Facial trauma and dental injuries

Dr. Samimi’s training and practice include facial trauma. Dr. Curtis is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon with the same scope of training. Between them, the office can examine a dental injury, a laceration in the mouth, or a jaw injury and say whether it can be treated in the suite or needs a hospital.

A tooth that was knocked out, broken, or loosened is a dental injury. A jaw that no longer meets, a cut through the lip, or an injury to the bones of the face may need a different setting the same day. The phone call is how you find out which one you are dealing with.

Call (561) 278-0004 if you or someone in your care has:

• A tooth that was knocked out, fractured, or pushed out of position
• A cut to the lip, tongue, or gum that may need closure
• A jaw that does not close the way it did, or pain after a blow to the face
• An injury another dentist asked an oral surgeon to see

Trouble breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, a loss of consciousness, or a suspected broken neck is a reason to call emergency services, not to wait on a dental office. Planned removal of a hopeless tooth that is not an injury belongs on extractions.

During office hours, call first so the team can tell you whether to come to the suite or go to a hospital. Bring any imaging you already have. The exam looks at the teeth, the bite, and the bones that show on the films that are needed.

What happens next depends on the injury. A tooth that cannot be saved may be removed, with a later implant discussed only after the site has been rechecked. A broken jaw is typically treated in a hospital under general anesthesia — the same kind of setting the jaw surgery page describes for operations that do not belong in the chair. You will be told which path is yours. Sedation choices are on the anesthesia page.

The day you are seen

You leave with instructions for the injury that was treated, not a generic script. A repaired tooth or a closed laceration is a different recovery from a jaw that was set in a hospital. If a tooth was extracted, use the extraction aftercare page. If a graft was placed, use the graft page.

The days after

Soft foods, keeping the site clean, and the activity limits you were given are the usual early rules. Swelling from a facial injury often increases over the first couple of days. Follow the hospital’s instructions if you were treated there, and keep the follow-up this office scheduled.

Call us if…

• Bleeding does not slow with pressure
• The bite suddenly changes, or a splint or wire feels loose
• Swelling is worsening after the first few days, or you have a fever
• You have trouble breathing or swallowing — call emergency services for that
• A tooth that was stabilized feels newly loose

What care of a dental or facial injury costs depends on the plan written at your visit. Dr. Chad M. Curtis or Dr. Soroush Samimi will tell you the surgical fee after they have examined you and looked at current imaging.

The things that usually change that fee:

• Whether grafting or a membrane is part of the same surgery
• The anesthesia plan — local anesthesia, IV sedation, or general anesthesia
• The restoration your dentist builds afterward, such as a crown, a bridge, or a full arch
• Whether new imaging is needed before a plan can be written

This office takes most PPO dental plans. Call (561) 278-0004 after the consultation for an estimate of your portion. The tooth or teeth your dentist makes on top of the surgery are usually billed by that dental office.