What happens during surgery?

October 30, 2019

We will give you a general anaesthetic. Once you are asleep, we will put your cheekbone back in the right place and fix it using plates and screws.

The surgeon will make a cut (incision) on the inside of your mouth through the gum above your back teeth.

They may also make one or more other cuts:

  • Close to the outside end of your eyebrow or upper eyelid
  • On the skin crease just below your lower eyelashes or on the inside of your lower eyelid, or
  • On the side of your scalp

These cuts are closed with stitches at the end of the operation.

If the floor of your eye socket is broken, the surgeon will make a cut on the inside or outside of your lower eyelid, as described above.

Sometimes, the bones in the floor of your eye socket are shattered and do not support your eyeball properly, even if they are put back in the right place. If this has happened, we may need to rebuild the floor of your eye socket to support your eyeball. This involves using a graft, usually a piece of mesh made of titanium or dissolvable plastic, or a specifically made implant. We will discuss this with you before you sign the consent form.

Could you be covered?

Recognised by major healthcare providers

Nicholas Lee: Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, Sheffield UK