Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (2024)

What is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon?

A general dentist or other healthcare provider refers patients to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon to treat dental, oral and maxillofacial conditions that require specialized techniques and surgery. Some people seek care from an oral and maxillofacial surgeon for cosmetic reasons to improve their appearance.

Consider seeking care from an experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeon as recommended by your dentist or healthcare provider. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons care for people with these symptoms or conditions affecting the mouth, teeth, gums, jaw and face:

• Earaches, headaches, and jaw pain

• Impacted wisdom teeth

• Inflammation or swelling

• Jaw cracking or grinding

• Lumps, growths, and masses

• Missing teeth

• Poor sleeping associated with snoring or interrupted breathing

• Protruding chin

• Receding chin

• Trauma or injury to the mouth, teeth, jaw and facial area

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon treats a variety of conditions and diseases including:

• Cosmetic conditions including recessed chin, excess eyelid skin, misshapen nose, and protruding ears

• Cysts, tumors and growths including benign lesions and cancer

• Facial and oral defects and deformities including cleft lip and palate and craniofacial (hemifacial) microsomia (parts of the face are smaller than normal)

• Facial pain disorders including pain caused by infection, jaw problems, tumors, nerve disease, and systemic disease

• Injury and trauma including jaw, nose, and eye socket fractures and facial lesions

• Jaw disorders including temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder, underdeveloped lower jaw (chin is receded and too much of the upper gum is showing), and overdeveloped lower jaw (chin juts out)

• Salivary gland disease including salivary gland stones and tumors

• Sleep problems including snoring and obstructive sleep apnea

• Teeth conditions including impacted wisdom teeth, missing teeth, and diseased or abnormal teeth

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon can order or perform diagnostic tests including:

• Cancer screening including oral and maxillofacial biopsies and pathology tests for tongue, mouth, and throat cancer

• Imaging studies including computed tomography (CT) scans; X-rays of the facial bones; and bitewing, periapical and panoramic X-rays of the teeth and jaws

• Pathology tests for infection including tests for yeast, bacteria, and sexually transmitted diseases of the mouth, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and herpes virus

• Preoperative tests including blood tests to ensure you are healthy enough to undergo surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons perform or order various procedures and treatments including:

• Corrective jaw (orthognathic) surgery including removing bone in the upper jaw to correct an open bite, moving the lower jaw back to correct a protruding lower jaw, and moving the lower jaw forward to correct a recessed lower jaw

• Cosmetic surgical treatments including facial contouring (implants) surgery, neck fat removal, chin augmentation, blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), otoplasty (ear surgery), and rhinoplasty (nasal reconstruction)

• Cysts, growths, and tumor procedures including medications, biopsies, and surgical removal of benign and cancerous growths

• Facial reconstructive surgery including bone grafts; ear, nose, lip, orbital and jaw reconstruction procedures; flap procedures; and congenital defect repair

• Facial trauma treatments including treatment of facial fractures, cuts and scars

• Implants including dental, oral, and craniofacial implants

• Preprosthetic surgery to prepare the mouth for dentures or other prosthetic devices. Surgeries include bone smoothing and reshaping; removal of excess bone; bone ridge reduction; removal of excess gum tissue; and skin, bone or gum grafting

• Temporomandibular (TMJ) surgery including disc repositioning, discectomy, joint recontouring, and partial or total jaw joint replacement

• Tooth extraction including wisdom teeth removal and removal of teeth to prepare the mouth for orthodontic treatment

• Salivary gland surgery including submandibular gland removal, parotidectomy, and sublingual gland excision

• Sleep apnea treatments including maxillomandibular advancement (moving the jaws forward) and tongue reduction

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons can choose to earn board certification from the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery by completing a rigorous peer evaluation process and passing comprehensive qualifying and oral certifying examinations. Board certification verifies that a doctor has completed residency training in the specialty and has passed competency examinations. Education, training, experience and certification are key elements in establishing an oral surgeon's level of competence.

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon has:

• Graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree from a dental school accredited by the American Dental Association. DDS and DMD are equivalent degrees and involve the same level of education.

• Completed at least four years of advanced specialty education and training in oral and maxillofacial surgery in an accredited hospital-based oral and maxillofacial surgery residency program. About 40% of these programs require residents to attend medical school at the same time as the oral and maxillofacial surgery training. Upon completion of the six-year program, the graduate receives an MD degree and certification in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

• Completed the requirements for state licensure to practice

To maintain certification,oral and maxillofacial surgeons must participate in the Board's Certification Maintenance program. This involves:

• Maintaining a license to practice dentistry

• Participating in ongoing professional education (90 hours within three years of recertification)

• Maintaining current hospital privileges

• Passing a certifying exam every 10 years