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Q: What's the difference between a dentist and an oral surgeon?
A: Within the broad field of dentistry are a number of specialties. Oral surgery is one of them. The oral surgeon, also known as a maxillofacial surgeon, has completed a four-year surgical residency at a hospital after his four years of dental school. The oral surgeon is trained to diagnose and treat defects, injuries and diseases of the mouth, jaw, teeth, neck, gums and other soft tissues in the head. The oral surgeon also can do reconstructive surgery on jawbones, whether it's to correct a bite or to repair damage done in an accident.
The oral surgeon also can perform biopsies and remove tumors in the head and neck area. The most common reason for a visit to an oral surgeon is removal of impacted wisdom teeth, which are the back molars. Those teeth sometimes emerge at an angle or don't erupt fully. They can become infected and quite painful. This is a situation in which many dentists will refer a patient to an oral surgeon. The oral surgeon may use either local or general anesthesia to perform the procedure. Most oral surgeons limit their practice to their specialty. Talk with your dentist about this and other specialized areas of dental treatment.
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