Maxillofacial Surgery
Maxillofacial surgery is a speciality in dentistry that surgically treats areas around the mouth, jaws and head and neck. Patients with severely impacted wisdom teeth, facial pain, facial deformities etc are referred to a maxillofacial surgeon as such cases cannot be treated with orthodontics or simple dental procedures. Typically, aspirants wanting to pursue this speciality need to attend an additional residency for maxillofacial surgery after dental school. Since the face has many important nerves running through it, training is rigorous and it can take several years before a doctor may sit for medical board exams or before he/she is declared safe to practice. Training for maxillofacial surgery includes reconstructive surgery, so that the surgeon can rebuild areas of the face that are damaged. Maxillofacial surgeons are also adept at correcting congenital deformities of the face and functionally and cosmetically refining the face after accidents or trauma.
