How to become An Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

Dr Seuss famously remarked, “Teeth are always in style.” Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons help maintain or improve patients’ appearance and life by treating dental or medical issues in the oral cavity and maxillofacial areas, such as the bones of the forehead, cheekbones, and surrounding soft tissue.

• Oral Surgeon

What do Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons do?

An Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon would typically need to:

• Assist patients with managing diseases, deformities and injuries, such as issues with teeth, surrounding tissues, head, neck; restructure bones to repair wounds or correct congenital disabilities
• Document and collect technical information on patients’ medical history;
• Analyse patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals;
• Inform patients of their treatment plan and oral health; prescribe post-operative treatments and recommendations and refer to other specialists if needed
• Treat apnea by surgically shifting upper and lower jaws as well as tissue of tongue and palate
• Treat children who are born with or develop deformities of their skull or face, including cleft lip/palate
• Treat young adults with facial injuries, including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones
• Treat oral cancer and skin tumours of the face and head in the older population
• Treat medical emergencies
• Deal with the non-surgical management of conditions such as facial pain, oral mucosal disease, and infections
• Evaluate the position of wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future
• Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues; treat snoring problems using laser surgery
• Restore form and function by moving skin, bone, nerves, and other tissues from other parts of the body to reconstruct the jaws and face
• Perform minor facial rejuvenation procedures, including the use of Botox and laser technology; perform cosmetic surgeries, such as face-lifts, chin and cheekbone enhancements
• Administer local and general anaesthetics or sedatives to control pain during and after the procedures
• Collaborate with other healthcare professionals such as restorative dentists and orthodontists to plan or provide treatment
• Organise practice & financials, and schedule appointments if self-employed

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons communicate with and treat patients of all ages, from infants to the elderly. Their work environment may change to a certain degree depending on whether they are self-employed or work for a dental clinic or hospital. For the most part, though, they work in brightly lit operating theatres. Those in consultancy positions may travel from one clinic to the next during the workday.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons typically work 80 hours a week and are frequently on-call over weekends and holidays for emergencies that require immediate treatment. Oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures are complex and may require many hours to treat.

Freelance Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons can arrange their working hours. At the same time, those employed by hospitals may have short contracts that include lengthy and irregular working hours and more on-call cases.

Finding a new job might seem challenging. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are generally employed by:

• Dental Practices
• Public & Private Hospitals
• Community Dental Services
• Universities with Dental Schools
• Teaching Hospitals
• The Armed Forces
• Corporate Practices

Healthcare associations such as the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (IAOMS) provide unparalleled networking and educational opportunities. They offer all the certification courses members will need throughout their professional careers. Affiliated Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons may attend conventions, seminars, and dinners frequented by peers, mentors, and other industry leaders. The events help them learn about the newest breakthroughs and latest developments in the field, including plum jobs.

• Long work hours extending to around 80 per week; spend most of the workday bent over patients while operating
• Disruptions to social life because of the need to be on call at night, weekends, and holidays
• Physical and emotional toll from having to deal with complicated cases which may not turn out as anticipated
• Stress during complex surgeries

To show their commitment to the long qualifying period, every applicant to a medical program needs work experience in their local hospital, doctor's surgery, nursing home, or mental health trust. It will help them to understand some of the physical and emotional demands of a career in medicine.

Employees prefer Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons who obtain the necessary skills, work-related experience, and training through a four- to six-year residency followed by a one- to two-year fellowship. As in any career, reading as much as possible about the profession and interviewing those working as Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are other important ways to explore your interest.

Depending on the country you choose to study, you may need an undergraduate degree in biology or chemistry before applying to dental school. Typically, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons must complete a three- to four-year Bachelor of Science in Dentistry followed by a surgical residency, which requires you to take oral and written exams.

Many programs also offer dual degrees, which qualify the candidate as both a dentist and a medical doctor. Medical education is incorporated into the oral and maxillofacial residency.

Some countries require a more specialised degree, such as a four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). To be accepted in this program, you must have a bachelor's degree in a related STEM field and have passed the Dental Admission Test (DAT). This pathway also requires a four to six-year residency afterwards. Most programs will allow you to complete a Doctor of Medicine (MD) during your residency.

After residency, some Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons complete a fellowship to train in their speciality.

Certification demonstrates competency in a skill set, typically through work experience, training, passing an examination, or some combination of the three.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons must be licensed to practice both dentistry and medicine. Education, training, and a four-year residency will qualify you for board certification. A six-year residency will qualify you for additional certification in medicine. After residency, you can obtain a license or certification to become a practising surgeon.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons must also hold a medical licence which requires comprehensive examination and continuing education classes.

In some countries, after you acquire a degree in dentistry, you must register with the General Dental Council (GDC) and also complete a one-year dental foundation training. You must follow the code of ethics and continue your professional development to retain the membership.

Additionally, oral and maxillofacial surgeons can seek voluntary board certification through local regulatory bodies.

Performance, experience, and acquisition of professional qualifications drive career progression. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons with significant experience may advance to Associate or Partner positions in the dental clinics or hospitals that employ them after graduation. You may also choose to open your practice.

Some Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons go for further studies; a PhD would prove advantageous to those who want academic positions at universities or dental schools. They may even get to work in teaching hospitals.

Since the job competition for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is very high, more experience and more extended residencies may be highly desirable. Good academic records will improve prospects, as would a two-year fellowship. Relocating to rural areas with greater demand for healthcare will also help.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is imperative in the healthcare sector since it has important public well-being implications. Ideal career progression happens when Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons actively choose to expand their skill set and meet the requirements of their respective regulatory bodies.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons may consider acquiring additional certifications in related fields, such as orthodontics, implant dentistry, aesthetic dentistry, and hospital setting procedures. They may also become certified in psychology to communicate with patients more efficiently.

Reflective learning, interaction with peer groups, comprehensive inclusion, workshops, and professional publications serve to educate, influence, support, and foster lifelong enlightenment in all career-grade Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery a dental speciality?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons perform more intricate and complex jobs than surgeons. They have degrees in both medicine and dentistry and therefore can operate complex procedures. Patients are typically referred to them by their general dentists or general practitioners after their diagnosis.

What is the appropriate protection gear?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons must wear disposable masks, gloves, gowns & aprons, safety glasses & shields, and other protective equipment for their patients’ safety from infectious diseases and their own health.

An Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon can opt for a model of medical practice from among the following alternatives.

Different Models of Medical Practice

 Solo Practice

Suburban or rural areas with significant medical needs and less competition suit solo practice. Remember that while you can grow and develop your unique style of medical care, it involves considerable effort, time and financial risk.

Group Practice

The group practice may comprise single-speciality or multi-speciality providers. Physicians in this model enjoy financial security and have administrative staff so the physician can focus more time and energy on patient care. However, autonomy and decision-making ability decrease, increasing the risk of conflict around significant practice issues. Larger practices also tend to become more bureaucratic and policy-driven.

Employed Physician Practice

The physician can focus on practising medicine because the employer takes over the financial and administrative responsibilities of running the practice. However, your work schedule and activities will be controlled by those who develop the policies and procedures. combining

Other Types of Medical Practice

Some physicians work as independent contractors in a solo or group practice; they may share financial responsibility and flexibility in clinical practice but may not be free to make all decisions.

Locum tenens (literally “place holder”) is an alternative to more permanent employment. Locum tenens positions are temporary (up to a year) offered by practices, hospitals, or healthcare organisations with an unfilled clinical need. The compensation rate is generally higher than what the permanent position would suggest. Locum tenens allows physicians to gauge a specific type of practice or location without committing to long-term employment.

Hesi-re was the earliest known dentist and lived in Egypt around 3000 B.C.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are compassionate and patient heroes who dedicate their lives to improving their patients’ lives through years of training and learning very technical precision skills to treat illnesses, infections, and injuries.

Challenging patient conditions and surgical procedures are intellectually and technically stimulating, and the chance to cure somebody’s health problem or improve an individual’s appearance or ability to chew certainly satisfies one’s desire to serve others. - James R. Hupp, DMD, MD, JD https://www.joms.org/article/S0278-2391(16)30775-3/fulltext