Car accidents in Texas often lead to personal injury claims. Many of these personal injury claims involve injuries to the face. Your face could slam into the steering wheel or an inflated airbag. Pieces of metal or glass could hit your face. All these items have the potential to cause serious facial injuries.
Some injuries to the face are more common than others. They all can cause pain, time away from work and possibly the need for further medical treatment. Here are three common facial injuries related to car accidents.
Injuries to the jaw joint
Your doctor might refer to this as a temporomandibular joint or a TMJ injury. In non-medical terms, it’s your jaw joint. It’s the joint that connects your jaw to your skull. One or both of these joints can suffer damage during a motor vehicle accident. If misalignment occurs, you might have difficulty opening and closing your mouth. You may also experience pain.
Facial cuts and scratches
Impact with flying glass, sharp metal and other objects can cause these injuries. Damage to the cheeks, nose and ears is common. A surface cut or scratch may or may not need medical care. But a deep laceration could damage ligaments or muscles in your face.
Jawbone injuries
Your jawbone could break if it’s hit during a car accident. Recovering from a broken jawbone can take a month or longer. During that time, immobilization stabilizes the jaw so it can mend. It’s also possible to develop problems with the jaw joint after the jawbone heals.
You might need a physical therapist for help with recovery. Some injuries even need surgery. Healing takes time, so medical care is important.