These are general questions for patients. Answers will vary by practice — call ahead to confirm details before your visit.
Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are the surgical specialists of dentistry. After dental school they complete four to six years of hospital-based surgical residency — the longest postdoctoral training of any dental specialty — managing complex dental, facial, and jaw conditions. Many oral surgeons also hold a medical degree in addition to their dental qualifications.
The most commonly performed oral surgery procedure is tooth extraction, particularly impacted wisdom teeth. Oral surgeons handle the most complex extractions: fully impacted teeth requiring bone removal and sectioning, roots fused to the bone, and teeth fractured below the gum line. They offer a full range of anesthesia including IV sedation and general anesthesia, making them the provider of choice when procedures require a higher level of sedation than a general dental practice can safely provide.
Oral surgeons also place dental implants, perform bone grafts to prepare implant sites, correct jaw discrepancies through orthognathic surgery in combination with orthodontic treatment, treat facial trauma including jaw fractures, and evaluate suspicious oral lesions. Patients are most commonly referred by their general dentist or orthodontist when the scope of a procedure exceeds general dental practice capabilities.