What is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS)?

What does Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Really Mean?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) is, in fact, a dental specialty, and one that, in many ways, bridges the gap between medicine and dentistry. Your Houston oral surgeons are the physicians of the mouth and jaws. Our scope of practice includes the surgical and non-surgical treatment of most diseases and abnormalities of the mouth, jaws, and face. This includes everything from removal of teeth to the treatment of facial trauma and jaw reconstruction procedures.

What is the Training for an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons first attend a four year dental school after 3-4 years of undergraduate college training. Upon completion of dental school, a hospital-based residency of at least 4 years is accomplished. This includes experience in medicine, general surgery, and other oral surgical specialties. Because administration of general anesthesia and intravenous sedation is such an integral part of our practice, we train for 4-6 months in hospital-based general anesthesia, doing nothing but intubated general anesthesia for non-dental cases. Due to the necessity for such advanced training, some oral and maxillofacial surgeons also complete a medical degree.

Oral Surgery Services We Provide

• Removal of wisdom teeth and other dentoalveolar surgery
• Orthodontic related surgery for children and adults
• Orthognathic (jaw) surgery
• Osseointegrated Dental Implants and preprosthetic (denture) surgery
• Repair of soft and hard tissue facial trauma
• Diagnosis and treatment of cysts and tumors (pathology) of the mouth and jaws
• The management and treatment of TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorders
• Endodontic microsurgery (apicoectomies)
• The treatment of serious head and neck infections
• The diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial diseases
• The diagnosis and treatment of facial pain
• General anesthesia and IV sedation
• Reconstruction following cancer surgery or trauma
• Repair of facial clefts and craniofacial defects