Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: Career Profile
Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects. May diagnose problems of the oral and maxillofacial regions. May perform surgery to improve function or appearance.
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What Tasks Do Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Do?
The core tasks performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons cover:
- Administer general and local anesthetics.
- Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.
- Evaluate the position of the 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.
- Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth.
- Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
- Remove tumors and other abnormal growths of the oral and facial regions, using surgical instruments.
- Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones.
What Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Need to Know
Successful oral and maxillofacial surgeons rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
These are the skills that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Other Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Dental Surgeon
- Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
- Maxillofacial Surgeon
- Oral Surgeon
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (OMS)
- Surgeon
Job Outlook
The U.S. employs around 1,718,243 oral and maxillofacial surgeons working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to grow by +13.9% over the projection horizon.
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $39,627 |
| Hourly median | $19.05 |
| 10th percentile | $25,345 |
| 25th percentile | $32,486 |
| 75th percentile | $46,768 |
| 90th percentile | $53,909 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Which Industries Hire Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Most oral and maxillofacial surgeons work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 5,290 | n/a |
| Educational Services | 40 | $71,180 |
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Development environment software: Ada
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Apteryx Imaging Suite
- Medical software: DecisionBase TiME for OMS
- Graphics or photo imaging software: DentalEye
- Medical software: Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions Dolphin Management
- Medical software: DSN Software Oral Surgery-Exec
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Gendex Dental Systems VixWin PRO
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Kodak Dental Systems Kodak Cosmetic Imaging Module
- Operating system software: Operating system software
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Planmeca Oy Dimaxis
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Sirona SIDEXIS XG
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for oral and maxillofacial surgeons reflects the following characteristics:
- Exposed to Disease or Infections
- Physical Proximity
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Telephone Conversations
- Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results
How to Become Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Dentists, General (Primary-Short)
- Orthodontists (Primary-Long)
- Prosthodontists (Primary-Short)
- Optometrists (Supplemental)
- Podiatrists (Primary-Long)
- Anesthesiologists (Supplemental)
- Cardiologists (Supplemental)
- Dermatologists (Primary-Long)
Where to Study
Aspiring oral and maxillofacial surgeons commonly pursue programs in:
Health Professions and Related Programs
1 programs across 1 majors
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 29-1022.00 (Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons).
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