Oral surgeon

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon performs surgical procedures on the mouth, jaws, and face — extracting impacted wisdom teeth, placing dental implants, correcting jaw deformities, treating facial trauma, and removing tumors and cysts. They evaluate patients with imaging, plan operations, administer anesthesia, and carry out procedures ranging from routine extractions to complex reconstructive surgery.

The most surgically intensive dental specialty, it requires extensive training that often bridges dentistry and medicine. Surgeons work in private practice, hospitals, and surgical centers, and the role demands steady hands, sound anatomical judgment, and the composure to manage high-stakes procedures and the occasional complication.