Fractures

What is a fracture?

The jaw bone is also called the mandible. It is a long bone that includes your chin and angles up toward your ear on both sides of your face. On each side, the end of the jawbone is rounded like a ball. This "ball," called the condyle, is the part of the jaw joint right in front of your ear. It lets you open and close your mouth. The jaw joint is also called the temporomandibular joint or TMJ.

A fracture can happen anywhere along the jawbone. In more than 50% of cases, the jaw fractures in at least two places. A direct fracture is where the jaw was hit.

How to prevent Fractures

You can help to prevent jaw fractures by avoiding trauma to your chin and lower face. To do this, you should:

  • Wear headgear and a mouth guard during contact sports. In addition to protecting your teeth from impacts, mouth guards offer some protection against jaw fractures. 
  • If you are a parent, do not allow your child to participate in amateur boxing.

How to treat a Fracture

Initial treatment should be focused on maintaining an open airway with the athlete in a sitting position with the athlete’s hands supporting the lower jaw. This position will allow the blood to flow forward and out of the mouth rather than back into the throat. The jaw can be immobilized using an ace bandage or roller gauze but care must be taken to ensure that the jaw is not displaced posteriorly which may compromise the airway. The bandages can be wrapped under the chin and over the top of the head.

A crushed ice pack can be applied to the area to reduce the amount of swelling. However, care must be taken that the weight of the ice pack does not displace the fracture.

Implement the P.R.I.C.E method; Protection, Rest, Icing, Compression, Elevation.

Most displaced jawbone fractures will require closed reduction and internal fixation for four to six weeks. While the athlete’s jaw is wired shut, the athlete should be consuming high-protein, high-carbohydrate liquid diets. It is normal for an athlete to lose between 5% and 10% of his/her body weight during this time.