A few days ago, the former player of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang published on his social networks that, after the assault suffered at his home to rob him, he suffered a . The assailants allegedly struck him in the face with a rifle butt during the robbery.
The injuries that the thieves inflicted on the player and his wife could have been potentially very serious, and in fact the robbery resulted in, among other injuries, Aubameyang’s jaw being broken.
An injury that, as indicated by the Dr. Nestor Montesdeocaassociate chief of the Oral, Maxillofacial Surgery and Implantology service of the
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“We are not aware by the media that a surgical intervention was required to carry out the reduction and osteosynthesis of the fracture, so we assume, with the necessary reservations, that it could be a fracture without displacement or a condyle fracture”
What is a broken jaw
Doctor Montesdeoca explains how the jaw breaks when trauma occurs.
The mandible is a very strong bone that resists powerful chewing forces well, especially opening and closing movements.
However, a direct impact of great intensity is capable of breaking the jaw in the area of the blow or causing a fracture due to displacement of the mandibular angle or the contralateral condyle, which is the part that constitutes the temporomandibular joint.
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“The fracture of a bone causes intense pain, and if it is also produced by the impact of an object, the injury is accompanied by bruising and edema of the affected tissues.”
In addition to pain and inflammation in the area, patients later report that their teeth do not fit together as before, they have difficulties opening their mouths or they deviate towards the opening, and they have difficulties chewing.
How is a jaw fracture treated?
This type of fractures, which are treated by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, as explained by Dr. Néstor Montesdeoca:
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“They require the realignment of the fragments to their original position and the fixation of the fracture focus through the use of titanium miniplates and screws placed intraorally in a surgical intervention.”
In the case of condyle fractures (traumatic injury), the doctor details that usually, it is not necessary to intervene surgically on the patient.
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“It is enough to fix on an outpatient basis and under local anesthesia 4 intermaxillary locking screws, two in the upper jaw and two in the mandible, which by means of orthodontic mini-elastics keep the patient’s mouth closed so that the bone consolidates in the position of maximum dental contact for 1 month.
According to the maxillofacial surgeon at Hospital La Luz, using elastics allows you to open your mouth to eat crushed food and drink liquids. “Patients can remove them momentarily for tooth brushing during the entire healing process.”
Sequelae of a broken jaw
Currently, patients operated on for jaw fractures have an excellent prognosis. A large majority are discharged from the hospital with no restrictions on opening their mouths.
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“Although initially they must be fed a liquid or turmix diet, the consistency of the diet can be increased until it normalizes after a month. In patients with elastic intermaxillary block or who are discharged with a closed mouth, the locking screws are removed from the 4 weeks”, highlights Néstor Montesdeoca.
Despite this, a trauma of this type can cause multiple sequelae, depending on the intensity of the trauma, the degree of displacement and the fragmentation that has occurred in the bone.
And as described by Dr. Montesdeoca, among others it can cause:
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“Loss of associated dental pieces that will need dental implants for their rehabilitation
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Lesions of the nerve that conducts the sensation of the lower lip
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Lack of bone consolidation
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aesthetic deformities
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Opening limitation
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Pain in the jaw joint.”
However, the specialist from Hospital La Luz acknowledges, based on the information that emerges from the player’s statement and the type of injury he has probably suffered, there will be no sequelae.
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“He could be playing in 4 weeks with a custom 3D printed face protection and following his usual diet with the support of a physiotherapist specialized in maxillofacial problems,” he concludes.