Oral & maxillofacial2 min read

What oral and maxillofacial surgery involves

A specialty that sits between medicine and dentistry, covering the mouth, jaws, face and neck. What it treats, and who it is for.

Stone Surgical ArtsOriginally published May 1, 2024Updated September 9, 2026

Perspective from Stone Surgical Arts

Oral and maxillofacial surgery is often described by its best-known procedure, wisdom tooth removal, which gives an incomplete picture. The specialty covers the mouth, jaws, face and neck, and the training behind it is longer than either a dental or a medical degree alone.

A thought to keep

If a concern involves the jaws, the bite or the facial bones, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon is the specialist trained to assess it.

What the specialty covers

Oral and maxillofacial surgery diagnoses and treats conditions of the mouth, jaws, face and neck. That includes the teeth and the bone that holds them, the jaw joints, and the hard and soft tissue of the face.

Surgeons in this field complete training beyond dental school, and in many cases a medical degree as well. The range is deliberately wide: the same specialty handles a single extraction and a reconstruction of the facial skeleton.

Between medicine and dentistry

Much of the work happens alongside other clinicians. An orthodontist may align the teeth before and after jaw surgery; a restorative dentist may place the crown on an implant the surgeon positioned.

That coordination is the point rather than an inconvenience. A plan that addresses the bite, the bone and the appearance together tends to hold up better than one that treats any of them in isolation.

The procedures most often involved

Common reasons for referral include impacted teeth, dental implants and the bone grafting that sometimes precedes them, correction of jaw position where the bite and facial balance are affected, repair of facial injuries, and the assessment of cysts, lesions and other growths.

Not every one of these is offered at every practice. Ask which procedures a surgeon performs regularly, and what they would refer elsewhere.

Function and appearance together

Many of these procedures change how the face looks as well as how it works, because the bones being treated give the face its shape. Correcting a jaw position to improve chewing also alters the profile.

It is worth saying which of the two matters more to you. A plan built around function and a plan built around appearance can differ, and a surgeon can only weigh them if you have said so.

Adapted from the Stone Surgical Arts archive and updated for clarity. This article offers general information; an individual consultation is needed for treatment advice.