Broken Jaw Treatment (Jaw Fracture Repair)
 If you think you have broken your jaw, Oral & Facial Surgery provides broken jaw treatment and jaw fracture repair for patients in Pullman, WA and Lewiston, ID, with surgeons who trained at a level-one trauma center.
A fractured jaw is painful and frightening, and it affects something you use constantly: talking, eating, even closing your mouth. Getting it evaluated and stabilized quickly is what protects both your comfort and the long-term function of your bite.
First, an important point. If you have a severe facial injury with heavy bleeding, trouble breathing, a head injury, or loss of consciousness, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room before anything else. Those situations need an emergency team first. Our role comes in for the surgical evaluation and repair of the jaw itself, often in coordination with the hospital.
For a suspected jaw fracture that is stable, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon is exactly the right specialist to see, and seeing one promptly matters. A jaw heals in whatever position the bone is left in, so the sooner it is realigned, the better the result. Our surgeons handle the full range of facial trauma surgery, and a broken jaw is one of the injuries we treat most often.
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Jaw Fractures: Types and Symptoms
 A broken jaw is a fracture of the mandible, the lower jaw, or less often the maxilla, the upper jaw. Most jaw fractures come from falls, sports collisions, car accidents, or a direct blow to the face. The lower jaw frequently breaks in more than one place at once, because its U-shape carries force from the point of impact around to the other side.
The signs of a broken jaw are usually hard to ignore, though some are easy to mistake for a bad bruise. Common symptoms include:
- A bite that suddenly feels off – Your teeth no longer meet the way they used to, which is one of the most reliable signs of a fracture.
- Pain and swelling – Tenderness along the jawline, swelling, and bruising that worsen when you try to move your mouth.
- Difficulty opening or closing – The jaw feels stuck, shifts to one side, or will not move through its normal range.
- Numbness in the lip or chin – A nerve that runs through the lower jaw can be affected, causing a pins-and-needles or numb feeling.
- Loose or shifted teeth – Teeth near the fracture may feel loose, or there may be bleeding from the gums.
If you notice these signs, have the jaw evaluated promptly. A fracture that is splinted or realigned early heals far more predictably than one that has started to set in the wrong position.
We confirm a fracture with imaging, usually a cone beam CT (CBCT) scan, which shows the exact break pattern far better than a standard X-ray. For injuries that cannot wait, we also offer same-day oral surgery appointments so you are not left waiting with an untreated jaw.
Your Trauma-Trained Jaw Surgeons
Jaw fractures are trauma surgery, and both of our surgeons trained for exactly this kind of work. Dr. Stephen W. Holm and Dr. Sherdon W. Cordova completed their oral and maxillofacial surgery residencies at Carle Foundation Hospital, the only level-one trauma center in its region, where the surgery program provided around-the-clock coverage for craniomaxillofacial injuries. That means they spent their training years repairing facial and jaw fractures, not just reading about them.
Dr. Holm served as chief resident during that program and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. More on Dr. Holm’s training. Dr. Cordova went on to serve as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in the United States Air Force after residency, and his bio describes that experience.
Both are board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons, the credential that signals the full hospital-based surgical training a fracture repair calls for. When you come to us with a broken jaw, you are seeing surgeons who have managed this injury many times.
How We Repair a Broken Jaw
 How we treat a broken jaw depends on where the fracture is, how many places the bone is broken, and whether the pieces have shifted out of line. Minor, stable fractures sometimes heal with the jaw kept still, while displaced fractures need to be repositioned and held in place. Here is how the process generally unfolds.
Evaluation and Imaging
We begin by examining your bite and your range of motion, then take a cone beam CT (CBCT) scan to map the fracture precisely. This tells us whether the break is stable or displaced and whether nearby teeth or nerves are involved, which shapes the entire treatment plan.
Anesthesia and Comfort
We perform jaw repairs under sedation or general anesthesia, so you feel nothing during the procedure. Our surgeons are trained in everything from local anesthesia to hospital-based anesthesia, and we often repair more complex fractures in a hospital operating room for that reason. We explain which setting and which anesthesia your case calls for before the day of treatment.
Realigning and Stabilizing the Bone
The goal of repair is to bring the broken ends back into their correct position and hold them there while they heal. For many fractures, we fix the bone internally with small titanium plates and screws, a technique that often lets the jaw move sooner. For others, we stabilize the fracture by wiring the upper and lower teeth together for a period. We choose the approach that gives your specific fracture the most stable, predictable result.
Healing and Follow-Up
Most jaw fractures take roughly six weeks to heal, though that varies with the break and your overall health. During that time you eat a soft or liquid diet, keep the area clean, and see us for follow-up visits so we can confirm the bone is knitting correctly. We guide you through each stage, including when you can gradually return to a normal diet.
What Jaw Fracture Repair Restores
Repairing a broken jaw is about getting back the things a fracture takes away. The most immediate is a bite that lines up correctly. When a jaw heals out of position, the teeth no longer meet properly, which can cause lasting pain, difficulty chewing, and uneven wear for years. Realigning the bone protects that bite.
A proper repair also restores comfortable, pain-free movement, so you can open, close, and chew without the jaw catching or aching. It protects the nerves that run through the lower jaw, reducing the risk of lingering numbness in the lip and chin when treatment happens early. And it supports the natural shape of your face, since the jaw is part of your facial structure.
The single biggest factor in all of these outcomes is timing. A fracture treated promptly, before the bone begins to set in the wrong place, almost always heals more cleanly than one that has been left.
Why Choose Our Surgeons for Jaw Trauma
For a broken jaw, two things matter most: how fast you can be seen and how much trauma experience the surgeon brings. We are set up for both.
Our surgeons trained in a level-one trauma environment and have repaired jaw fractures throughout their careers, so this is established territory rather than an occasional case. We plan every repair with 3D imaging, and we manage sedation and anesthesia in-house, which keeps the whole process under one roof.
Speed matters with trauma, so we keep room in the schedule for urgent needs. If your injury cannot wait, our emergency oral surgeon services mean you can be evaluated quickly instead of sitting on an untreated fracture. For injuries that involve cuts to the skin alongside the fracture, we also handle facial laceration repair as part of the same care. We serve patients across the Lewiston/Clarkston and Moscow/Pullman regions from our two offices.
Broken Jaw Treatment Cost and Insurance
Cost is understandably on your mind, especially with an unexpected injury, and we will be upfront about it. What jaw fracture treatment costs depends on the complexity of the break, whether repair is done in the office or a hospital operating room, the type of anesthesia, and how many fractures are involved.
Because a broken jaw is an injury rather than an elective procedure, treatment is frequently covered by medical insurance, and sometimes dental insurance, depending on your plan. Our team helps you understand your coverage and works through the paperwork with you. You can review our insurance and financing options in more detail.
For questions about coverage or to arrange care, call our Lewiston, ID office at 208-743-1640 or our Pullman, WA office at 509-330-5020. We will help you sort out the financial side so it does not get in the way of getting your jaw treated.
Get Your Broken Jaw Evaluated
A jaw fracture heals best when it is treated early, so do not wait to get it looked at. Call our Lewiston, ID office at 208-743-1640 or our Pullman, WA office at 509-330-5020 for prompt evaluation. You can also request an appointment online. We are at 444 Thain Rd, Lewiston, ID 83501 and 1256 Bishop Blvd Suite I, Pullman, WA 99163. For questions before you come in, you can contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I go to the ER or to an oral surgeon for a broken jaw?
If you have heavy bleeding, trouble breathing, a head injury, or you lost consciousness, go to the emergency room or call 911 first; those are emergencies the ER handles. If the injury is stable and the main problem is a suspected broken jaw, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon is the specialist who actually repairs the fracture. In many cases the ER stabilizes you and then refers the jaw repair to a surgeon like ours.
How do I know if my jaw is broken or just bruised?
The most telling sign is your bite: if your teeth suddenly do not meet the way they normally do, that points to a fracture rather than a bruise. Numbness in the lower lip or chin, an inability to open or close fully, and loose teeth near the injury are other red flags. The only way to know for certain is imaging, which is why a prompt evaluation is worth it even when you are unsure.
Will I need surgery to fix a broken jaw, or will it heal on its own?
Not every broken jaw needs surgery. A minor, stable fracture that has not shifted can sometimes heal with the jaw kept still and a soft diet. When the bone has moved out of place, though, it needs to be repositioned and held, either with small titanium plates and screws or by temporarily wiring the teeth together. We decide which path your case needs after reviewing your 3D imaging.
Is jaw fracture repair painful?
You are fully sedated or under general anesthesia for the repair itself, so you do not feel the procedure. The part patients ask about most is afterward: expect soreness and swelling for the first several days, eased with medication, then a steady improvement. Eating is the bigger adjustment during healing, since you will be on soft or liquid foods while the bone knits.
How long does it take to recover from a broken jaw in Pullman or Lewiston?
Most jaw fractures heal in about six weeks, but the recovery you actually feel depends a lot on how the fracture was stabilized. Plates and screws often allow the jaw to move sooner, while wiring keeps the jaw shut longer and means a liquid diet for several weeks. We tell you which applies to you and roughly how long the restricted diet lasts so you can plan around it.
Why choose Oral & Facial Surgery for a broken jaw?
The main reason is trauma experience. Dr. Holm and Dr. Cordova trained at a level-one trauma center where repairing facial and jaw fractures was daily work, and both are board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Add same-day availability for urgent injuries and in-house sedation, and you can be evaluated and treated by experienced trauma surgeons without bouncing between an ER, a separate surgeon, and a separate anesthesia provider.
Can a broken jaw cause permanent problems if it is not treated?
Yes, which is why prompt treatment matters. A jaw left to heal in the wrong position can leave you with a bite that no longer fits together, ongoing jaw pain, difficulty chewing, and in some cases lasting numbness if a nerve was involved. Treating the fracture early, before the bone sets, is the most reliable way to avoid these long-term issues.
Can you treat a broken jaw the same day I call?
Often, yes. We hold room in the schedule for urgent injuries and offer same-day appointments at our Pullman, WA and Lewiston, ID offices for situations that cannot wait. If your injury is severe, with heavy bleeding or breathing trouble, the emergency room comes first, and we coordinate the jaw repair from there. |
