Facial injuries can affect the upper jaw, lower jaw, cheek, nose, eye socket, or forehead. They may be caused by blunt force or be the result of a wound.
Common causes of injury to the face include:
Car and motorcycle crashes
Wounds
Sports injuries
Violence
Symptoms
Symptoms may include:
Changes in feeling over the face
Deformed or uneven face or facial bones
Difficulty breathing through the nose due to swelling and bleeding
Double vision
Missing teeth
Swelling or bruising around the eyes that may cause vision problems
Exams and Tests
The health care provider will perform a physical exam, which may show:
Bleeding from the nose, eyes, or mouth
Nasal blockage
Breaks in the skin (lacerations)
Bruising around the eyes or widening of the distance between the eyes, which may mean injury to the bones between the eye sockets
Changes in vision or the movement of the eyes
Improperly aligned upper and lower teeth
The following may suggest bone fractures:
Abnormal feelings on the cheek
Irregularities of the face that can be felt by touching
Nam AJ, Davidson EH, Manson PN. Assessment of the patient with traumatic facial injury. In: Dorafshar AH, Rodriguez ED, Manson PN, eds. Facial Trauma Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 1.1.
Review Date:
7/1/2023
Reviewed By:
Jesse Borke, MD, CPE, FAAEM, FACEP, Attending Physician at Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, CA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.