What is the difference between an oral maxillofacial surgeon and my general dentist?
All dentists attend a four-year dental school prior to receiving their dental degree. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons then spend an additional four to six years intensively training in medicine, surgery, anesthesia and implant dentistry. Some receive medical degrees in the process but all get the same intensive core training in expert third-molar removal, complex-implant placement, jaw surgery, temporomandibular joint and trauma surgery. Following this training, most then submit for written and oral examinations to achieve board certification.