Will a Slight Nose Fracture Heal and Straighten out over Time?

I would recommend having your nose examined by a board certified rhinoplasty specialist or ENT, as it is difficult to provide you with advice without seeing you in person. A closed nasal reduction can be performed if you are within a week of the trauma. It would be best to have your nose evaluated as soon as you can. I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck.

Nasal fractures are quite common.  Many fractures go undiagnosed.  A true nasal fracture can be either displaced or nondisplaced.  Generally speaking, an unaligned nasal fracture (or any unaligned bony fracture) will not heal in proper position without repositioning of the nasal bone.A displaced fracture means that the fracture is not in its normal alignment.  A displaced fracture will generally cause a nose to look different than prior to the trauma, depending on the degree of displacement.  A nondisplaced fracture means that their is a fracture or crack in the nasal bone however the bones have remained in line with each other.  Displaced fractures can be repositioned (typically within 2 weeks from the traumatic incident) if the degree of displacement is severe enough to change the appearance of the nose.  Nondisplaced fractures can be observed and generally heal well on their own, providing no further traumas move the nasal bones from alignment.  It is sometimes difficult to tell if a fracture is present or displaced based on appearance alone.  This is why physical examination and/or a CT scan be helpful in the decision making process.  When swelling resolves sometimes a fracture which was slightly depressed can look more apparent.

If you sustained a nasal fracture, a rhinoplasty specialist can usually "straighten" the nose with a minor procedure called a closed reduction. This however, must be done within 10 days or so of the accident, if more time elapses, the bones will heal and you will need a formal rhinoplasty. If more than 10 days have passed, I would let the swelling come down 3 months or so and then go see a doctor.