Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Job description

Procedures range from removing impacted or non-restorable teeth to treating infections of the jaw, salivary glands, or neck, and providing emergency care for facial fractures and lacerations. Surgeons administer their own general and local anesthesia and regularly collaborate with restorative dentists and orthodontists on shared treatment plans. The work is precise and team-based, carrying serious consequences for error, and surgeons spend much of the day on their feet in close contact with patients.

A typical day

The surgical morning starts at 7am with four wisdom-teeth cases under IV sedation — the OMS is both surgeon and anesthesia provider, a dual competence unique among dental specialists, monitoring vitals while sectioning and delivering impacted molars in twenty-minute cases. Mid-morning brings dental implants: a guided placement into an atrophic ridge grafted three months ago. The hospital pages after lunch — a mandible fractured in a fall needs plating tomorrow, so the surgeon reviews the CT and books the OR. The afternoon clinic mixes consults: a teenager's jaw-alignment surgery planning with the orthodontist, a biopsy of a lesion that needs a pathologist's eyes, and a post-op check on last week's trauma case, healing well. The specialty lives at the crossroads of dentistry, surgery, and medicine, and its days show it.

Tasks at the job

• Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future.
• Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth.
• Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
• Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones.
• Administer general and local anesthetics.
• Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.

Workplace & working conditions

Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent on your feet, and you work in close physical proximity to coworkers or the public for much of the shift. The role involves regular exposure to contaminants, and standard protective equipment (gloves, safety glasses, and similar) is expected.

There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Mistakes can have serious consequences, so accuracy matters a lot, and the work is highly structured, following set procedures. You'll regularly deal with frustrated or upset people as part of the job, and almost all of the work is done as part of a team.

Education necessary or common

Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD), plus a hospital-based surgical residency

Common college majors

Licenses & certifications

• DDS/DMD and state dental license
• American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery certification
• Anesthesia permits (state-regulated)

Career path

Related fields

Courses to take

• AP Biology — the foundation for dental school and beyond
• AP Chemistry — the predental prerequisite chain
• Anatomy and Physiology — head and neck anatomy becomes the professional terrain
• AP Physics — required for dental school admission
• Art or Sculpture — surgical hands benefit from trained hands

Clubs, activities & competitions

• HOSA-Future Health Professionals
• Volunteer at dental clinics or mission-of-mercy dental events
• Fine motor crafts — carving, model building, detailed drawing
• Science Olympiad — anatomy events

First steps you can take now

• Shadow an oral surgeon — wisdom-teeth practices host predental students routinely
• Also shadow a general dentist to understand the referral relationship
• Learn the path's length honestly: dental school plus a 4-6 year residency (some earning an MD)
• Practice manual dexterity deliberately — dental schools actually evaluate it

Related videos