additionally, facial trauma tends to have the greatest effect on patient’s morale, perhaps because we so closely identify our faces with our personalities and social interactions.
Common Facial Injuries
The most common type of facial injury received during an automotive accident is some type of laceration. These can range from a cut of few millimeters which will heal completely without intervention to injuries which require both short term treatment, usually stitches, and long term repair, such as plastic or corrective surgeries. If the laceration is inside the mouth, as with cuts or bruises to the lips, inner cheeks or tongue, there can be a high risk of infection, and an emergency dental professional should be consulted to properly treat the wound.
Another common automotive injury is fractures of bones. It’s not uncommon to see a patient with a broken nose after an auto crash; however, cracked or fractured jaws and broken or chipped teeth are also a significant concern. With prompt care, broken teeth may be repaired and fractured jaws can be stabilized to prevent further damage. This treatment is usually done by a dental professional in a time sensitive manner since delays in care may result in disappointing outcomes.
Soft tissue injuries account for the third most common facial issue after an auto accident. Soft tissue is ligaments, cartilage, tendons, muscles and other fibrous tissue that connects and cushions bones. Treatment is often complex and may significantly impact a patient’s facial functions and aesthetics. As with the other major injury categories, having a dental professional on hand to address the special needs of eating, teeth aesthetics, and pain.
What to do after an injury?
Everyone’s first instinct after an automobile accident is to go to the emergency room, and quite rightly so. However, after initial assessment, it is critical that a dentist be consulted to address any facial trauma and injuries. If you’ve been in no fault dental accident and want to discuss how our skilled team at Modern Dentistry of Brooklyn can improve your healing process, please contact us today!