Patient-friendly definition from the DentistsDirectory.org dental glossary.
Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) is the dental specialty focused on the diagnosis and surgical treatment of conditions affecting the mouth, jaws, face, and neck. Oral surgeons complete four to six years of hospital-based surgical residency training after dental school — the longest postdoctoral training of any dental specialty — and are dual-qualified in dentistry and surgery. Many also hold medical degrees (MD) in addition to their dental degree (DDS or DMD).
The scope of oral surgery is broad. It includes tooth extractions (particularly wisdom teeth and complex surgical cases), dental implant placement, bone grafting for implant site preparation, correction of jaw discrepancies (orthognathic surgery) in conjunction with orthodontic treatment, treatment of facial trauma including jaw fractures, removal of jaw cysts and benign tumours, facial reconstruction, management of severe dental infections that have spread to deeper tissues, evaluation and biopsy of suspicious oral lesions, and treatment of TMJ disorders in cases requiring surgery.
If your general dentist refers you to an oral surgeon, the procedure is typically too complex or too surgical for a general practice setting — this does not mean something is wrong beyond the scope of normal treatment. Oral surgeons routinely offer local anesthesia, oral sedation, IV sedation, and general anesthesia, making procedures accessible even for patients with significant dental anxiety. Consultations usually involve X-rays or a CBCT scan to plan the procedure, a review of your medical history, and a discussion of the procedure, its risks, and the expected recovery.