How to hire an oral surgeon

How to hire an oral surgeon, step by step

Here's a step-by-step oral surgeon hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an oral surgeon job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new oral surgeon
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an oral surgeon do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an oral surgeon, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An oral surgeon's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, oral surgeons from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of oral surgeon salaries for various roles:

   Type of Oral Surgeon	Description	Hourly rate
   Oral Surgeon	Dentists diagnose and treat problems with patients’ teeth, gums, and related parts of the mouth. They provide advice and instruction on taking care of the teeth and gums and on diet choices that affect oral health.	$102-411
   Doctor	A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary... Show more	$50-196
   Oral And Maxillofacial Surgeon	An oral and maxillofacial surgeon is a physician trained in diagnosing and treating diseases, defects, and injuries occurring in the soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial region - face, head, jaws, and neck. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons also handle teeth extractions and dental surgery or operate on cysts and tumors... Show more	$102-413

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Dental Care
   • DMD
   • OSHA
   • Extraction
   • Health Insurance
   • Dental Practice
   • Dental Implants
   • Surgical Procedures
   • Surgical Extractions
   • Surgical Instruments
   • Dental Clinic
   • Patient Data

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all incoming medical records requests (ensuring office is within HIPPA guidelines).
   • Assist oral surgeon with daily dental procedures such as tooth extraction, implant placement, soft tissue surgery.
   • Prepare patients and surgical suite for examinations and surgical procedures.
   • Count needles, instruments and sponges.
   • Follow OSHA and HIPAA rules and regulations.
   • Enter treatment plans into Dentrix computer program.

   More oral surgeon duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the oral surgeon job description is a good way to get more applicants. An oral surgeon salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an oral surgeon in Iowa may be lower than in Vermont, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level oral surgeon. Additionally, an oral surgeon with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average oral surgeon salary

   $427,828yearly

   $205.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level oral surgeon salary

   $213,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average oral surgeon salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Minnesota	$539,590	$259
   2	Alaska	$515,676	$248
   3	Colorado	$452,231	$217
   4	Massachusetts	$451,275	$217
   5	New York	$425,700	$205
   6	Rhode Island	$420,778	$202
   7	Ohio	$394,040	$189
   8	Connecticut	$376,695	$181
   9	North Carolina	$374,308	$180
   10	New Jersey	$372,989	$179
   11	Pennsylvania	$372,565	$179
   12	Missouri	$363,045	$175
   13	Michigan	$361,397	$174
   14	Oklahoma	$338,834	$163
   15	Georgia	$327,607	$158
   16	Alabama	$313,202	$151
   17	Indiana	$305,435	$147
   18	Virginia	$283,650	$136
   19	Texas	$277,644	$133
   20	Illinois	$269,663	$130

   Average oral surgeon salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	SEARHC	$438,899	$211.01	10
   2	Pdc	$418,909	$201.40
   3	Marquee Dental Partners	$418,909	$201.40
   4	Pearl Dental	$418,909	$201.40
   5	Southern Veterinary Partners	$416,709	$200.34
   6	Kyber Network	$412,990	$198.55
   7	Hero Practice Services	$407,850	$196.08
   8	Dental Care Alliance	$389,707	$187.36	53
   9	Gentle Dental	$389,171	$187.10	6
   10	Great Expressions Dental Centers	$386,841	$185.98	12
   11	Aspen Dental	$385,398	$185.29	342
   12	Coast Dental	$381,752	$183.53	20
   13	Kool Smiles	$380,763	$183.06
   14	Pacific Dental Services	$378,785	$182.11	89
   15	Wexford Health Sources	$375,984	$180.76	3
   16	The Arora Group	$371,153	$178.44	78
   17	Heartland Dental	$360,639	$173.38	11
   18	Clear Choice Health Care	$352,708	$169.57	24
   19	Elite Dental Partners	$342,483	$164.66	9
   20	Private Practice	$323,827	$155.69	9

4. Writing an oral surgeon job description

   A job description for an oral surgeon role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an oral surgeon job description:

   Oral surgeon job description example

   Oral Surgeon We are seeking a Part Time Board Eligible or Board-Certified Oral Surgeon for our offices in Nevada . This is a fantastic opportunity for the right Oral Surgeon! At Western Dental & Orthodontics, we are a Dental Home providing a lifetime of services for our patients. Oral Surgeons, like you, support this idea by providing sedation dentistry in our fully-equipped dental facilities along with ACLS-trained staff. At Western Dental, we have a variety of Corporate Support Departments including Billing, Quality Management, Procurement/Facilities, Human Resources, and IT to provide you and the offices you work at administrative and technological support. In the field, our clinical and operational management teams work to ensure your days are scheduled efficiently so you can maximize your production. What we offer:
   • Corporate sedation team support
   • Consistently, fully booked patient schedule
   Our Oral Surgeons are expected to:
   • Partner with other specialists and general dentists to provide sedation dentistry and oral surgery
   • Be able to travel to various dental practices in your area We offer Immigration Sponsoring Programs including: OPT, H-1B, TN, and Green Card in select regions. We offer our Oral Surgeons: Guaranteed Daily Base Rates plus lucrative incentive programs Part time positions available, including 1099 options Company Paid Professional Liability Insurance Company Paid CE courses 401(k) Healthcare benefits for full time providers Qualifications: We'll need you to provide:
   • Current Dental License for the state you wish to practice
   • Oral Surgery Certificate from an accredited U.S. Dental University
   • General Anesthesia Permit
   • Current CPR Card
   • NPI Number
   • DEA Certificate

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find oral surgeons for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your oral surgeon job on Zippia to find and recruit oral surgeon candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit oral surgeons, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new oral surgeon

   Once you've selected the best oral surgeon candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new oral surgeon. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an oral surgeon?