Guidance.help

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

In the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons occupation, workers perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects. The job can ask you to administer general and local anesthetics. Interest ratings put Investigative on top at 5.8 out of 7 and Realistic second, so the code is IRS and the day leans toward research, analysis and working through hard problems. Plan on graduate school and often five years or more of related experience; O*NET labels this extensive preparation. Strength in critical thinking, complex problem solving, and reading comprehension helps most here. People who want research, analysis and working through hard problems usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.

What they do

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.

Main tasks

  • Administer general and local anesthetics.
  • Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth.
  • Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future.
  • Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
  • Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.
  • Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues.

Skills

  • Critical Thinking
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Active Listening
  • Writing

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
  • You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
  • You are comfortable relying on critical thinking and complex problem solving.

May not suit you if

  • You lose interest when a job asks for long stretches of analysis.
  • You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.2 out of 7 here.
  • You want to be working in the field within the next few years.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code IRS takes the three highest, and Investigative comes first here.

Preparation

Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Post-Doctoral Training. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • DDS (Dental Surgery Doctor)
  • Maxillofacial Surgeon
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Resident
  • Oral Surgeon
  • Surgeon

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with IRS and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.