Activities	Oral and maxillofacial surgeons do all kinds of surgery involving the mouth, teeth, jaws and face. They reconstruct faces shattered by car accidents and gunshots, remove tumors and cancerous lesions, correct bites by surgically repositioning the jaws, place dental implants, repair cleft palates, perform all kinds of facial cosmetic surgery, and extract impacted wisdom teeth.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$146,920 per year in 2010
Work Context & Conditions	Most dentists work 4 or 5 days a week. Some work evenings and weekends to meet their patients’ needs.
Minimum Education Requirements	D.D.S. or D.M.D.
Skills	Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Science
Abilities	Finger Dexterity, Manual Dexterity, Arm-Hand Steadiness, Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision

Job Category		Healthcare Practitioners & Technical
Job Description		According to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: "Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are dental specialists who treat conditions, defects, injuries, and esthetic aspects of the mouth, teeth, jaws, and face. Their training includes a four-year graduate degree in dentistry and the completion of a minimum four-year hospital surgical residency program.   Oral and maxillofacial surgeons care for patients who experience such conditions as problem wisdom teeth, facial pain, and misaligned jaws. They treat accident victims suffering facial injuries, offer reconstructive and dental implant surgery, and care for patients with tumors and cysts of the jaws and functional and esthetic conditions of the maxillofacial areas.   With specialized knowledge in pain control and advanced training in anesthesia, the oral and maxillofacial surgeon is able to provide quality care with maximum patient comfort and safety in the office setting." According to the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons provide the following services: "Removal of Diseased and Impacted Teeth, and Anesthesia Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth. They also provide sophisticated, safe, and effective anesthesia services in their office including intravenous (IV) sedation and general anesthesia. Dental Implants: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, in close collaboration with restorative dentists, help plan and then place implants used to replace missing teeth. They can also reconstruct bone in places needing bone for implant placement and modify gingival (gum) tissue surrounding implants when necessary to make teeth placed on implants look even more natural. Facial Trauma: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons care for facial injuries by repairing routine and complex facial skin lacerations (cuts), setting fractured jaw and facial bones, reconnecting severed nerves and ducts, and treating other injuries. These procedures include care of oral tissues, the jaws, cheek and nasal bones, the forehead, and eye sockets. Pathologic Conditions: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons manage patients with benign and malignant cysts and tumors of the oral and facial regions. Severe infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck are also treated. Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons correct jaw, facial bone and facial soft tissue problems left as the result of previous trauma or removal of pathology. This surgery to restore form and function often includes moving skin, bone, nerves, and other tissues from other parts of the body to reconstruct the jaws and face. These same skills are also used when oral and maxillofacial surgeons perform cosmetic procedures for improvement of problems due to unwanted facial features or aging. Facial Pain Including Temporomandibular Joint Disorders Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons possess skills in the diagnosis and treatment of facial pain disorders including those due to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems. Correction of Dentofacial (Bite) Deformities and Birth Defects Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, usually in conjunction with an orthodontist, surgically reconstruct and realign the upper and lower jaws into proper dental and facial relationships to provide improved biting function and facial appearance. They also surgically correct birth defects of the face and skull including cleft lip and palate."
Working Conditions		Most dentists work 4 or 5 days a week. Some work evenings and weekends to meet their patients’ needs. Most full-time dentists work between 35 and 40 hours a week, but others work more. Initially, dentists may work more hours as they establish their practice. Experienced dentists often work fewer hours. Many continue in part-time practice well beyond the usual retirement age. Most dentists are solo practitioners, meaning that they own their own businesses and work alone or with a small staff. Some dentists have partners, and a few work for other dentists as associate dentists.
Salary Range		The median annual wage of dentists was $146,920 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $71,210, and the top 10 percent earned $166,400 or more. Earnings vary according to number of years in practice, location, hours worked, and specialty. The median annual wages of dentist occupations in May 2010 were the following: Equal to or greater than $166,400 for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. Equal to or greater than $166,400 for orthodontists; $161,020 for dentists, all other specialists; $141,040 for general dentists; $118,400 for prosthodontists.

Education Required		High school students who want to become dentists should take courses in chemistry, physics, biology, anatomy, and mathematics. Most dental students need at least a bachelor's degree before entering dental school; requirements vary by school. All dental schools require applicants to have completed certain required science courses, such as biology and chemistry. Majoring in a science, such as biology, might increase the chances of being accepted, but no specific major is required to enter most dental programs. College undergraduates who plan on applying to dental school must usually take the Dental Acceptance Test (DAT) during their junior year. Admission to dental school can be competitive. Dental schools use these tests, along with other factors such as grade point average and recommendations, to admit students into their programs. Dental schools require students to take classes such as local anesthesia, anatomy, periodontology (the study of oral disease and health), and radiology. All dental schools include practice where students work with patients in a clinical setting under the supervision of a licensed dentist. All nine dental specialties require dentists to complete additional training before practicing that specialty. They must usually take a 1- or 2-year residency in a program related to their specialty. Dentists who want to teach or research full time usually spend an additional 2 to 5 years in advanced dental training. Many practicing dentists also teach part time, including supervising students in dental school clinics. For more information, see the profile on postsecondary teachers.
Recommended High School Courses		Biology, English, Chemistry
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Education and Training, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine and Dentistry
Certification and Licensing		Dentists must be licensed in all states; requirements vary by state. In most states, a license requires a degree from an accredited dental school and passing a written and practical exam. In addition, a dentist who wants to practice in one of the nine specialties that all states recognize must have a license in that specialty. This usually requires 2 to 4 years of additional education after dental school and, in some cases, the completion of a special state exam. A postgraduate residency term also may be required, usually lasting up to 2 years.

Interest Area		Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking.
Work Values		Social Status Looked up to by others in their company and their community. Achievement Get a feeling of accomplishment. Social Service Do things for other people. Security Have steady employment. Ability Utilization Make use of individual abilities. Activity Busy all the time. Autonomy Plan work with little supervision. Recognition Receive recognition for the work you do. Compensation Get paid well in comparison with other workers. Responsibility Make decisions on your own.
Skills		Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Judgment and Decision Making Be able to weigh the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Reading Comprehension Understand written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Science Use scientific methods to solve problems.
Abilities		Finger Dexterity Able to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. Manual Dexterity Able to make quick, coordinated movements of one or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. Arm-Hand Steadiness Able to keep the hand and arm steady while making an arm movement or while holding the arm and hand in one position. Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Related Jobs		Dentist, Dentist, Prosthodontist, Physician, Anesthesiologist, Optometrist, Podiatrist, Technician, Emergency Medical, and Paramedic, Physician Assistant
Job Outlook		Employment of dentists is expected to grow by 21 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average for all occupations. Many members of the baby-boom generation will need complicated dental work. In addition, because each generation is more likely to keep their teeth than past generations, more dental care will be needed in the years to come. Dentists will continue to see an increase in public demand for their services as studies continue to link oral health to overall health. Employment of dentists is not expected to keep pace with the increased demand for dental services. There are still areas of the country where patients have little access to dental care. Whether patients seek care is largely dependent on their insurance coverage. People with new or expanded dental insurance coverage will be more likely to visit a dentist than in the past. Cosmetic dental services, such as teeth-whitening treatments, will become increasingly popular. This trend is expected to continue as new technologies allow for less invasive, faster procedures. Dentists are likely to hire more hygienists and dental assistants to handle routine services. Productivity increases from new technology should allow dentists to reduce the time needed to see each patient. These factors allow the dentist to see more patients when their practices expand. Dentists will continue to provide care and instruction aimed at promoting good oral hygiene, rather than just providing treatments such as fillings.
More Information		American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Dentists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dentists.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-1021.00