Maxillofacial Surgery

EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE

Jaw Fracture Repair

The most common cause of jaw fractures in pets is trauma (motor vehicular accidents, falls, and fights). These patients typically present with other signs of trauma and need to be stabilised prior to fixing their jaw. Another common type of jaw fracture is known as a ‘pathologic fracture’. This is when the jaw breaks due to being weakened by a disease, like severe periodontal disease.

There are numerous techniques for repairing jaw fractures. We prefer to use non-invasive techniques whenever possible and avoid potentially damaging techniques that place metal directly in the bone.

An acrylic splint is the most common non-invasive technique we prefer. The patient’s own teeth are used as the connection points between the broken pieces of the jaw in an acrylic splint. The jaw is placed in alignment and the teeth are covered with an acrylic resin. Within a few minutes, the acrylic resin sets and the splint is smoothed and the occlusion (bite) is checked for alignment. After approximately 3-4 weeks, X-rays are taken to confirm that the jaw has healed. The splint is then cut and removed from the teeth. With this procedure, there is an immediate return to normal function after placement of the splint and little chance of damage to nerves and blood vessels as no invasive metal implants are required in the bone.

In cases of a ‘pathologic fracture’ or when a tooth or root is extracted which leaves a large void in the bone that must be bridged and stabilised, a similar technique is utilised. However, in these cases, we add intrabony wires into the acrylic splint to aid stabilisation. The splint and wires are removed following healing.

EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE

Temporomandibular Joint Fractures

These fractures along with fractures behind the teeth at the back of the jaw cannot be treated with an acrylic splint and direct fixation is near impossible. Inter-arch bonding is required to stabilise and treat these fractures. The jaws are placed in proper alignment and the canines are bonded together. This technique relies on the large jaw muscles to hold the fracture in position. After healing the bonding is removed and the patient can eat normally.