Maxillofacial orthopedic

Maxillofacial orthopedics. The aim and objectives. Classification of fractures of the jaws. Mechanisms of displacement of bone fragments in fractures of the jaws.

Maxillofacial Trauma Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are trained, skilled and uniquely qualified to manage and treat Facial Trauma. Our doctors are on staff at your local hospital and provide emergency room coverage for facial injuries including: Facial lacerations Intra oral lacerations Avulsed (knocked out) teeth Fractured facial bones (cheek, nose, or eye socket) Fractured jaws (upper and lower jaw)

Injuries to the face, by their very nature, impart a high degree of emotional and physical trauma to patients. The science and art of treating these injuries requires special training involving a “hands on” experience and an understanding of how the treatment provided will influence the patient’s long term function and appearance. The Nature of Maxillofacial Trauma There are a number of possible causes of facial trauma. Motor vehicle accidents, accidental falls, sports injuries, interpersonal violence and work related injuries. Types of facial injuries can range from injuries of teeth to extremely severe injuries of the skin and bones of the face. Typically, facial injuries are classified as either soft tissue injuries (skin and gums), bony injuries (fractures), or injuries to special regions (such as the eyes, facial nerves or the salivary glands). Soft Tissue Injuries of the Maxillofacial Region When soft tissue injuries such as lacerations occur on the face, they are repaired by “suturing”. In addition to the obvious concern of providing a repair which yields the best cosmetic result possible, care is taken to inspect for and treat injuries to structures such as facial nerves, salivary glands and salivary ducts (or outflow channels). Our doctors are well-trained oral and maxillofacial surgeons and are proficient at diagnosing and treating all types of facial lacerations. Bone Injuries of the Maxillofacial Region Fractures of the bones of the face are treated in a manner similar to the fractures in other parts of the body. The specific form of treatment is determined by various factors which include the location of the fracture, the severity of the fracture, the age and general health of the patient. When an arm or a leg is fractured, a “cast” is often applied to stabilize the bone to allow for proper healing. Since a cast cannot be placed on the face, other means have been developed to stabilize facial fractures. One of these options involves wiring the jaws together for certain fractures of the upper and/or lower jaw. Certain other types of fractures of the jaw are best treated and stabilized by the surgical placement of small “plates and screws” at the involved site. This technique of treatment can often allow for healing and obviates the necessity of having the jaws wired together. This technique is called “rigid fixation” of a fracture. The relatively recent development and use of “rigid fixation” has profoundly improved the recovery period for many patients, allowing them to return to normal function more quickly. The treatment of facial fractures should be accomplished in a thorough and predictable manner. More importantly, the patient’s facial appearance should be minimally affected. An attempt at accessing the facial bones through the fewest incisions necessary is always made. At the same time, the incisions that become necessary are designed to be small and, whenever possible, are placed so that the resultant scar is “hidden”. Injuries to the Teeth and Surrounding Dental Structures Isolated injuries to teeth are quite common and may require the expertise of various dental specialists. Oral surgeons usually are involved in treating fractures in the supporting bone or in replanting teeth which have been displaced or “knocked out”. These types of injuries are treated by one of a number of forms of “splinting” (stabilizing by wiring or bonding teeth together). If a tooth is “knocked out”, it should be placed in salt water or milk. The sooner the tooth is re-inserted into the dental socket, the better chance it will survive. Therefore, the patient should see a dentist or oral surgeon as soon as possible. Never attempt to “wipe the tooth off”, since remnants of the ligament which hold the tooth in the jaw are attached and are vital to the success of replanting the tooth. Other dental specialists may be called upon such as endodontists, who may be asked to perform root canal therapy, and/or restorative dentists who may need to repair or rebuild fractured teeth. In the event that injured teeth cannot be saved or repaired, dental implants are ofteow utilized as replacements for missing teeth.

 

 

 

TENTATIVE MAP OF ACTION: “ TRANSPORT (TEMPORARY) IMMOBILIZATION OF THE LOWER JAW FRACTURES. FUNDIFORM BANDAGES, LIGATURE BINDING OF TEETH.

The main task of the mediacal aid on the location of the emergency is to prevent death of the wounded and to provide his evacuation to the nearest hospital.

First mediacal aid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maxillofacial Trauma

Definition

Maxillofacial trauma refers to any injury to the face or jaw caused by physical force, foreign objects, or burns.

Description

Maxillofacial trauma includes injuries to any of the bony or fleshy structures of the face.

Any part of the face may be affected. Teeth may be knocked out or loosened. The eyes and their muscles, nerves, and blood vessels may be injured as well as the eye socket (orbit), which can be fractured by a forceful blow. The lower jaw (mandible) may be dislocated by force. Although anchored by strong muscles for chewing, the jaw is unstable in comparison with other bones and is easily dislocated from the temporomandibular joints that attach it to the skull. A fractured nose or jaw may affect the ability to breathe or eat. Any maxillofacial trauma may also prevent the passage of air or be severe enough to cause a concussion or more serious brain injury.

Athletes are particularly at risk of maxillofacial injuries. Boxers suffer repeated blows to the face and occasional knockouts (traumatic brain injury). Football, basketball, hockey, and soccer players, and many other athletes are at risk for milder forms of brain injury called concussions. There are an estimated 300,000 cases every year. Overall, there are one millioew traumatic brain injuries every year, causing 50,000 deaths. Of the rest, 7-9% are left with long-term disability.

Burns to the face are also categorized as maxillofacial trauma.

Causes and symptoms

There are no reliable statistics on the incidence of maxillofacial trauma because there are so many types and many are not reported. Automobile accidents are a major cause, as well as participation in sports, fights, and other violent acts, and being hit by an object accidentally, for instance being hit by a baseball while watching a game. People most at risk are athletes, anyone who drives a vehicle or rides in one, and those who do dangerous work or engage in aggressive types of behavior.

One study reported in August 2000 that 42% of all facial fractures resulted from sports activity.

The major symptoms of most facial injuries are pain, swelling, bleeding, and bruising, although a fractured jaw also prevents the person from working his jaw properly, and symptoms of a fractured nose also include black eyes and possible blockage of the airway due to swelling and bleeding.

Symptoms of eye injury or orbital fracture can include blurred or double vision, decreased mobility of the eye, and numbness in the area of the eye. In severe injuries there can be temporary or permanent loss of vision.

Burn symptoms are pain, redness, and possibly blisters, fever, and headache. Extensive burns can cause the victim to go into shock. In that situation, he will have low blood pressure and a rapid pulse.

Symptoms of traumatic brain injury include problems with thinking, memory, and judgement as well as mood swings, and difficulty with coordination and balance. These symptoms linger for weeks or months, and in severe cases can be permanent. Double vision for months after the injury is not uncommon.

Diagnosis

Trauma is usually diagnosed in an emergency room or physician’s office by physical examination and/or x ray. Some injuries require diagnosis by a specialist. A detailed report of how the injury occurred is also taken. In some cases, diagnosis cannot be made until swelling subsides.

Treatment

Treatment varies, depending on the type and extent of the injury.

Dislocation of the jaw can be treated by a primary care physician by exerting pressure in the proper manner. If muscle spasm prevents the jaw from moving back into alignment, a sedative is administered intravenously (IV) to relax the muscles. Afterward, the patient must avoid opening the jaw wide as he will be prone to repeat dislocations.

A jaw fracture may be minor enough to heal with simple limitation of movement and time. More serious fractures require complicated, multi-step treatment. The jaw must be surgically immobilized by a qualified oral or maxillofacial surgeon or an otolaryngologist. The jaw is properly aligned and secured with metal pins and wires. Proper alignment is necessary to ensure that the bite is correct. If the bite is off, the patient may develop a painful disorder called temporomandibular joint syndrome.

During the weeks of healing the patient is limited to a liquid diet sipped through a straw and must be careful not to choke or vomit since he cannot open his mouth to expel the vomitus. The surgeon will prescribe pain relievers and perhaps muscle relaxants. Healing time varies according to the patient’s overall health, but will take at least several weeks.

Another common maxillofacial fracture is a brokeose. The bones that form the bridge of the nose may be fractured, but cartilage may also be damaged, particularly the nasal septum which divides the nose. If hit from the side, the bones and cartilage are displaced to the side, but if hit from the front, they are splayed out. Severe swelling can inhibit diagnosis and treatment. Mild trauma to the nose can sometimes heal without the person being aware of the fracture unless there is obvious deformity. The nose will be tender for at least three weeks.

Either before the swelling begins or after it subsides, some 10 days after the injury, the doctor can assess the extent of the damage. Physical examination of the inside using a speculum and the outside, in addition to a detailed history of how the injury occurred will determine appropriate treatment. The doctor should be informed of any previous nasal fractures, nasal surgery, or chronic disease such as osteoporosis. Sometimes an x ray is useful, but it is not always required.

A primary care physician may treat a nasal fracture himself, but if there is extensive damage or the air passage is blocked, he will refer the patient to an otolaryngologist or a plastic surgeon for treatment. Initially the nose may be packed to control bleeding and hold the shape. It is reset under anesthesia. A protective shield or bandage may be placed over it while the fracture heals.

In the case of orbital fractures, there is great danger of permanent damage to vision. Double vision and decreased mobility of the eye are common complications. Surgical reconstruction may be required if the fracture changes the position of the eye or there is other facial deformity. Treatment requires a maxillofacial surgeon.

When the eyes have been exposed to chemicals, they must be washed out for 15 minutes with clear water. Contact lenses may be removed only after rinsing the eyes. The eyes should then be kept covered until the person can be evaluated by a primary care physician or ophthalmologist.

When a foreign object is lodged in the eye, the person should not rub the eye or put pressure on it which would further injure the eyeball. The eye should be covered to protect it until medical attention can be obtained.

Several kinds of traumatic injuries can occur to the mouth. A person can suffer a laceration (cut) to the lips or tongue, or loosening of teeth, or have teeth knocked out. Such injuries often accompany a jaw fracture or other facial injury. Wounds to the soft tissues of the mouth bleed freely, but the plentiful blood supply that leads to this heavy bleeding also helps healing. It is important to clean the wound thoroughly with salt water or hydrogen peroxide rinse to prevent infection. Large cuts may require sutures, and should be done by a maxillofacial surgeon for a good cosmetic result, particularly when the laceration is on the edge of the lip line (vermilion). The doctor will prescribe an antibiotic because there is normally a large amount of bacteria present in the mouth.

Any injury to the teeth should be evaluated by a dentist for treatment and prevention of infection. Implantation of a tooth is sometimes possible if it has been handled carefully and protected. The tooth should be held by the crown, not the root, and kept in milk, saline, or contact lens fluid. The patient’s dentist can refer him to a specialist in this field.

For first degree burns, put a cold-water compress on the area or run cold water on it. Put a clean bandage on it for protection. Second and third degree burn victims must be taken to the hospital for treatment.

Fluids are replaced there through an IV. This is vital since a patient in shock will die unless those lost fluids are replaced quickly. Antibiotics are given to combat infection since the burns make the body vulnerable to infection.

Treatment for a head injury requires examination by a primary care physician unless symptoms point to a more serious injury. In that case, the victim must seek emergency care. A concussion is treated with rest and avoidance of contact sports. Very often athletes who have suffered a concussion are allowed to play again too soon, perhaps in the mistaken impression that the injury is not so bad if the player did not lose consciousness. Anyone who has had one concussion is at increased risk of another one.

Danger signs that the injury is more serious include worsening headaches, vomiting, weakness, numbness, unsteadiness, change in the appearance of the eyes, seizures, slurred speech, confusion, agitation, or the victim won’t wake up. These signs require immediate transport to the hospital. A neurologist will evaluate the situation, usually with a CT scan. A stay in a rehabilitation facility may become necessary.

Alternative treatments

Fractures, burns, and deep lacerations require treatment by a doctor but alternative treatments can help the body withstand injury and assist the healing process. Calcium, minerals, vitamins, all part of a balanced and nutrient-rich diet, as well as regular exercise, build strong bones that can withstand force well. After an injury, craniosacral therapy may help healing and ease the headaches that follow a concussion or other head trauma. A physical therapist can offer ultrasound that raises temperature to ease pain, or biofeedback in which the patient learns how to tense and relax muscles to relieve pain. Hydrotherapy may ease the stress of recovering from trauma. Chinese medicine seeks to reconnect the chi along the body’s meridians and thus aid healing. Homeopathic physicians may prescribe natural medicines such as Arnica or Symphytum to enhance healing.

Prognosis

When appropriate treatment is obtained quickly after an injury, the prognosis can be excellent. However, if the victim of trauma has osteoporosis or a debilitating chronic disease, healing is more problematic. Healing also depends upon the extent of the injury. An automobile accident or a gunshot wound, for example, can cause severe facial trauma that may require multiple surgical procedures and a considerable amount of time to heal. Burns and lacerations cause scarring that might be improved by plastic surgery.

Prevention

Safety equipment is vital to preventing maxillofacial trauma from automobile accidents and sports. Here is a partial list of equipment people should always use:

• seatbelts

• automobile air bags

• approved child safety seats

• helmets for riding motorcycles or bicycles, skate-boarding, snowboarding, and other sports

• safety glasses for the job, yard work, sports

• other approved safety equipment for sports such as mouthguards, masks, and goggles

Key terms

Corneal abrasion — A scratch on the surface of the eyeball.

Mandible — The lower jaw, a U-shaped bone attached to the skull at the temporomandibular joints.

Maxilla — The bone of the upper jaw which serves as a foundation of the face and supports the orbits.

Nasal septum — The cartilage which divides the nose in half.

Orbit — The eye socket which contains the eyeball, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels that serve the eye.

Otolaryngologist — Ear, nose and throat specialist.

Shock — A reduction of blood flow in the body caused by loss of blood and/or fluids. Can be fatal if not treated quickly.

Temporomandibular joint — The mandible attaches to the temporal bone of the skull and works like a hinge.

Temporomandibular joint syndrome — TMJ Syndrome refers to an incorrect alignment of the lower jaw to the skull which causes the bite to be off line. It causes chronic headaches, nausea, and other symtoms.

Vermilion border — The line between the lip and the skin.

 

FRACTURES OF THE BODY OF THE MANDIBLE

FRACTURES WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT

If the patient’s upper and lower teeth oppose one another, so that he bites normally, there is no displacement. Provided he is cooperative, there is no need to wire his fracture, although it is better practice to do so.

If the patient is cooperative, bandage his mandible to his maxilla, so that his teeth are firmly together. Use a crepe bandage, adhesive strapping, or a plaster bandage round his chin, his face, and his forehead. If you use a crepe bandage, rewrap it every day to maintain tension.

A bandage can be detrimental if you apply it in a displaced fracture.

If a patient is uncooperative, he may remove his bandage, so you had better wire his fracture.

FIXING THE MANDIBLE. A, this patient has an undisplaced fracture, so he only needs a bandage. B, keep rubber bands and eyelets ready in the theatre. C, the steps in making an eyelet. D, the eyelets made into hooks and held with a rubber band. E, passing wires between the eyelets.

FRACTURES WITH DISPLACEMENT BUT NO TISSUE LOSS

If the fracture lies within the tooth bearing area, you have two choices.

(1) If the patient is cooperative, unlikely to take the wires off, and has plenty of teeth, use interdental eyelet wiring.

(2) If he is uncooperative, if he has few teeth, or if there is gross displacement, use arch bars or Risdon wiring.

If the fracture lies outside the tooth bearing area, use interosseous wiring combined with interdental wiring, or arch bars or Risdon wiring on the same criteria as (1) and (2) above.

If he has no teeth, refer him. If you cannot refer him, do your best with interosseous wiring.

If you have no suitable wire, do your best with a head bandage.

If possible, operate during the first 24 hours, but if oedema is severe, you can wait up to a week to let it subside. If you are in any doubt about the patient’s general condition, wait.

FRACTURES WITH SEVERE TISSUE LOSS

Usually, there is severe displacement also. Toilet the patient’s wound, replace the bone and soft tissues as best you can, and fix the remains of his mandible to his maxilla by any suitable method. Close his wound, suture his skin to his mucous membrane, and refer him.

INTERDENTAL EYELET WIRING FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

INDICATIONS Displaced fractures of the mandible with: (1) a sound maxillary arch, and (2) enough teeth opposite one another to take the wire.

CONTRAINDICATIONS If a patient is drunk and there is any danger of vomiting, don’t wire his teeth until his stomach is empty.

ANAESTHESIA FOR EYELET WIRING OR ARCH BARS See above. There are several possibilities. (1) If displacement is mild and he is cooperative, use local anaesthesia only. Premedicate him with pethidine and diazepam . Use pterygopalatine and mandibular blocks, if necessary on both sides. Supplement these where required, by infiltrating the mucosa round his teeth. Alternatively, use infiltration anaesthesia only. If you are using local anaesthesia, sit him in a dental chair. (2) If his injuries are severe and you are an anaesthetist expert, induce him with ether or halothane, and intubate him through his nose. (3) Ketamine can be used.

CAUTION! Pass a nasogastric tube and aspirate his stomach before inducing him.

WORKING WITH WIRE Use soft 0.35 mm stainless steel wire, or any convenient soft wire. Stretch it before you use it, or it will become slack, but don’t over-stretch it, or it will become hard and brittle.

Making eyelets

Cut the wire into 150 mm lengths, take hold of each end in a pair of artery forceps, and twist it round a 3 mm bar to make the eyelets shown in Keep 20 of them ready in a box in the theatre.

TWISTING DENTAL WIRE. Use soft 0.35 mm stainless steel wire, or any convenient soft wire, and take care to protect a patient’s eyes.

Twisting wire inside the mouth

Twist it by holding its ends in a stout pair of artery forceps. Pull the ends taught from time to time, and rotate them in your fingers. You will need to make many twists and this is much the quickest way of making them.

Precautions with wire

Whenever you work with wire, protect the patient’s eyes, because a loose end can spring back and injure them. (1) Close them, and cover them with vaseline gauze and a dressing. (2) When you are not working with the free end of a piece of wire, anchor it with a pair of forceps.

INSERTING THE EYELETS Look carefully at the facets on the patient’s teeth and study the way his jaws fit together. If there is any abnormality in the way they occlude, allow for it when you immobilize the fragments.

Push an eyelet well down between two teeth (1) as shown in C, bring the ends of the wire back between two adjacent teeth (2), pass one end of the wire through the eye (3), twist both ends together, pulling tightly as you do so, and cut them off (4). Tuck the sharp ends between his teeth. Pull on the eye to bring it nearer to the occlusal surface and make sure it is secure.

Fix about five eyelets in either jaw in suitable places, so that when they are joined by tie wires, these will run diagonally in both directions and brace his jaws together. Don’t place the eyelets immediately above one another, or you will not be able to anchor the fragments.

Alternatively, wire the teeth directly as in D, and E. This is a quick temporary measure if you have many casualties, but the wires loosen more easily.

REDUCING A FRACTURED MANDIBLE If there are any loose teeth in the fracture line, this is the time to remove them. Bleeding sockets will not now obscure the wiring.

CAUTION! (1) Control bleeding. (2) If you have intubated the patient and his throat is packed, remove the pack before you wire his teeth. Leave his nasotracheal tube down. (3) Suck out his throat before you close his jaw.

Reduce the fracture by closing his jaws. When the patient’s teeth fit together properly, the fragments will be aligned. Place the tie wires loosely at first, and only tighten them after you have checked the occlusion. Tighten them little by little, first in the molar area on one side, then in the molar area on the other side, working round towards the incisors as you do so.

CAUTION! (1) If you tighten the wires firmly on one side only first, you will cause a crossover bite. (2) If you tighten the incisor wires first, you will cause a posterior open bite. (3) Don’t twist the wire too tightly on a single rooted tooth, or you may pull it out. You can exert more tension on a multi–rooted one. (4) Make sure that you have not trapped his tongue.

Finally, run your finger round his mouth to make sure that there are no loose wires which might injure his lips. Coat his lips and the inner surfaces of his cheeks with vaseline.

ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF EYELET WIRING USING HOOKS AND RUBBER BANDS

 Use it when there is any danger of vomiting, or if a patient has to travel. You will need thicker wire than with eyelet wiring.

Surround the neck of every second or third tooth with a loop of wire. Leave the two ends free towards the lips. Twist them a few times and then make a small hook with the free ends. Make sure they really are smooth.

Pass short rubber bands diagonally over these wire hooks. If necessary, cut them from a suitable size of rubber tube as in B, in this figure.

RISDON WIRING FOR A FRACTURED MANDIBLE

INDICATIONS As an alternative to an arch bar for a fracture of the mandible that needs fixation. Some surgeons prefer a Risdon wire to an arch bar.

MORE METHODS OF WIRING THE TEETH. A, B, and C, Risdon wiring—a useful alternative to an arch bar. D, and E, direct interdental wiring—an alterntive to eyelet wiring if you have many casualties; it is quicker, but not so secure as using eyelets.

METHOD Take two pieces of soft 1 mm stainless steel wire about 25 cm long. In the middle of each piece twist a loop that will fit over one of the posterior teeth of the patient’s broken lower jaw. Fit the loops over these teeth, and twist them secure. Then twist the ends of each wire double. Bring the twisted strands from each side together, reducing the fracture as you do so. Twist them together in the midline, so that they lie along the necks of the teeth. Cut the joined pieces of wire short. Fix the twisted wires to some individual teeth with 0.35 mm wire loops. Finally, wire the mandible to eyelets placed on the maxillae.

FITTING AN ARCH BAR. A, bending it to shape. B, fitting it round the maxilla. C, wiring it to the maxilla. D, passing a win round a tooth. E, fixing the rubber bands.

FITTING ARCH BARS FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

This is not as easy as it looks! Use a pair of heavy cutting pliers to cut the bars to the right length for each jaw; try to make them span as many teeth as possible; and leave them long enough for the end to be bent towards the posterior surface of the last available tooth. Bend them to shape along the necks of the teeth with the hooks facing towards one another. The patient’s lower jaw will be displaced, so shape the arch bar for it to fit round his upper jaw, or fit it round the lower jaw of another person with the same size of arch.

Use 15 cm lengths of 0.35 mm wire to wire the arch bar to the teeth. It is usually best to start in the premolar region by wiring one tooth on each side. Pass the wires round the necks of the teeth and wire as many as you can. Because of their shape, incisor teeth are usually difficult to wire, so you may have to leave them. If the wire tends to slip off, be prepared to raise the gum with a periosteal elevator. Tuck the ends of the wires aside where they will not injure the lips. Fix the arch bars with rubber bands.

AN IMPROVISED ARCH BAR Take some paper clips, open them, twist them together, make side hooks on them, point these upwards on the top teeth, and downwards on the bottom ones. Fix this improvised arch bar to the teeth with ordinary stainless steel wire, and pass rubber bands between the hooks.

LOWER BORDER INTEROSSEOUS WIRING FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

INDICATIONS (1) Control of the posterior fragment when this has no teeth. (2) Control of both fragments when the patient has no teeth or insufficient teeth for interdental wiring. You will usually need interdental wiring or an arch bar also.

CONTRAINDICATIONS (1) Established infection of the fracture site. (2) Children in whom unerupted teeth may be injured.

ANAESTHESIA Endotracheal anaesthesia is essential.

METHOD Make a 3 cm incision over the fracture site in line with the patient’s facial nerve, as in A. The exact site of the incision will depend on where his fracture is. Reflect the skin. Under the incision you will find the superficial fascia and the platysma muscle.

Cut across the fibres of his platysma, and use blunt dissection to find his facial artery and his anterior facial vein. These pass diagonally upwards and forwards across the lower border of his mandible at the anterior edge of his masseter. Retract these vessels gently backwards or forwards away from the line of the fracture. If necessary, cut and tie them. Often, the fracture line will lie just posterior to the anterior edge of his masseter. If so, retract the vessels anteriorly.

Use a rongueur to strip his masseter and the periosteum away from the lower border of his mandible.

Define the fracture line. You will probably find that the posterior fragment lies deep to the anterior one and overlaps it. Disimpact the two fragments and remove any oId blood clots and loose fragments of bone, which may prevent you aligning the two parts of his mandible.

Now pass your finger under the lower border of the patient’s mandible , and separate It from the deep tissues of the floor of his mouth. Replace your finger with a flat broad retractor in this position.

Drill a hole in each fragment about 3 mm from the fracture edge—be certain the holes pass through both cortical plates of the bone. You will feel the drill touch your retractor when this has happened.

CAUTION! Don’t make the holes in the middle of the patient’s mandible, or you may injure his inferior alveolar nerve.

Keep the retractor blade in place deep to his mandible. Take two 15 cm lengths of wire. Pass the first wire through one of the holes in his mandible from the buccal to the lingual side. Secure it with artery forceps at both ends. Now take a second wire and twist a small eye onto one end. Pass this eye through the hole in the other fragment of his mandible from the buccal to the lingual side. Thread the deep end of the first wire through the loop and twist it round itself. Use it to pull the second wire through the first hole. Remove the ’eye’ wire and twist the two ends of the first wire gently together to reduce the fracture until there is only a hair–line crack.

When you have secured the fracture, cut the twisted ends of the wire off short and tuck the cut end into one of the holes, so that it doesn’t stick out into the soft tissues. Cut a very fine strip of rubber glove and insert this as a drain.

Close the wound in layers and bandage it with a light pressure bandage. Remove the drain after 24 hours.

UPPER BORDER INTEROSSEOUS WIRING FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

INDICATIONS This is seldom necessary. In bilateral fractures insert an upper border wire to prevent the muscles pulling the anterior fragment downwards, and making the fracture line gape.

METHOD Wire the upper border before the lower one. Make an incision along the crest of the alveolus inside the patient’s mouth. Drill small holes on either side of the fracture line, pass a piece of soft stainless steel wire through it, reduce the fragments, and twist the ends of the wire tight. Cut the ends short and tuck them into the nearest drill hole. Close the incision very carefully, because infection is common.

POSTOPERATIVE CARE FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

Don’t remove the patient’s tracheal tube until anaesthesia is really light. If you have wired his teeth under general anaesthesia, send him back to the ward with a nasopharyngeal airway in place and his tongue held with a strong suture. Use a large cutting needle to insert it transversely through the dorsum of the back of his tongue. Lead Its end between his teeth and hold them with haemostats. Some surgeons consider this is unnecessary. Lie the patient on his side and have a sucker ready, with a tube attached which you can pass down his nasopharyngeal tube.

If he has been starved preoperatively, any vomit will be watery and will pass between his wired teeth.

CAUTION! Have wire cutters beside his bed or with the nurse, in charge. Be sure that the nurses know how to remove the wire, if he wants to vomit. Tell, them to cut the closing wires, not the eyelets. Later, he will be more comfortable if you nurse him sitting up.

POST REDUCTION X–RAYS If these are not satisfactory, correct the malposition as soon as possible.

ANTIBIOTICS Give these as described earlier.

FEEDING A PATIENT WITH A CLOSED JAW Feed him frequently with liquid food through a rubber tube between his teeth. Let him suck between his teeth or round the back of his molars. Feeding will be easier if he has a few teeth missing. He will probably lose much weight. If he cannot swallow, feed him through a nasogastric tube.

Careful oral hygiene Is essential to prevent osteomyelitis. Ask him to clean his teeth with a tooth-brush after every meal. Or, irrigate his mouth with saline or 0.5% chlorhexidine from a Higginson’s syringe.

FOLLOW–UP FOR A MANDIBULAR FRACTURE If you send a patient home wired, tell him to keep a pair of pliers available, so that he can remove the wire if necessary. Ask him to reattend regularly, so that his wire can be tightened or renewed. Keep children wired for 4 weeks before you test for union, young adults for 5 weeks, and elderly ones for 7 weeks. If you immobilize a patient’s jaw too long, it will ankylose.

TESTING FOR UNION Remove the tie wires and gently test for union across the fracture line. If the fragments seem firm, clean the patient’s mouth and remove the eyelet wires. Leave interosseous wire in place unless it becomes infected.

DIFFICULTIES WITH MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

If a patient CANNOT OPEN HIS JAW, don’t worry for the first week or two. It will open more easily after a few weeks of active use. If, however, he fails to reattend to have the wires removed, so that his jaw remains closed for too long, his jaw movements may be limited permanently. Encourage him to exercise his jaw regularly and to progressively insert a wooden cone between his teeth, so as to separate them a little more each day.

If his JAW HAS FAILED TO UNITE, encourage him to accept his disability. Non–union is rare. It may follow infection, or be the result of leaving a tooth in the fracture line.

If his MANDIBLE HAS BECOME INFECTED, give him antibiotics, clean up his jaw as much as possible, remove loose teeth in the fracture site and rewire his teeth. Osteomyelitis is an important complication and is more likely to occur if you fall to fix a fracture, so that the fragments are kept moving, of if you try to wire one which is already infected. Prevent it by always giving prophylactic antibiotics whenever the mucoperiosteum is torn.

If his LOWER LIP IS NUMB, it will probably recover. Warn him of the danger of burning his lower lip with hot drinks or cigarettes.

If his TEETH DO NOT MEET when the fixation is removed, his malocclusion will probably correct itself if it is mild. If it is more severe, his cusps can be ground away. If it is gross, refer him for refracture of his mandible, or the removal of selected teeth. If he adopts a bite of convenience across a partly healed fracture, it may cause a fibrous union, so refer him for a suitable denture.

If the patient is a CHILD manage his fracture as if he were an adult, but remember the following differences: Growth disturbances of his condyles may follow, particularly in condylar fractures. Don’t use interdental eyelet wiring unless he has a sufficient number of firm teeth, either deciduous or permanent. Don’t use interosseous wires, because you may damage his unerupted teeth. Mild malocclusion will correct itself as his mandible grows and his deciduous teeth erupt. A bandage, as in A, may be all he needs.

Fractures and dislocation of the jaw occur frequently among members of the military population, particularly in combat. Immediate treatment involves lifesaving techniques to maintain respiration, control hemorrhage and shock, and observation for possible brain damage. Immediate treatment should also include immobilization of the head and neck to prevent damage to the spinal cord until the possibility of injury to the cervical spine has been ruled out at a definitive care facility. Among the more common traumatic facial injuries are fractures of the mandible and maxilla. Displaced bone segments from fractures of the maxilla and bilateral subcondylar or parasymphysis fracture of the mandible may result in airway problems. These fractures are often associated with soft tissue injury or loss, bone loss, and comminuted or impacted fragments of bone. Jaw fractures and associated injuries should be referred to the dental officer (usually an oral surgeon) for treatment. A diagnosis is usually established following a thorough examination that includes visual inspection, palpation, and radiographs.

COMMON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

Most patients with jaw fractures have a history of trauma and complain of pain. In addition, many patients have abnormal mobility of the fractured jaw and trismus (muscle spasm). Some common signs and symptoms of mandibular fractures include: malocclusion, laceration over the fracture site, ecchymosis (bleeding into the skin or mucosa) in the floor of the mouth, step defect, paresthesia (numbness or abnormal sensation), lack of condylar movement on opening, lateral deviation on opening, and the inability to open the mouth. Fractures of the maxilla and other bones of the mid-face have the following common signs and symptoms: distortion of facial symmetry, open bite due to displacement of the maxilla, ecchymosis, and paresthesia.

CLASSIFICATION OF FRACTURES

Fractures may be classified by their severity and tissue involvement. Figure 3-1 has examples of some types of fractures.

 

Types of mandibular factures.

a. Simple Fracture. A simple fracture is a break in the bone that does not produce an open wound in the skin. A simple fracture can be complete (complete severance of the bone) or incomplete. Tissue adjacent to the fracture may or may not suffer considerable injury.

A greenstick fracture is one in which one side of the bone is broken and the other side is bent.

b.      Compound Fracture. A compound fracture is a break in the bone with an external wound extending to the bone. Communication from the bone to the skin or other covering surface is an invitation for contamination.

c.      Comminuted Fracture. A comminuted fracture is one in which the bone is splintered into three or more fragments or is crushed.

A compound-comminuted fracture is one with both a splintering of the bone and a break in the bone with an opening to the covering surface.

d.      Depressed Fracture. A depressed fracture is a break in which the fractured part is driven below the normal level of the bone, as in a skull fracture.

e.      Impacted Fracture. An impacted fracture is a break in which the hard cortical bone of one fragment is driven into the softer cancellous bone of another fragment.

f.        Pathologic (Spontaneous) Fracture. A pathologic fracture is a break without external violence at an area of the bone that has been weakened by a local disease.

g.      Multiple Fracture. A multiple fracture is a break in which two or more fractures occur in the same or different bones.

h.      Favorable Fracture. A favorable fracture is when the line of the fracture occurs in a direction that does not allow the pull of the muscles on the segments to displace the segments.

i.        Unfavorable Fracture. An unfavorable fracture is a fracture with displacement or separation of the fractured segments due to muscle pull on the segments.

FRACTURES OF FACIAL BONES

a. Fractures of the Maxilla. Fractures of the maxilla commonly occur as horizontal fractures through the floor of the nose, horizontal fractures of the premaxillary area, tuberosity fractures, alveolar process fractures, and nasal process fractures. (The nasal bone is the most common facial bone fracture.

Fractures of the maxilla.

b.      Fractures of the Mandible. The mandible is the second most commonly fractured facial bone. Fractures of the mandible commonly occur in the body of the mandible, the neck of the condyle, and the angle of the mandible.

c.      Fractures of the Zygomatic Bone. Fractures of the zygomatic bone include fractures involving the zygomatic arch (cheekbone) as well as the temporal, frontal, and maxillary bones.

Fractures of the mandible.

TREATMENT OF FRACTURES

Treatment of fractures requires restoration of the parts to their normal positions (reduction of a fracture) and immobilization (fixation) of the parts for about 6 to 8 weeks until a union between the bony parts takes place. Reduction of the fracture may be either closed or opened. In a closed reduction, the bone segments are manipulated back into position without surgically exposing the bone. Usually arch bars and wires are used for fixation. In an opened reduction, the fractured bone segments are surgically exposed, which allows the fracture to be reduced exactly because of unobstructed, direct vision. In opened reductions, fixation generally is accomplished by drilling holes on either side of the fracture and using wire or metal plates to hold the segments in close approximation. Careful postoperative care is needed. Patient instruction in proper diet is essential because often the teeth are immobilized in the closed position, called intermaxillary fixation (the jaws being wired together). A dental liquid or soft diet is used because it is a high protein and high carbohydrate diet that provides the nutrients necessary for the healing of fractured bones.

DISLOCATION OF THE JAW

In a dislocation of the mandible, the head of the condyle is displaced from its normal relationship with the glenoid fossa. The condylar head slips down and out of the glenoid fossa and in front of the articular tubercle or eminence. The patient is unable to close his mouth, and often there is pain, discomfort, and swelling. Dislocation of the jaws may be caused by a blow, yawning, laughing excessively, or otherwise opening the mouth too wide. In all cases, the dental officer or some other trained person should be summoned immediately, for it is essential to restore the joint to its normal position as rapidly as possible. This is done by placing the thumbs in the posterior sulcus of the mandible in the region of the molar teeth and pressing downward and backward to slip the condyle under the articular tubercle. Since the jaw is likely to slip back into place quickly, it is essential to prevent the anterior teeth from being traumatically fractured.

The general method for maxillofacial injuries

A patient with a severe facial injury is a very distressing sight -so distressing that you may feel that you can do nothing for him. In fact, you can do much, and maxillofacial injuries are no more difficult (or easy) than any others. They are usually the result of road accidents, and seat belts prevent most of them.

Not surprisingly, the parts of the face which stick out are those which are most often injured-a patient’s nose, his zygoma, or his mandible. Fortunately, their injuries are usually not too difficult to treat. Much greater force has to be applied to fracture his maxilla, with the result that maxillary injuries are less common, but much more difficult. Although we describe each injury separately here, a patient is likely to have several of them, and other injuries also, especially injuries to his head and eyes.

Fractures of the middle third of the face are so complex that we shall not attempt to classify them except to say that the usual classification is that of Le Fort, who divided them into Types One, Two, and Three. In a Type One fracture the alveolus, or tooth bearing part of the patient’s upper jaw, breaks off, and may drop onto his lower teeth. In Types Two and Three the fracture lines are higher up in his maxilla.

These fracture types may be combined, and may occur on one or both sides. The radiology, reduction, and fixation of the more difficult Le Fort fractures is beyond a district hospital. But prompt treatment, particularly in securing a patient’s airway, may save his life, after which you have several days in which to refer him for expert reduction and fixation. Failure to reduce one of these fractures can cause severe deformities, which include a jaw which does not close, ‘dish face’, and diplopia. If you cannot refer a patient, we describe some of the easier methods you can use.

WHAT OTHER INJURIES DOES THE PATIENT HAVE?

The critical displacement in Le Fort fractures of Types Two and Three is the downward movement of the bones of the middle of the patient’s face. The strong front of his cranium forms an inclined plane, down which his facial skeleton slides. This lengthens his face. It pushes his upper molars down onto his lower ones so that they gag (prevent his jaw closing properly). It pushes his soft palate down onto his tongue and prevents him breathing through this mouth. At the same time, his fracture bleeds severely, and his nose is obstructed by blood clot. The result is that he may suffocate, so the immediate life saving procedure is to hook two of your fingers round the back of is hard palate, and pull his maxilla back up the inclined plane of his skull. This will allow him to breathe. His breathing can also be obstructed by bilateral fractures of his lower jaw which allow his tongue to fall back against his pharynx.

FRACTURES OF THE MIDDLE THIRD OF THE FACE. In a Type One fracture the alveolus, or tooth bearing part of the patient’s upper jaw, breaks off, and may drop onto his lower teeth. In Types Two and Three the bones of the middle of the patient’s face slide downwards, as shown in the next figure. These fracture types may be combined and may occur on one or both sides.

Fractures of the middle third of a patient’s face have several other unfortunate features: They are always multiple, sometimes with 50 or more fragments. Several of his cranial nerves may be injured, especially his infraorbital and superior dental nerves. His ethmoid may be fractured and his dura torn, so that CSF leaks from his nose. His orbit may be fractured, sometimes with the displacement of its contents into his maxillary sinuses (the orbital blow-out syndrome). The circulation to his eye may be obstructed and make him blind if the obstruction is not relieved within minutes of the accident (the ophthalmic canal syndrome). His maxillary sinuses may fill with blood. His nasolachrymal ducts may be injured and cause a flow of tears.

When you treat such a patient aim to: Restore his airway. Control bleeding. Make his teeth bite normally. You should be able to do this with most fractures of his mandible, and some fractures of his maxilla. If either his maxilla or his mandible is intact, you can use one of them to splint the other. If you can make his bite normal, reduction will be perfect. Prevent some deformities by reducing fractures of his nose and zygoma.

If you can refer a patient, do so early because the longer you wait, the more difficult reduction will become. If you cannot refer him, you can certainly save his life, but he may have to live with his deformities. Soon after the injury his face will look distressingly swollen, so do your best to reassure him and his family. The face has a good blood supply and will heal well, so that they can expect him to improve remarkably. But it can also swell quickly and hide underlying deformities, so examine him with care when you first see him.

 

DOWNWARD DISPLACEMENT OF THE MAXILLA. A, if the patient’s respiration is obstructed, push a nasopharyngeal airway down one or both sides of his nose. B, C, and D, show how the front of his skull forms an inclined plane down which his maxilla can be pushed.

The methods we describe assume you don’t have a dental laboratory, and so cannot make cap splints, etc. You will however need a drill and some soft stainless steel wire. Occasionally an arch bar is useful. If you can get the help of a dentist, always do so.

 

THE ORBITAL BLOW-OUT SYNDROME. A, a blow to the patient’s orbit has broken its floor, so that its contents have prolapsed into his antrum. B, unless you refer him to have it repaired, he may have permanent enophthalmos, diplopia and loss of upward eye movement. ARCH BAR, stainless steel, five only. Sometimes, the most convenient

way to fix the fragments of a patient’s upper or lower jaw is to bend a metal bar, to shape it, and to wire it to his teeth. If you don’t have a proper arch bar, you can use any tough piece of stainless steel wire, or even some paper clips twisted together.

A SWOLLEN FACE CAN CONCEAL A MAJOR INJURY

THE GENERAL METHOD FOR A MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY

This extends on the care of a severely i njured patient. Injuries to his lower jaw are described.

If his breathing is difficult, look into his mouth his airway has been obstructed by blood and vomit, his soft palate has been driven down onto his tongue by displaced Le Fort fractures, or if, his tongue has fallen backwards after a mandibular fracture?

If his soft palate has been driven onto his tongue, hook your fingers round the back of his hard palate, and pull the bones of the middle of his face gently upwards and forwards, so as to restore his airway and perhaps the circulation to his eyes. Reduction may not be easy, and you may need considerable force. If the fracture is impacted and you fail to reduce it, he may need a tracheostomy, as described below.

If necessary, grip his maxillary alveolus with the special forceps (Rowe’s) for this purpose, or with suitable strong sharp toothed forceps, and rock it to disimpact the fragments.

If his tongue or lower jaw has fallen backwards, put some sutures or a towel clip through it, and gently pull it forwards. Lying him on his side will also help. When you transport him, lie him on his side.

If he has a severe jaw injury with much tissue loss, transport him lying on his front with his head over the end of the stretcher and his forehead supported by bandages between its handles.

If he feels more comfortable sitting up, let him do so. His airway may improve remarkably when he does this.

Suck out his mouth, remove blood clots, debris, loose teeth, vomit, and foreign bodies.

A Guedel airway does not help, so don’t waste time trying to insert one. Tracheal intubation is usually impractical.

If his nose is severely injured and bleeding, suck it clear and insert a nasopharyngeal tube, or any similar thick rubber tube, down one side. Put a safety pin through it to stop it slipping, as in A.

A nasopharyngeal tube does not always ensure a clear airway because it may kink or block against the posterior pharyngeal wall, so watch it carefully and twist and adjust it as necessary. Keep it sucked out by passing a smaller tube down it, attached to a sucker. Use the same equipment to suck out the patient’s mouth, and keep it beside his bed.

Tracheostomy

You may need to do a tracheostomy  if: (1) You cannot disimpact and reduce the fracture of the middle third of a patient’s face. (2) You cannot control severe posterior bleeding. (3) He has oedema of his glottis, particularly following a neck injury. (4) He has a severe injury with much tissue loss. Tracheostomy will be difficult. Use ketamine, local anaesthesia and a cuffed tube.

If his breathing is in danger and you have to refer him, he will be safer with a tracheostomy than with a suture through his tongue to pull it forward, which is the other alternative.

STOP BLEEDING

Tie any large bleeding vessels. If there is troublesome oozing, apply an adrenaline soaked pack firmly to the bleeding surface. A postnasal pack  will usually stop bleeding. If necessary, use large temporary haemostatic sutures, but take care not to strangle the tissues.

If a wound is deep, be prepared to pack it. Occasionally, you may have to tie a patient’s external carotid artery.

A severe MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY A, note that a conscious patient is likely to be more comfortable sitting forward. B, and C, if he has much tissue loss, transport him face down like this.

SHOCK is unusual. If a patient is shocked, suspect that he also has an abdominal or a thoracic injury.

THE HISTORY AND EXAMINATION OF A MAXILOFACIAL INJURY

The patient is probably unable to talk, so enquire from observers if he lost consciousness and so might have a head injury.

Gently wash his face with warm water to remove caked blood. Look at it carefully for asymmetry. Compare one side with the other throughout the examination. Is his nose or his face flattened? If you suspect a fracture of his zygoma, look at it from above and below and use the two pencil test.

BRUISING

This is a useful guide to underlying injuries. Zygomatic fractures There is always bruising round the patient’s orbits, which develops rapidly as a uniform continuous sheet. It is limited peripherally by the attachments of his orbicularis muscle, and extends subconjunctivally towards his eye from the lateral side. Ask him to look inwards. You will see bruising extending back into his orbit without a posterior limit.

Look inside his mouth and examine his upper buccal sulcus for bruising, tenderness, and crepitation over his zygomatic buttresses.

Nasal fractures

There is bruising round his orbits which is most severe medially.

Black eye

This is the main differential diagnosis. Orbital bruising is most severe medially. It is subconjunctival, patchy, and bright red.

EYES

Has either of the patient’s eyes sunk inwards or downwards? Are they level? Displacement may indicate herniation of the contents of his orbit through its floor into his maxillary sinus, or a fracture at the fronto-zygomatic suture line.

Separate his eyelids, and test the sight of each of his eyes separately. If an eye is blind, its optic nerve may be injured. Ask him to follow your finger as you test for diplopia. This may be due to: displacement of his orbit, displacement of his globe, a 6th nerve palsy, or oedema. If his eye is unable to look upwards, its inferior rectus is trapped, and his orbital floor is probably fractured. Note the size of his pupils and their reaction to light.

If he has massive proptosis, he has a retrobulbar haemorrhage which may be compressing his optic nerve. Make a small incision at his outer canthus, take a haemostat and push this into the incision; blood will squirt out.

If you don’t do this, his eye will become blind.

TWO COMPLICATIONS OF A HEAD OR MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY A, fractures of a patient’s ethmoid may make his CSF leak. B, a fracture of the base of his skull may cause severe proptosis and compress his optic nerves. Drain the blood by making an incisioear his outer canthus.

FRACTURES OF THE FACE AND SKULL

Carefully feel all over the patient’s head and face for tenderness, step deformities, irregularity, or crepitus. Feel his zygomatic bones, the edges of his orbits, his palate, and the bones of his nose. In a Le Fort Type Two or Three fracture you will feel many small bony fragments under the skin in his ethmoid region.

Hold the root of his nose between your finger and thumb. At the same time put two fingers from your other hand into his mouth. If you can move his facial skeleton on his skull, he has a Le Fort fracture. You may feel it move more easily if you hold his upper gum between your thumb and index finger.

Can he open and shut his mouth, bite normally, move his jaw from side to side and protrude it? Do his teeth meet normally? If his bite is abnormal, one or both of his jaws have been fractured. Failure to move his jaw normally may indicate a displaced fracture of his zygoma or his mandible.

Examine the mucosa of both his jaws for bruising, tenderness, irregularity, and crepitus.

NERVE INJURIES

Test for anaesthesia of his cheeks (infraorbital nerves) and upper gums (superior dental nerves).

TOOTH INJURIES

Feel his teeth and try to rock them. Individual teeth may move abnormally, so may several adjacent teeth. Mobile teeth can be caused by: (1) A fracture. (2) Exposure of their roots. (3) Periodontal disease.

Inspect his teeth with a mirror and probe. Tap them; if they give a cracked cup’ sound, the bone above them may be fractured.

If a piece of tooth is missing, X-ray the patient’s chest in case he has inhaled it.

NOSE INJURIES

Epistaxis is usually unilateral or absent in zygomatic fractures, and bilateral iasal ones. Examine the patient’s nasal septum with a speculum. This may be displaced in a nasal fracture. However, it is often asymmetrical in otherwise normal people. If he has a haematoma of the septum, it needs evacuating, goto 61.4

LEAKING CSF

may be anterior or posterior, and is usually diagnosed after a few days when bleeding and oedema have subsided. The patient may complain of a salty taste in his mouth. If you are uncertain if a discharge is CSF or not, test it as in. CSF may leak in severe naso-ethmoidal fractures and in some Le Fort fractures.

OTHER INJURIES

Look for these , and especially for a head injury, or an injury to the patient’s cervical spine. These may be more serious than those of his face. A maxillofacial injury does not usually cause shock, so if he is shocked, suspect some other injury, especially an abdominal one, which may take priority.

X-RAYS

are difficult to interpret, and involve turning the patient into a position which may obstruct his airway. Ask for: An AP view of his mandible. A Waters view of his skull in which you maybe able to recognise: filling of his maxillary antra, and irregularities in the outlines of his orbits showing they have been fractured.

WOUND TOILET AND CLOSURE AFTER A MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY

This must be thorough, especially if sand or tar are ingrained In the patient’s wounds. If you don’t remove them, severe fibrosis and disfigurement will follow. You will find a sterile toothbrush useful.

Handle his tissues gently with skin hooks and fine forceps. Remove soiled tags of deeper tissues and mucosa with scissors. Trim only 1 or 2 mm of skin edge to provide non-bevelled uncontaminated skin edges which you can approximate accurately. Use a sharp No. 15 blade and ophthalmic scissors. Close his mucosa with 310 silk, or failing this with fine chromic catgut. Close his skin by primary suture after you have fixed any fractures. If necessary, you can undermine the skin of his face for 2 to 3 cm to assist closure.

If part of the patient’s cheek is missing, refer him Immediately for primary reconstruction. If this is impractical, stitch his buccal mucosa to his skin. If necessary, do the same with his nose.

If there are loose bone fragments, conserve them unless they are grossly soiled. You can sterilize detached fragments in boiling water and replace them as chip grafts.

Don’t close his skin under tension. Don’t leave bone bare-try to cover all bony surfaces.

REDUCING FRACTURES AFTER A MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY

Reduce and, where necessary, fix any fractures of the patient’s nose , zygoma, and mandible, These are not urgent operations, so resuscitate him first. For anaesthesia. You can do most operations on an injured jaw using pterygopalatine blocks, bilaterally if necessary.

CAUTION! Always protect a patient’s eyes when you operate on his face.

If he has a Lie Fort fracture, or an orbital floor fracture, refer him. If you cannot refer him, the next section describes some methods you may be able to use.

 

EXAMINING A ZYGOMATIC INJURY A, the zygoma forms the prominence of the check, and also the floor and lateral wall of the orbit. The maxillary antrum extends into it. B, if a fragment of the zygoma is displaced downwards, the patient’s lateral canthus will also be displaced downwards, and his palpebral fissure will be oblique. C, press gently. If the body of his zygoma is depressed, one finger will be lower than the other. D, press gently on the lower border of his orbit, you may elicit tenderness and feel a fracture between his zygoma and his maxilla. E, feel inside his mouth for a fracture in the lateral wall of his maxillary antrum.

NURSING A MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY

If the patient is conscious, sit him well forward, so that his tongue falls forward, and blood and saliva can dribble out of his mouth. This will make him comfortable and also help him to breathe.

If he is unconscious, turn him onto his side into the recovery position, so that blood and saliva can run out of his nose and mouth. If other injuries prevent this, put a pillow under one shoulder, and turn his head to the other side.

FOOD AND FLUIDS

If the patient is to be operated on, withhold these. Otherwise feed him through a tube.

CLEANING AND DISINFECTION is critically important for the healing of all wounds inside a patient’s mouth. Ask him to rinse out his mouth after eating, using :(1) a rinse containing 10 ml of 0.5% chlorhexidine, or (2) 2% salt solution, or failing either of these, (3) plain water. As soon as possible, encourage him to clean his teeth regularly with a toothbrush or a clean chewing stick.

Coat his lips liberally with vaseline to stop them sticking together and interfering with his respiration.

DRUGS FOR A MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY

Give the patient amoxycillin, ampicillin, or fortified procaine penicillin for one week. Start immediately. This usually prevents bone infection, and is important if a fracture opens into his mouth.

If his CSF is leaking, give him 1 g of sulphadimidine 6 hourly until 48 hours after it has stopped. Most leaks stop spontaneously, except in severely comminuted fractures.

CAUTION ! Don’t give him powerful analgesics, such as morphine, which will depress his cough reflex. If he is restless, give him paradelyde or diazepam.

Don’t forget tetanus prophylaxis.

CHARTS

Start a head injury chart and a fluid balance chart.

FURTHER MANAGEMENT OF A MAXILLOFACIAL INJURY

If possible, refer all more serious injuries. Read on for injuries to a patient’s teeth and alveoli, simpler methods for maxillary fractures, fractures of the patient’s nose, fractures of his zygomatic complex, dislocation of his jaw, the general method for a dislocated lower jaw, fractured condyles,fractures of the ascending ramus of his mandible, fractures of the angle and body of his mandible), difficulties with mandibular fractures, and fixing mandibular fractures with acrylic resin.

TRANSPORT MAXILLOFACIAL INJURIES PRONE OR LYING ON THEIR SIDES

62.2 Injuries to the teeth and alveolus

The front of a patient’s upper jaw is most at risk. In less severe injuries only his teeth are damaged, in more severe ones his alveolus may be fractured. Although injured teeth do not threaten life, they are acutely painful, especially when the pulp is hanging out. When a tooth is hit: its crown may fracture, its root may fracture, the whole tooth may subluxate, it may be impacted into the surrounding tissue, or, it may be inhaled, and be followed by a lung abscess.

 

SIMPLER METHODS FOR LE FORT FRACTURES. A, interdental wiring holding a unilateral fracture in place. B, wire round the patient’s zygomatic arches holding a bilateral fracture in place. C, a Kirschner wire holding the central part of his face in place. D, this figure was drawn from a cast, and shows what can happen if you fail to reduce a severe maxillary injury. Note the gross malocclusion. The patient’s jaws will have to be refractured and reset. Aligning them would have been much easier at the time of the injury. E, a lumbar puncture needle has been passed medial to his zygomatic arch into his upper buccal sulcus, and was passed down it. F, the needle has been withdrawn. G, the needle is being passed lateral to the zygomatic arch.

INJURIES TO THE TEETH AND ALVEOLUS

If the patient’s oral mucosa is torn, suture it with fine 4/0 waxed silk or chromic catgut.

If the crown of a patient’s tooth is missing, its exposed pulp will be visible as a pink spot on the root surface. It will be acutely painful, so touch it with phenol on a small piece of cotton wool. This will kill and anaesthetize the nerve. Take a chest X-ray in case he has inhaled the missing fragment.

It will have to be removed by bronchoscopy.

If a tooth is only mildly subluxed, l eave it in place; it will probably tighten up and live. Meanwhile splint it with a piece of lead foil or the top of a milk bottle moulded to the tooth and gum.

If a tooth is so loose that you can lift it up and down in its socket, remove it. A dentist may be able to splint it and re-implant it, if he sees it soon enough, so don’t delay. If there is an opening between a patient’s antrum and his mouth, try to close it. If his antrum is already infected, leave it open and irrigate it daily. Don’t pack it.

COMMINUTED FRACTURES OF THE ALVEOLUS

If the bony fragment with its teeth is still attached to periosteum, leave it, and splint the patient’s teeth as best as you can with an arch bar. If the fragment of alveolus is completely detached from the periosteum, dissect it out and remove it.

GAPS IN THE MAXILLARY SINUS

Close these temporarily by packing them with gauze impregnated with bismuth, iodoform, and paraffin paste (BIPP), or with vaseline gauze.

As soon as the patient’s general condition is stabilized, close the gap with a flap of mucosa from his adjacent cheek. Suture it carefully, preferably with 3/0 black waxed silk sutures. Tell him not to blow his nose and to sneeze with his mouth open.

MISSING DENTURES

A piece of denture can also be inhaled.

It is unlikely to be radio-opaque, so a normal chest X-ray does not exclude inhalation.

 

62.3 Simpler methods for maxillary fractures

There are few easy methods for Le Fort fractures. If the patient is lucky enough to have an intact mandible, you can wire his broken maxilla to it. Packing his maxillary sinuses and repairing his orbital floor are beyond a district hospital.

Le Fort Type One fractures with an intact mandible

Alveolar fractures are quite common, so to be able to do anything for them is useful. Although they are much easier to fix if the patient has an intact mandible, you may be able to fix a mandibular fracture with an arch bar, and then proceed as if his mandible were intact.

If he has a Le Fort Type One fracture on one side only, half his alveolus hangs loose on that side. If his mandible is intact you can wire it to the intact half of his alveolus, so that it holds the fractured half reduced.

If his alveolus has fractured on both sides, and he has an intact mandible, you can wire his zygomatic arches on both sides to his mandible.

Type Two Fractures

In some Type Two fractures the zygomatic arches are intact, but the bones of the centre of the patient’s face are displaced. You may be able to drill a Kirschner wire through one zygomatic arch, through the displaced central fragment of the face, and then out through the other arch.

WIRING THE ZYGOMATIC ARCH TO THE MANDIBLE INDICATIONS

Maxillary fractures with an intact mandible,

ANAESTHESIA

Premeditate the patient well and use infiltration anaesthesia of his gums, fix wire eyelets to his teeth on both sides of his lower jaw.

Protect his eyes as in. Push a blunt aspiratioeedle or large lumbar puncture needle through his skin just above his zygomatic arch and posterior to his outer canthus Push the needle downwards behind his zygomatic arch into his superior buccal sulcus, as in E,.

Thread wire through the needle and then remove the needle, leaving the wire in his tissues.

Now pass the needle up from his buccal sulcus, superficial to his zygomatic arch, under his skin, to come out of the same hole in his skin as the wire.

Pass the other end of wire through the needle so that it emerges in his buccal sulcus. Remove the needle. You will now have a loop of wire passing round his zygomatic arch with both ends emerging in his buccal sulcus.

Repeat the process on the other side, and then join the wire loops to the eyelets that you have previously fixed to his mandible.

 

UNREDUCED FRACTURES OF THE NOSE. If you don’t reduce a patient’s brokeose, these are some of the possible results.

Fractures of the nose

A patient’s injured nose is displaced, swollen and bleeding. Sometimes the swelling hides his displaced bones underneath, so always suspect a fracture after any blow on the nose. He may have blood in his orbits and under the medial halves of both his conjunctivae.

A force applied to the side of the nose pushes it sideways.

A force applied from in front squashes it and splays it outwards.

If you don’t treat these injuries, they produce the deformities shown. If the force is severe enough, it can: Fracture the frontal processes of a patient’s maxillae. Displace his nasal cartilages. Dislodge his septal cartilage from its groove in his vomer. Comminute his vomer. Fracture his ethmoid bones so that CSF flows from his nose.

TREATING A BROKEN NOSE

CONTROLLING BLEEDING

If this is severe, pack the patient’s nose with ribbon gauze soaked in saline. Treat him as soon as possible without waiting for the swelling to go down.

EQUIPMENT

If possible, use Walsham’s forceps to reduce his nasal bones, and Ash’s forceps to straighten his nasal septum.

If you don’t have them, you can use any stout clamp, but don’t close it tight. Walsham’s forceps don’t quite meet, and therefore don’t crush tissue.

ELEVATING A FRACTURE OF THE NOSE. A, inflitrating the site of the fracture. B, raising the depressed bones with curved artery forceps. Always suspect a fracture after any blow on the nose. Swelling of the soft tissues can easily hide it.

ANAESTHESIA

Pterygopalatine block. Give the patient a general anaesthetic, and pass a tracheal tube Use local infiltration anaesthesia.

PROTECT THE PATIENT’S EYES

Put squares of vaseline gauze over both his eyes to prevent plaster getting into them.

REDUCTION

Clean the patient’s face with cetrimide to remove grease. Examine his nose carefully with your fingers.

Cover one blade of Walsham’s forceps, or some other suitable instrument, with rubber tube. Pass it into his nose and lever the fragments of his bridge into place. Then do the same on the other side.

If necessary, mould his comminuted lachrymal bones, and the medial walls of his orbits, so as to reconstitute the bridge of his nose.

CAUTION! Don’t forget to protect his eyes. Try hard to restore the full height of the bridge of his nose. When you have done this, pass one blade of Asch’s septal forceps, or any other suitable instrument, down each side of the patient’s septum and straighten it, so that it lies in the midline. If necessary, grasp his septal cartilage, bring it forward, and replace it in its groove in his vomer.

Pass an instrument down each side of the nose to make sure he has a clear nasal airway. Pack both his nostril’s with 1 cm selvedgeless gauze soaked in liquid paraffin.

SPLINTING

If the fracture is mild, no splint is needed. If the fracture is severe, splint it, either with a plaster cast, or with lead splints.

A plaster cast Make eight thicknesses of plaster bandage into a T-shape. Wet this and put it on the patient’s nose and forehead. If any plaster overlaps the lower end of his nose, turn it up like a brim. As it sets, mould it to his forehead and the sides of his nose. Strengthen the plaster over the bridge of his nose with two more layers of plaster bandage.

Remove the vaseline gauze squares from his eyes, and then wrap a crepe bandage round his head to hold the cast. Or, hold it in place with adhesive strapping. It will hold his nose in place by suction.

 

A PLASTER NASAL SPLINT. A, reducing the fracture with Walsham’s forceps. B, the splint in place. C, dry plaster bandage ready for preparing the splint.

CAUTION! Don’t fix the splint to a plaster headcap, because if this displaces, it will displace his brokeose. When oedema has subsided in a few days, fit afresh cast. Leave this for 2 weeks.

A lead splint I f the fracture is too severely comminuted to be held in a plaster splint, hold it with two lead plates, one on each side of the patient’s nose. You can use two or three layers of the lead backing from some infra-oral X-ray films. Pass a mattress suture of 0.35 mm soft stainless steel wire through his nose with a straight needle.

 

Fractures of the zygomatic complex

EXAMINING FOR A FRACTURE OF THE ZYGOMA

A blow to the side of a patient’s face drives his zygoma inwards, usually on one side only. The zygomatic bones are so closely united to the frontal and temporal bones, that, when they fracture, the neighbouring parts of these other bones usually do so too. The zygomatic complex therefore usually fractures as a whole. The displaced zygomatic fragment can rotate clockwise, or anticlockwise, and its orbital rim can be inverted or everted.

The floor of the orbit is always partly comminuted.

If you see a patient early enough, you may see that the side of his face is flattened. Oedema fills out this flattening within three hours, and it does not return for a week, after the oedema has subsided. If you are in doubt, there is a useful test for flattening of the zygoma. Put two pencils on either side of his face.

They should lie parallel to one another. If the lower end of a pencil is tilted inwards, the patient’s zygoma is flattened on that side, as in. The obviousness of this flattening depends greatly on whether he has a thin bony, face which accentuates the displacement, or a fat one, which hides it.

When a patient’s zygoma is injured, his maxillary sinus fills with blood, so that his nose bleeds from that side. Injury to his infra-orbital nerve makes his cheek numb, and displacement of the lower part of his orbit pushes his eye downwards, and restricts its movements. Herniation of the fat in his orbit into his maxillary sinus may also make his eye sink inwards and downwards, and cause diplopia. This can also be caused by injuries of his 6th nerve, or his ocular muscles or their attachments. It can be temporary or permanent. If it is due to a fracture of his zygomatic complex, reducing this may correct it.

Fractures of the zygomatic arch Sometimes, only the arch of a patient’s zygoma is fractured. There is a depression over it, and the movement of the coronoid process of his mandible is restricted. Although the depression maybe obvious at the time of the injury, it may rapidly fill with oedema and become invisible. If his mouth was open when he was injured, he may be unable to close his jaw. Don’t try to elevate the fragment, unless he has difficulty moving his jaw.

Reducing fractures of the zygomatic complex Fragments of the zygomatic arch are held by the zygomatic fascia, and although they may displace inwards, they don’t move in other directions. The patient’s temporalis fascia is attached to the superior border of his zygomatic arch, whereas his temporalis muscle is attached to his coronoid process. This enables you to pass an elevator between the fascia and the muscle, and lever his zygomatic arch outwards into place. Try to operate within the first 48 hours, when the replaced fragment is more likely to be stable and less likely to need wiring. After two weeks, the ends of the fragments will have softened and rounded, and you will probably need to wire them, after 4 weeks they will have united so that you cannot move them. After this length of time they will probably need open refracture, open reduction, and wiring.

The methods below do not include packing the maxillary sinus, and repairing the orbital floor. If the contents of a patient’s orbit have prolapsed into his maxillary sinus, and you cannot refer him, he will have to live with his enophthalmos and wear an eye patch.

ELEVATING A FRACTURED ZYGOMA INDICATIONS

(1) Inability of the patient to open and close his jaw. (2) Diplopia. If you are inexperienced, and he can move his jaw normally and can see straight, disregard any deformity and don’t operate.

The method described here is for the zygomatic arch. By a slight change in the position of the lever, you can also use it for fractures of the body of his zygoma and the adjacent part of his maxilla.

EQUIPMENT

A general set with a Bristowe’s elevator, or a McDonald’s elevator, or a long secrewdriver.

ANAESTHESIA

Give the patient a general anaesthetic and intubate him.

 

ELEVATING A DEPRESSED FRACTURE OF THE ZYGOMATIC-MAXILLARY COMPLEX.

REDUCTION

Be sure to protect the patient’s eyes. Make a 2 cm antero-posterior incision in his temporal fossa, just above his hairline, as in A.

Reflect his skin. Underneath the skin and the superficial fascia you will see his auricularis superior muscle. Cut in the line of Its fibres (B). If his hairline is low, and the incision is lower, you may meet the fibres of auricularis anterior. These run more horizontally, so separate them in a horizontal plane.

Underneath them lies his tough deep temporal fascia. Cut this to expose his temporalis muscle. The fascia may have two layers. If so, incise them both.

Pass a Bristow’s elevator between his temporalis fascia, and the surface of his temporalis muscle. Push it down until its end lies between his zygomatic bone and his temporalis muscle. It should slip easily between the bone and the muscle.

Using a gauze roll as a fulcrum to protect the upper skin edge, gently lever his zygoma into a slightly overcorrected position.

If the body of a patient’s zygoma is fractured, pass the elevator forwards, and lever it into position.

If the fragment is stable, no wiring is necessary.

If the fragment is unstable, wire its junctions with his frontal or maxillary bones, or with both of them, through separate small incisions.

WIRING A ZYGOMATIC-FRONTAL FRACTURE

Expose the fracture line by blunt dissection through an incision in one of the wrinkles at the corner of the patient’s eye. Take care to avoid the branches of his facial nerve supplying his orbicularis muscle. Drill small holes in the bone and fix the fragments in place with soft stainless steel wire.

WIRING A ZYGOMATIC-MAXILLARY FRACTURE

Make a 1 cm incision just below the lower rim of the patient’s orbit. Drill small holes and wire the fragments together.

ALTERNATIVELY, in some fractures you may be able to grasp the fragments through his skin with tenaculum forceps.

CLOSING THE WOUND

Close his deep temporal fascia with a few monofilament sutures. Put a firm pressure pad over the skin incision.

Dislocation of the jaw

When a patient dislocates his jaw, his mandibular condyles slip forward in their sockets over the articular eminences of his temporomandibular joints. This can happen when he laughs or yawns, or is hit in the face with his mouth open. The mouth of a patient with a dislocated jaw remains permanently half open in an anterior open bite. Swallowing is difficult, so that saliva dribbles from the corners of his lips. When you examine him, you find a small depression over his temporomandibular joints.

If his mandible dislocates one side only, it deviates away from the midline.

THERESA was cultivating her fields in Zaire when she yawned and dislocated her jaw. She had been told that patients had to pay at the Catholic hospital, and as she had no money, she had to wait some weeks to sell some produce before she could go there. The doctors there failed, because her dislocation was no longer recent, so she waited a few more weeks, sold some more produce, and tried the Protestants. Her dislocation was now even older, and they too failed, so she now walks about with her mouth permanently open. LESSONS Dislocations of the jaw are much easier to reduce if they are done early. The tragedy of this patient is that both hospitals would have treated her for free, if she had come early and told them she could not pay.

 

REPLACING A DISLOCATED JAW Most patients don’t need an anaesthetic. If necessary, give a patient pethidine or diazepam.

REPLACING A DISLOCATED JAW RECENT DISLOCATIONS

Most patients need no anaesthetic.

Sit the patient forward in a chair. Ask an assistant to stand behind him and hold his head. Put some gauze over his lower posterior teeth on each side. Press his premolar teeth downwards. At the same time press the underneath of his chin upwards and backwards.

If he opens his mouth too wide again, the dislocation may recur. So bandage his jaw to keep his mouth shut for 3 days. Allow him to open it just a little for eating.

OLD DISLOCATIONS

Fix arch bars to each jaw. Cut an ordinary rubber eraser into two pieces, and put a piece between the patient’s posterior molars on each side to act as a fulcrum. Fix strong rubber bands between the arch bars in front. During the following few days they will exert steady traction and close his anterior open bite. If this fails, refer him.

The general method for an injured lower jaw

A patient is hit on his jaw. One or more fractures tear the mucoperiosteum covering the body of his mandible. He dribbles bloody saliva, and caeither speak, swallow, nor close his teeth normally. Moving his injured jaw may be so painful that he holds it in his hands. If you move it gently for him, you may be able to feel crepitus.

Mandibular fractures can be unilateral or bilateral. The weak parts of the bone and the common sites for fractures are: the neck of the condyles, the angles of the mandible and the premolar region. Fractures of the angle and body of the mandible are open, but not those of the rami, condyles, or coronoid processes. Often, the patient has other injuries too, and the combination of a jaw injury and a head injury is common. But, provided there is no gross comminution or tissue loss, you should be able to treat most of these fractures successfully. The mandible remodels readily, even after a comminuted fracture, and left untreated, many fractures will heal themselves, but only with considerable disability.

PATTERNS OF MANDIBULAR FRACTURES. The principle of reducing these fractures is to make the patient’s bite normal.

The purpose of the mandible is to bite, so decide whether or not the patient has a normal bite. If he has not, think how best you can restore it. The methods described below are for single fractures. You will have to adapt them for multiple ones.

THE GENERAL METHOD FOR AN INJURED LOWER JAW

This extends what has already been , on the care of a severe maxillofacial injury. If possible, consult a dentist early.

EXAMINATION

Feel both the patient’s condyles with the tips of your fingers, and then continue feeling downwards along the borders of his mandible. Feel for tenderness, step defects, alterations in contour, and crepitus.

Look inside his mouth with a good light. Gently swab away any clotted blood. Lift any loose pieces of tooth and alveolus out of his mouth.

Examine his buccal and lingual sulci. Bruising in his buccal sulcus does not necessarily indicate a fracture, but bruisi ng in his lingual sulcus almost certainly does. Palpate his mandible down the whole length of each sulcus carefully. If you suspect a fracture, can you make the fragments move relative to one another?

Examine the patient’s ears for bleeding. Put both your little fingers into them and compare the movement of his condyles.

If you cannot feel a condyle moving, suspect a fracture. BITE AND MOVEMENTS Examine the patient’s bite. If he can cooperate, ask him to carry out a full range of mandibular movements, and note any pain and limitation of movement.

Test for anaesthesia of his mental nerve. Is he anaesthetic below his lower lip to one side of the midline?

X-RAYS

Take antero-posterior, and right and left lateral oblique views to show his rami, condyles, and coronoid processes.

SOFT TISSUE INJURIES

Do a careful wound toilet inside and outside his mouth. Remove any foreign bodies and all loose teeth in the line of the fracture, together with their roots. If there is loss of soft tissue, stitch his mucous membrane to the skin around the defect as best you can.

ANTIBIOTICS

If a patient has an open fracture, give him an antibitoic, such as amoxycillin, ampicillin, or fortified procaine penicillin, daily for 5 days in the hope of preventing bone infection.

BANDAGES

are usually unnecessary. If a patient needs one, apply a simple suspensory barrel bandage, not a four-tail bandage.

METHODS FOR PARTICULAR FRACTURES

Apply the appropriate methods for fractured condyles, for fractures of the ramus, and for fractures of the body of the mandible. The coronoid processe can also be fractured, but the diagnosis is difficult. The treatment is active movements, so disregard this fracture.

Fractured mandibular condyles

These are the most common mandibular fractures. They are often undiagnosed, and are often bilateral. Unilateral condylar fractures The patient has pain, swelling, and tenderness over his temporomandibular joint on the injured side. He cannot move his jaw normally. Movement away from the injured side is particularly difficult. When he tries to move his jaw, it deviates towards the side of the fracture. His bite may or may not be normal and he occasionally bleeds from his ear.

Bilateral fractures

All movements are painful and limited. Sometimes the patient’s bite is normal, or he may have an anterior open bite. Often he has a midline fracture also.

The mandibular condyles are difficult to X-ray, and need special views, so it is fortunate that X-rays are not essential. Management depends on whether or not the patient has an anterior open bite. If you fail to correct this, his molar teeth may later have to be ground away, so that his incisors can meet. If he has no teeth, an anterior open bite is less important, because it can be corrected with dentures.

FRACTURES OF THE MANDIBULAR CONDYLES

If possible, refer the patient, because ankylosis and deviation of his jaw may follow unsuccessful treatment. If you cannot refer him, proceed as follows.

FRACTURES WITH A NORMAL BITE

All unilateral fractures have a normal bite (if there is no other associated fracture) and so do some bilateral ones. Encourage the patient to move his jaw. Deviation of his mandible towards the injured side is usually due to muscle spasm, and soon improves, so that his bite becomes normal. Observe him to make sure that it does so.

CAUTION ! If you decide to immobilize his jaw because of pain, don’t do so for more than 10 days, or he may later have so little movement that he will be unable to open his mouth normally.

FRACTURES WITH AN ANTERIOR OPEN BITE

All these patients have bilateral fractures, or fracture dislocations.

If the fragments are not impacted, you may be able to splint them using interdental wiring. If the patient has few teeth, you may need to use an arch bar.

If the fragments are impacted, splint his jaws so as to distract the ramus in the condylar region. Take an ordinary rubber. Cut two pieces from it 6 mm thick, and put them between his molar teeth on both sides. Then use adhesive tape traction or interdental wiring to make his incisors meet, as in treating an old dislocation (62.6). Maintain this splinting for 5 weeks.

DIFFICULTIES WITH FRACTURES OF THE MANDIBULAR CONDYLES

If the patient is a CHILD, no treatment is needed initially. But follow him up carefully, because the growth of his mandible may be arrested. If a patient’s BITE DOES NOT IMPROVE, refer him to a dentist. If serious malunion occurs condylectomy may be necessary.

FRACTURES OF THE CONDYLES ARE OFTEN MISSED

 

Fractures of the ascending ramus of the mandible

The ramus of the patient’s injured mandible is tender, swollen, and bruised, both outside and inside his mouth.

The fracture does not open into his mouth and there is little displacement unless violence has been extreme, because the muscles attached to the ramus splint it so well. If there is no displacement, encourage him to move his jaw. If there is significant displacement, fix his mandible by interdental wiring as described below.

Fractures of the angle or body of the mandible

The angle of the mandible is one of its weak points, and is the next most common site for fractures after the condyles. The fragments may or may not be displaced, depending on the severity of the injury and the direction of the fracture line. If the fragments are displaced, the anterior one is pulled downwards by the muscles attached to it, while the posterior one is pulled upwards by the patient’s masseter.

Sometimes there is a tooth on the posterior fragment.

A FRACTURE OF THE ANGLE OF THE MANDIBLE. A, shows the fracture after interdental wiring and before interosseous wiring. B, shows it before wiring. This is the patient whose mandible is being wired.

Sometimes there is a tooth on the posterior fragment.

If the fragments are not displaced, as in A,  you can bandage the patient’s jaws together, and need not wire them, although it is good practice to do so.

If the fragments are displaced, you will have to reduce and fix them. If they have enough teeth in them, you can use the patient’s upper jaw as a splint and wire the teeth of both his jaws together (interdental eyelet wiring or intermaxillary fixation, IMF), or you can use an arch bar. Fortunately, most patients are young and have enough teeth to let you do this. Interdental eyelet wiring (occasionally with an arch bar) is thus all that is necessary in most cases. If you don’t have an arch bar, you can use Risdon wiring, as , which is as good if not better. Or you can make an improvised arch bar with paper clips or fencing wire. If you don’t have the right kind of stainless steel wire, you can use ordinary brass wire, but it is not so strong.

If a patient does not have suitable teeth for interdental wiring, you can drill holes in the fragments and wire them together (interosseous wiring). Or, you can combine interdental and interosseous wiring. For example, if the anterior fragment has enough teeth to wire it to the maxilla, but the posterior fragment has not, you may be able to wire it to the anterior one.

Interosseous wiring is never enough by itself and is only an adjunct to interdental wiring.

Interosseous wiring is the most practical way of fixing those fractures in which there is no other way of controlling the posterior fragment. The inferior alveolar nerve runs through the centre of the mandible, so always wire the mandible through its edges. You may need to wire it anywhere along its length.

Wiring is easiest on the front of a patient’s &:n. There are two approaches: (1) You can wire the lower border of his mandible from outside his mouth. (2) It is possible to wire the upper border from inside it, but this is more difficult, so avoid it if you can. The patient is likely to be elderly and will probably tolerate his malocclusion.

If a patient wears a denture, you may be able to use this as a splint, You can wire a lower denture to his mandible by circumferential wiring, or you can suspend an upper denture from his zygomatic arches by an adaptation of method B.

Fractures of the ramus are open, and are easily infected by bacteria from the mouth. Osteomyelitis, sometimes with extensive fistulae, is thus an important complication, and may follow interosseous wiring. Fortunately, prophylactic antibiotics will usually prevent it.

If for any reason you cannot fix these fractures, remodelling will occur in those which involve the angle with upward and forward displacement of the posterior fragment, and in most comminuted fractures. It will not occur in fractures near the genial tubercles.

CAREFUL REGULAR ORAL HYGIENE IS ESSENTIAL TO PREVENT OSTEOMYELITIS

Anaesthesia is critical. If neither you nor your assistant is an anaesthetic expert, the patient is probably safest under local anaesthesia. The alternative is to give him a general anaesthetic, pass a nasotracheal tube, and pack his throat. The dangerous moment comes when you remove the pack before you finally close his jaws. While you are doing this, blood and saliva can collect in his pharynx. You cannot suck this out through wired jaws. So, when you do finally pull the tube out, he may inhale the collected blod and saliva, perhaps fatally, or he may have a severe inhalation pneumonia. Another moment of danger occurs as he recovers from the anaesthetic, when he may try to cough or vomit through closed jaws, so that you have to open them urgently. Local anaesthesia also reduces this risk. You can use ketamine, but it is not ideal.

MOST FRACTURES OF THE BODY OF THE MANDIBLE NEED FIXING FRACTURES OF THE BODY OF THE MANDIBLE FRACTURES WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT

If the patient’s upper and lower teeth oppose one another, so that he bites normally, there is no displacement. Provided he is cooperative, there is no need to wire his fracture, although it is better practice to do so.

If the patient is cooperative, bandage his mandible to his maxilla, so that his teeth are firmly together. Use a crepe bandage, adhesive strapping, or a plaster bandage round his chin, his face, and his forehead. If you use a crepe bandage, rewrap it every day to maintain tension.

CAUTION! A bandage can be detrimental if you apply it in a displaced fracture.

If a patient is uncooperative, he may remove his bandage, so you had better wire his fracture.

 

FIXING THE MANDIBLE. A, this patient has an undisplaced fracture, so he only needs a bandage. B, keep rubber bands and eyelets ready in the theatre. C, the steps in making an eyelet. D, the eyelets made into hooks and held with a rubber band. E, passing wires between the eyelets.

FRACTURES WITH DISPLACEMENT BUT NO TISSUE LOSS

If the fracture lies within the tooth bearing area, you have two choices.

(1) If the patient is cooperative, unlikely to take the wires off, and has plenty of teeth, use interdental eyelet wiring.

(2) If he is uncooperative, if he has few teeth, or if there is gross displacement, use arch bars or Risdon wiring.

If the fracture lies outside the tooth bearing area, use interosseous wiring combined with interdental wiring, or arch bars or Risdon wiring on the same criteria as (1) and (2) above.

If he has no teeth, refer him. If you cannot refer him, do your best with interosseous wiring.

If you have no suitable wire, do your best with a head bandage, as in.

If possible, operate during the first 24 hours, but if oedema is severe, you can wait up to a week to let it subside. If you are in any doubt about the patient’s general condition, wait.

FRACTURES WITH SEVERE TISSUE LOSS

Usually, there is severe displacement also. Toilet the patient’s wound, replace the bone and soft tissues as best you can, and fix the remains of his mandible to his maxilla by any suitable method. Close his wound, suture his skin to his mucous membrane, and refer him.

INTERDENTAL EYELET WIRING FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

INDICATIONS

Displaced fractures of the mandible with: (1) a sound maxillary arch, and (2) enough teeth opposite one another to take the wire.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

If a patient is drunk and there is any danger of vomiting, don’t wire his teeth until his stomach is empty.

ANAESTHESIA FOR EYELET WIRING OR ARCH BARS

See above. There are several possibilities. (1) If displacement is mild and he is cooperative, use local anaesthesia only.

Premedicate him with pethidine and diazepam. Use pterygopalatine and mandibular blocks, if necessary on both sides. Supplement these where required, by infiltrating the mucosa round his teeth. Alternatively, use infiltration anaesthesia only. If you are using local anaesthesia, sit him in a dental chair.  If his injuries are severe and you are an anaesthetist expert, induce him with ether or halothane, and intubate him through his nose Ketamine can be used.

CAUTION! Pass a nasogastric tube and aspirate his stomach before inducing him.

WORKING WITH WIRE

Use soft 0.35 mm stainless steel wire, or any convenient soft wire. Stretch it before you use it, or it will become slack, but don’t over-stretch it, or it will become hard and brittle.

Making eyelets

Cut the wire into 150 mm lengths, take hold of each end in a pair of artery forceps, and twist it round a 3 mm bar to make the eyelets shown in B. Keep 20 of them ready in a box in the theatre.

Twisting wire inside the mouth Twist it by holding its ends in a stout pair of artery forceps. Pull the ends taught from time to time, and rotate them in your fingers, as in. You will need to make many twists and this is much the quickest way of making them.

TWISTING DENTAL WIRE. Use soft 0.35 mm stainless steel wire, or any convenient soft wire, and take care to protect a patient’s eyes

Precautions with wire

Whenever you work with wire, protect the patient’s eyes, because a loose end can spring back and injure them. (1) Close them, and cover them with vaseline gauze and a dressing. (2) When you are not working with the free end of a piece of wire, anchor it with a pair of forceps.

INSERTING THE EYELETS

Look carefully at the facets on the patient’s teeth and study the way his jaws fit together.

If there is any abnormality in the way they occlude, allow for it when you immobilize the fragments.

Push an eyelet well down between two teeth as shown in C, bring the ends of the wire back between two adjacent teeth, pass one end of the wire through the eye, twist both ends together, pulling tightly as you do so, and cut them off. Tuck the sharp ends between his teeth. Pull on the eye to bring it nearer to the occlusal surface and make sure it is secure.

Fix about five eyelets in either jaw in suitable places, so that when they are joined by tie wires, these will run diagonally in both directions and brace his jaws together. Don’t place the eyelets immediately above one another, or you will not be able to anchor the fragments.

Alternatively, wire the teeth directly as in, and. This is a quick temporary measure if you have many casualties, but the wires loosen more easily.

REDUCING A FRACTURED MANDIBLE

If there are any loose teeth in the fracture line, this is the time to remove them. Bleeding sockets will not now obscure the wiring.

CAUTION! Control bleeding. If you have intubated the patient and his throat is packed, remove the pack before you wire his teeth. Leave his nasotracheal tube down. Suck out his throat before you close his jaw.

Reduce the fracture by closing his jaws. When the patient’s teeth fit together properly, the fragments will be aligned. Place the tie wires loosely at first, and only tighten them after you have checked the occlusion. Tighten them little by little, first in the molar area on one side, then in the molar area on the other side, working round towards the incisors as you do so.

CAUTION ! (1) If you tighten the wires firmly on one side only first, you will cause a crossover bite. (2) If you tighten the incisor wires first, you will cause a posterior open bite. (3) Don’t twist the wire too tightly on a single rooted tooth, or you may pull it out. You can exert more tension on a multi-rooted one. (4) Make sure that you have not trapped his tongue.

Finally, run your finger round his mouth to make sure that there are no loose wires which might injure his lips. Coat his lips and the inner surfaces of his cheeks with vaseline.

ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF EYELET WIRING USING HOOKS AND RUBBER BANDS

This is shown in D Use it when there is any danger of vomiting, or if a patient has to travel. You will need thicker wire than with eyelet wiring.

Surround the neck of every second or third tooth with a loop of wire. Leave the two ends free towards the lips. Twist them a few times and then make a small hook with the free ends. Make sure they really are smooth.

Pass short rubber bands diagonally over these wire hooks. If necessary, cut them from a suitable size of rubber tube as in B, in this figure.

RISDON WIRING FOR A FRACTURED MANDIBLE

INDICATIONS

As an alternative to an arch bar for a fracture of the mandible that needs fixation. Some surgeons prefer a Risdon wire to an arch bar.

METHOD

Take two pieces of soft 1 mm stainless steel wire about 25 cm long. In the middle of each piece twist a loop that will fit over one of the posterior teeth of the patient’s broken lower jaw.’ Fit the loops over these teeth, and twist them secure. Then twist the ends of each wire double. Bring the twisted strands from each side together, reducing the fracture as you do so. Twist them together in the midline, so that they lie along the necks of the teeth. Cut the joined pieces of wire short. Fix the twisted wires to some individual teeth with 0.35 mm wire loops. Finally, wire the mandible to eyelets placed on the maxillae.

 

MORE METHODS OF WIRING THE TEETH. A, B, and C, Risdon wiring-a useful alternative to an arch bar. D, and E, direct interdental wiring-an alterntive to eyelet wiring if you have many casualties; it is quicker, but not so secure as using eyelets.

FITTING ARCH BARS FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

This is not as easy as it looks! Use a pair of heavy cutting pliers to cut the bars to the right length for each jaw; try to make them span as many teeth as possible; and leave them long enough for the end to be bent towards the posterior surface of the last available tooth. Bend them to shape along the necks of the teeth with the hooks facing towards one another. The patient’s lower jaw will be displaced, so shape the arch bar for it to fit round his upper jaw, or fit it round the lower jaw of another person with the same size of arch.

Use 15 cm lengths of 0.35 mm wire to wire the arch bar to the teeth. It is usually best to start in the premolar region by wiring one tooth on each side. Pass the wires round the necks of the teeth and wire as many as you can. Because of their shape, incisor teeth are usually difficult to wire, so you may have to leave them. If the wire tends to slip off, be prepared to raise the gum with a periosteal elevator. Tuck the ends of the wires aside where they will not injure the lips. Fix the arch bars with rubber bands.

AN IMPROVISED ARCH BAR

Take some paper clips, open them, twist them together, make side hooks on them, point these upwards on the top teeth, and downwards on the bottom ones. Fix this improvised arch bar to the teeth with ordinary stainless steel wire, and pass rubber bands between the hooks.

LOWER BORDER INTEROSSEOUS WIRING FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

INDICATIONS

(1) Control of the posterior fragment when this has no teeth. (2) Control of both fragments when the patient has no teeth or insufficient teeth for interdental wiring. You will usually need interdental wiring or an arch bar also.

FITTING AN ARCH BAR. A, bending it to shape. B, fitting it round the maxilla. C, wiring it to the maxilla. D, passing a win round a tooth. E, fixing the rubber bands.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

(1) Established infection of the fracture site. (2) Children in whom unerupted teeth may be injured. ANAESTHESIA Endotracheal anaesthesia is essential

METHOD

Make a 3 cm incision over the fracture site in line with the patient’s facial nerve, as in A. The exact site of the incision will depend on where his fracture is. Reflect the skin. Under the incision you will find the superficial fascia and the platysma muscle.

Cut across the fibres of his platysma, and use blunt dissection to find his facial artery and his anterior facial vein. These pass diagonally upwards and forwards across the lower border of his mandible at the anterior edge of his masseter.

Retract these vessels gently backwards or forwards away from the line of the fracture. If necessary, cut and tie them. Often, the fracture line will lie just posterior to the anterior edge of his masseter. If so, retract the vessels anteriorly. Use a rongueur to strip his masseter and the periosteum away from the lower border of his mandible.

Define the fracture line. You will probably find that the posterior fragment lies deep to the anterior one and overlaps it. Disimpact the two fragments and remove any oId blood clots and loose fragments of bone, which may prevent you aligning the two parts of his mandible.

Now pass your finger under the lower border of the patient’s mandible (C), and separate It from the deep tissues of the floor of his mouth. Replace your finger with a flat broad retractor in this position (D).

Drill a hole in each fragment about 3 mm from the fracture edge-be certain the holes pass through both cortical plates of the bone. You will feel the drill touch your retractor when this has happened.

CAUTION! Don’t make the holes in the middle of the patient’s mandible, or you may injure his inferior alveolar nerve.

Keep the retractor blade in place deep to his mandible. Take two 15 cm lengths of wire. Pass the first wire through one of the holes in his mandible from the buccal to the lingual side. Secure it with artery forceps at both ends. Now take a second wire and twist a small eye onto one end. Pass this eye through the hole in the other fragment of his mandible from the buccal to the lingual side. Thread the deep end of the first wire through the loop and twist it round itself (E). Use it to pull the second wire through the first hole. Remove the ‘eye’ wire and twist the two ends of the first wire gently together to reduce the fracture until there is only a hair-line crack (F).

When you have secured the fracture (G), cut the twisted ends of the wire off short and tuck the cut end into one of the holes, so that it doesn’t stick out into the soft tissues (H). Cut a very fine strip of rubber glove and insert this as a drain. Close the wound in layers and bandage it with a light pressure bandage. Remove the drain after 24 hours.

 

LOWER BORDER WIRING. A, a nasotracheal tube has been passed and the patient’s head turned to one side. B, the periosteum is being removed from around the fracture line with a rongeur. C, the undersurface of his mandible is being freed from the tissues under it. D, the first drill hole. E, the two pieces of wire joined to one another under the mandible. F, and G, the fracture being reduced. H, the wound ready for closure.

UPPER BORDER INTEROSSEOUS WIRING FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

INDICATIONS

This is seldom necessary. In bilateral fractures insert an upper border wire to prevent the muscles pulling the anterior fragment downwards, and making the fracture line gape.

METHOD

Wire the upper border before the lower one. Make an incision along the crest of the alveolus inside the patient’s mouth. Drill small holes on either side of the fracture line, pass a piece of soft stainless steel wire through it, reduce the fragments, and twist the ends of the wire tight. Cut the ends short and tuck them into the nearest drill hole. Close the incision very carefully, because infection is common.

POSTOPERATIVE CARE FOR MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

Don’t remove the patient’s tracheal tube until anaesthesia is really light. If you have wired his teeth under general anaesthesia, send him back to the ward with a nasopharyngeal airway in place and his tongue held with a strong suture. Use a large cutting needle to insert it transversely through the dorsum of the back of his tongue.

Lead Its end between his teeth and hold them with haemostats. Some surgeons consider this is unnecessary. Lie the patient on his side and have a sucker ready, with a tube attached which you can pass down his nasopharyngeal tube.

If he has been starved preoperatively, any vomit will be watery and will pass between his wired teeth.

CAUTION! Have wire cutters beside his bed or with the nurse, in charge. Be sure that the nurses know how to remove the wire, if he wants to vomit. Tell, them to cut the closing wires, not the eyelets. Later, he wll be more comfortable if you nurse him sitting up.

POST REDUCTION X-RAYS

If these are not satisfactory, correct the malposition as soon as possible.

ANTIBIOTICS

Give these as described earlier.

FEEDING A PATIENT WITH A CLOSED JAW Feed him frequently with liquid food through a rubber tube between his teeth. Let him suck between his teeth or round the back of his molars. Feeding will be easier if he has a few teeth missing. He will probably lose much weight. If he cannot swallow, feed him through a nasogastric tube.

Careful oral hygiene Is essential to prevent osteomyelitis.

Ask him to clean his teeth with a tooth-brush after every meal. Or, irrigate his mouth with saline or 0.5% chlorhexidine from a Higginson’s syringe.

FOLLOW-UP FOR A MANDIBULAR FRACTURE

If you send a patient home wired, tell him to keep a pair of pliers available, so that he can remove the wire if necessary. Ask him to reattend regularly, so that his wire can be tightened or renewed.

Keep children wired for 4 weeks before you test for union, young adults for 5 weeks, and elderly ones for 7 weeks. If you immobilize a patient’s jaw too long, it will ankylose.

TESTING FOR UNION

Remove the tie wires and gently test for union across the fracture line. If the fragments seem firm, clean the patient’s mouth and remove the eyelet wires. Leave interosseous wire in place unless it becomes infected.

DIFFICULTIES WITH MANDIBULAR FRACTURES

If a patient CANNOT OPEN HIS JAW, don’t worry for the first week or two. It will open more easily after a few weeks of active use. If, however, he fails to reattend to have the wires removed, so that his jaw remains closed for too long, his jaw movements may be limited permanently. Encourage him to exercise his jaw regularly and to progressively insert a wooden cone between his teeth, so as to separate them a little more each day.

If his JAW HAS FAILED TO UNITE, encourage him to accept his disability. Non-union is rare. It may follow infection, or be the result of leaving a tooth in the fracture line.

If his MANDIBLE HAS BECOME INFECTED, give him antibiotics, clean up his jaw as much as possible, remove loose teeth in the fracture site and rewire his teeth.

Osteomyelitis is an important complication and is more likely to occur if you fall to fix a fracture, so that the fragments are kept moving, of if you try to wire one which is already infected. Prevent it by always giving prophylactic antibiotics whenever the mucoperiosteum is torn.

If his LOWER LIP IS NUMB, i t will probably recover. Warn him of the danger of burning his lower lip with hot drinks or cigarettes.

If his TEETH DO NOT MEET when the fixation is removed, his malocclusion will probably correct itself if it is mild. If it is more severe, his cusps can be ground away. If it is gross, refer him for refracture of his mandible, or the removal of selected teeth. If he adopts a bite of convenience across a partly healed fracture, it may cause a fibrous union, so refer him for a suitable denture.

If the patient is a CHILD manage his fracture as if he were an adult, but remember the following differences: (1) Growth disturbances of his condyles may follow, particularly in condylar fractures. (2) Don’t use interdental eyelet wiring unless he has a sufficient number of firm teeth, either deciduous or permanent. (3) Don’t use interosseous wires, because you may damage his unerupted teeth. (4) Mild malocclusion will correct itself as his mandible grows and his deciduous teeth erupt. A bandage, may be all he needs.

 Fixing mandibular fractures with resins

You can use two types of synthetic resin to fix a patient’s broken mandible, as an alternative to wiring it. The method is quick, easy, and non-traumatic. Fixing hooks with composite is easier than wiring them directly to his teeth, less traumatic, and more comfortable for him because there are no wire ends to scratch his mouth.

Cold curing quick setting acrylic resin is weaker than the composite material described below, but is cheap and widely available from dental supply houses or dental technicians. It will allow you to fix an arch bar to a mandible, but it is not strong enough to let you stick hooks to it.

Composite filling materials of the ‘Adaptic’ or ‘Isopaste’ type, together with a bonding agent are more expensive and less readily available than quick curing acrylic resin. A composite is supplied as two pastes which you mix together and which then set solid. It is usually used for filling cavities, but you can use it to make bridges between the teeth of a patient’s upper and lower jaw, or you can use it to stick hooks to his teeth, and then pass rubber bands or wire over them as with interdental wiring

To allow the composite to stick you will have to clean the surfaces of his teeth at each fixation point, wash them, etch them with phosphoric acid, wash them again, dry them, coat them with a special bonding agent, and then press the composite onto them. This is not difficult, but it needs care. Be sure you follow the instructions exactly. If you use bridges of composite between a patient’s jaws, one difficulty will be getting them into the right position and getting the composite into place simultaneously. Using hooks avoids this difficulty.

At present, proprietary dental resins are unnecessarily expensive, for example, proprietary compound filling, whereas it only costs $6 to manufacture. Fortunately, cheaper ‘generic’ dental materials are now being made, and when they became available this method of fixing mandibular fractures will become more economically feasible.

ANOTHER WAY OF FIXING THE MANDIBLE. A, using bridges of filling material. B, using hooks.

FIXING THE MANDIBLE IN OTHER WAYS

ANAESTHESIA

(1) Mandibular block . (2) Ketamine. (3) Diazepam . Atropinize the patient to dry his saliva.

USING ACRYLIC TO FIX AN ARCH BAR MATERIALS

Ordinary cold cure acrylic (‘Simplex’), as used by dental technicians to repair broken dentures. This is supplied as a liquid monomer and a powdered polymer. Put some of the powdered polymer into a small pot. Drop the liquid monomer onto it and stir it with a spatula until it is the consistency of putty.

METHOD

Sit the patient up in a chair. Make an arch bar from several strands of thick (2 mm) stainless steel wire, and fashion it to fit the arch of his mandible, lingually, or buccally, or both.

To stop the resin sticking, lightly spread vaseline on the patient’s lips, mucous membrane and tongue-but not his teeth.

Hold the arch bar in place with blobs or a continuous wad of cold cure acrylic. Lightly spread vaseline on your fingers (to stop the acrylic sticking) and press the acrylic into place over the arch bar. Press it firmly between the bases of the patient’s teeth. If the arch bar is going to stay in place, the resin must go between the overhanging parts of his adjacent teeth. If he is older, and his gingival papillae have resorbed, or he has missing teeth, the resin will be able to pass between them and stick more firmly.

Hold the arch bar in place until the resin has set (in about 10 minutes).

USING COMPOUND FILLING MATERIAL TO STICK HOOKS ON

INDICATIONS

(1) Conscious and cooperative patients. (2) This method is particularly suited to unilateral fractures. (3) Recent fractures that will be fairly easy to reduce.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Much bleeding which makes cleaning and drying the surfaces of a patient’s teeth impractical.

MATERIALS

Compound filling material, such as ‘Adaptic’ or ‘Isopaste’ and their special bonding compounds, or their generic equivalents. 50% phosphoric acid, 2 mm stainless steel wire. Rubber bands.

METHOD

The patient will probably need about six hooks depending on the site of his fracture.

Sit him up in a chair. Clean the surfaces of his teeth at each fixation point carefully, and dry them free of saliva. Use spirit on a pledget of cotton wool, or a dental engine brush. While his teeth are still dry, apply phosphoric acid on a paint brush for 60 seconds.

Wash his tooth for 30 seconds, and then dry it again. Keep his teeth dry with suction, rolls of paper tissue, or cotton wool in his buccal sulcus.

Apply the bonding material to the dry, etched surface with a small brush or a wisp of cotton wool.

Mix a little of the the compound material and the catalyst with a spatula on a small paper pad, and immediately press it into place with lightly vaselined fingers over the prepared surfaces of his upper and lower teeth. While it is still soft, press a hook into it.

Join up the hooks with rubber bands or wire. Rubber will place less strain on the hooks. If you join them with wire, take care not to exert too much force, or you may displace them.

After 6 weeks you can chip composite away quite easily. The last remaining pieces may have to be removed with a dental drill.