What does an oral surgeon do?
Oral Surgeons consult with patients and analyze patient information to determine the patient's requirements and treatment objectives. They plan treatments by partnering with other professionals like orthodontists and restorative dentists. These professionals record patients' care by keeping comprehensive patient appointment notes relating to test results, prescribed treatments, prescribed tests, and comments. Besides administering local anesthetics and general anesthetics, where necessary, oral surgeons also prescribe medication that can control pain after surgical procedures and improve patient recovery.
Oral surgeon responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real oral surgeon resumes:
- 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.
- Receive payments and enter them in Dentrix ledger.
- Perform alginate and PVS impressions for various treatment needs including partialsand dentures.
- Assist nurse with scheduling MRI's, assist in submitting surgical claims.
- Handle commercial insurance as well as Medicare and Medicaid accounts receivable, denials, appeals and collections.
- Draw all blood work, perform EKG's, chest x rays and any other indicate procedures as ordered.
- Prepare end of day financial statement - prepare bank deposit, print reports, perio charts, and next day schedule.
- Cooperate with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance providers to resolve billing
- Schedule patients, hospital and office surgeries, consultations, post-operative and emergency appointments.
- Board-Certify dermatologist performing Mohs surgery, advance reconstruction, blepharoplasty, liposuction, cosmetic & medical dermatology.
Oral surgeon skills and personality traits
We calculated that 46% of Oral Surgeons are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Dental Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Oral Surgeons that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 46%
Scheduled patients, hospital and office surgeries, consultations, post-operative and emergency appointments.
- Patient Care, 19%
Assisted the surgical team during all facets of patient care.
- Dental Care, 9%
Provided exceptional dental care to active duty navy members
- DMD, 6%
Shadowed for 5 hours Witnessed 4 third molar extractions Observed the procedures for anesthesia Miguel A. Arias, DMD, General Dentist
- OSHA, 5%
Followed OSHA and HIPAA rules and regulations.
- Extraction, 3%
Focused experience in wisdom teeth extractions, with special attention to anxiety and pain management in a private practice setting.
Most oral surgeons use their skills in "patients," "patient care," and "dental care" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential oral surgeon responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an oral surgeon to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "dentists must communicate effectively with patients, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and receptionists." Additionally, an oral surgeon resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "maintained positive and effective communication with patients, doctor, and medical support staff. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform oral surgeon duties is detail oriented. Oral surgeons responsibilities require that "dentists must pay attention to the shape and color of teeth and to the space between them." Oral surgeons also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "supported doctor during surgeries and explained details to patients about surgery and after care. "
Dexterity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of oral surgeons is dexterity. This skill is critical to many everyday oral surgeon duties, as "dentists must be good with their hands." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "observed various periodontal procedures such as gum lifts, laser treatments, and gum grafts as well as sterilization of instruments. "
Leadership skills. For certain oral surgeon responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "leadership skills." The day-to-day duties of an oral surgeon rely on this skill, as "dentists, especially those with their own practices, may need to manage staff or mentor other dentists." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what oral surgeons do: "provided nursing leadership, coordination and support to a private oral and maxillofacial surgeon's office. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for an oral surgeon to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what oral surgeons relies on this skill, since "dentists must evaluate patients’ symptoms and choose the appropriate treatment." How this skill relates to oral surgeon duties can be seen in an example from an oral surgeon resume snippet: "solved many problems with patients accounts if any. "
The three companies that hire the most oral surgeons are:
- Clear Choice Health Care63 oral surgeons jobs
- Aspen Dental59 oral surgeons jobs
- Pacific Dental Services18 oral surgeons jobs
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Compare different oral surgeons
Oral surgeon vs. 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. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an oral surgeon are more likely to require skills like "dds," "dmd," "osha," and "extraction." On the other hand, a job as a doctor requires skills like "customer service," "emergency medicine," "surgery," and "dr." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Doctors really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $178,767. Comparatively, oral surgeons tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $209,921.The education levels that doctors earn slightly differ from oral surgeons. In particular, doctors are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an oral surgeon. Additionally, they're 18.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Oral surgeon vs. Dental service chief
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. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons can also correct disfigurements and injuries to the head, neck, mouth, jaw, and face.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that oral surgeon responsibilities requires skills like "patients," "patient care," "dds," and "dmd." But a dental service chief might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "dental hygiene," "oral hygiene," "dental treatment," and "direct patient care."
In general, dental service chiefs achieve similar levels of education than oral surgeons. They're 4.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 18.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Oral surgeon vs. Oral and maxillofacial surgery
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an oral surgeon is likely to be skilled in "patients," "patient care," "dental care," and "osha," while a typical oral and maxillofacial surgery is skilled in "regulatory agencies," "tmj," "administrative functions," and "private practice."
Most oral and maxillofacial surgeries achieve a similar degree level compared to oral surgeons. For example, they're 3.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 19.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Oral surgeon vs. Oral and maxillofacial surgeon
Even though a few skill sets overlap between oral surgeons and oral and maxillofacial surgeons, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an oral surgeon might have more use for skills like "patient care," "dental care," "dmd," and "health insurance." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of oral and maxillofacial surgeons require skills like "maxillofacial surgeon," "oms," "private practice," and "cpr. "
The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for oral and maxillofacial surgeons, with average annual pay of $215,624. Comparatively, the highest oral surgeon annual salary comes from the health care industry.oral and maxillofacial surgeons reach similar levels of education compared to oral surgeons, in general. The difference is that they're 3.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 9.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of oral surgeon
Updated January 8, 2025
