Trauma to the face can cause different types of injuries to the tissues in your face. Your skin can sustain lacerations or abrasions, your nerves can be cut or your bones can be broken. The bones in our face have different functions. Some are functional, such as allowing us to bite and chew properly, while some just give our face the right shape and aesthetic form. When facial bones are broken, these functions can be affected. If that is the case, reduction of the bone back to its original form and fixation with plates and screws may be advised.

The most commonly fractured bones in the face are the jaw bone (mandible), cheek bone (zygoma), bones around the eye (orbit), nasal bones, and forehead bone (frontal bone).

Each bone has different functions and different indications for surgery. Plastic surgeons in Singapore have been trained to treat fractures of all of these bones in the face.

There are a few clues that can tell you that you have broken some bones. You may be able to feel that your bone is out of place or you may be able to feel a crack in the bone. Bruising is usually present with a fracture. If you have hit your jaw and you feel that your teeth are out of place, then you most likely have a fracture.

If you suspect you may have a fracture, it’s best to consult a doctor urgently so that the appropriate investigations can be done. An X-ray or CT scan will be done to confirm your injury.

It depends on which bone is broken and how badly the bone is displaced. Some bones such as your nose or cheek bones serve a purely aesthetic purpose and if the bones are not displaced surgery will not be necessary. Other bones like your jaw bone or around your eye have special functions that may be impaired due to the injury. Your plastic surgeon will advise you on the best treatment option for you.

All surgeries will be done under general anaesthesia, but not all are major. Your nose bone, for instance, may be reduced without any incisions. The other surgeries will require strategically placed incisions to minimise complications and scarring.

You can expect bruising for about 2 weeks. Swelling will resolve over 1 to 3 months.

Is it now possible to print implants that are custom made for you. These can be used to restore your anatomy to a very precise degree. Your CT scan images will be used to design the implant so that it fits your face perfectly.

Plastic surgeons are well placed to deal with facial trauma. We can deal with any soft tissue injury as well as the bony injury. We are trained in aesthetic ideals and functional goals of the face. Plastic surgeons are medical doctors with training in reconstructive surgery as well as cosmetic surgery.