Becoming An Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon is commonly referred to as an oral surgeon. Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a surgical specialty built on a foundation of dentistry.

All oral and maxillofacial surgeons are graduates from dental school and are initially dentists.

After finishing dental school, there are several options for specialty training that go beyond the expertise of a regular dentist. Specialties include endodontics (root canal treatment), periodontics (gum surgery), orthodontics (braces), pedodontics (dentistry for children), and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Specialization In Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery

The specialty of oral and maxillofacial surgery requires an extensive period of hospital-based training ranging from 4-6 years. During this time frame, the oral and maxillofacial surgery resident will spend time in many areas including anesthesiology, internal medicine, emergency medicine, ICU (intensive care), general surgery, otolaryngology (ENT) plastic surgery and neurosurgery.

Additionally, an extended period of time and concentration is spent developing expertise and experience specifically relating to surgery of the mouth, jaws and face, including:

• Dental Implant Surgery
• Bone Grafting
• Wisdom Tooth Removal
• Corrective Jaw Surgery (Orthognathic Surgery)
• Facial Trauma
• TMJ Surgery
• Pathology & Reconstruction
• Facial cosmetic Surgery

A Dental Surgeon And An Oral Surgeon Are Not The Same

A dental surgeon is a regular or general dentist (GP). A GP will typically perform various procedures throughout their day including tooth whitening, veneers, restorative dentistry, crown and bridge work, root canals and some oral surgery, but the oral surgery is never the sole focus of his or her practice