From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 

Dr. Daniel W. Pituch, chief of the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Mercy, who was directly involved with the surgery Monday, said that the surgical team used "internal fixation technology," which involves the placement of small titanium plates and screws onto the surface of the broken bones in Mr. Roethlisberger's jaws and face. The plates are 11/2 to 2 inches long and resemble hair barrettes.

The titanium plates were carefully bent to match the contours of the facial bones, Dr. Pituch said.

"Once I had the bones put back together the way [they] needed to be, I kept [them] in that place by putting the screws in there," Dr. Pituch said. "Small holes were drilled into the bones and small screws were carefully placed into these holes.

"This technology allows us to have a more predictable outcome that usually does not require any additional major reconstructive procedures."

The plates, he said, help the cracked and broken bones fuse back together. Though only needed for about six weeks, it is unlikely that they would be removed.

Because the titanium plates are applied flat to the bone and screwed into place, no visible signs of their presence will be evident once the injuries heal.

While the doctors at Mercy Hospital refused to discuss the surgery in any further detail, Dr. Ira D. Papel, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, said he wouldn't be surprised to see Mr. Roethlisberger exercising within two weeks.

Dr. Papel said that the old-fashioned method of repairing a broken jaw -- by wiring the bones into place to ensure that they did not move -- normally required a six-week healing process.

Based on accounts he's read about Mr. Roethlisberger's injuries and treatment, he said, that process should be shortened considerably.

"That's what it's all about -- stabilizing the bones in the right position," he said.

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He also skated out of the hospital late last night. Why wasn't the paparazzi stalking? I want to see him.