What You'll Do

  • Administer general and local anesthetics.
  • Remove impacted, damaged, and non-restorable teeth.
  • Evaluate the position of the wisdom teeth to determine whether problems exist currently or might occur in the future.
  • Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.
  • Perform surgery to prepare the mouth for dental implants and to aid in the regeneration of deficient bone and gum tissues.
  • Remove tumors and other abnormal growths of the oral and facial regions, using surgical instruments.
  • Treat infections of the oral cavity, salivary glands, jaws, and neck.
  • Treat problems affecting the oral mucosa, such as mouth ulcers and infections.
  • Provide emergency treatment of facial injuries including facial lacerations, intra-oral lacerations, and fractured facial bones.
  • Perform surgery on the mouth and jaws to treat conditions such as cleft lip, cleft palate, and jaw growth problems.

Essential Skills

Complex Problem Solving 4.12/5
Judgment and Decision Making 4.12/5
Reading Comprehension 4.0/5
Critical Thinking 4.0/5
Active Listening 3.88/5
Speaking 3.88/5
Active Learning 3.88/5
Monitoring 3.88/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.75/5
Coordination 3.62/5
Writing 3.5/5
Science 3.5/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Dependability, Cautiousness, Stress Tolerance, Self-Control

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Arm-Hand Steadiness 4.25/5
Finger Dexterity 4.12/5
Near Vision 4.12/5
Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Problem Sensitivity 4.0/5
Deductive Reasoning 4.0/5
Inductive Reasoning 4.0/5

Technologies & Tools

Ada Apteryx Imaging Suite DecisionBase TiME for OMS DentalEye Dolphin Imaging & Management Solutions Dolphin Management DSN Software Oral Surgery-Exec Gendex Dental Systems VixWin PRO Kodak Dental Systems Kodak Cosmetic Imaging Module Operating system software Planmeca Oy Dimaxis Sirona SIDEXIS XG

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.95/5)
  • Cautiousness (High importance: 4.75/5)
  • Stress Tolerance (High importance: 4.7/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 4.67/5)

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How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Dental Surgeon Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) Maxillofacial Surgeon Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon (OMS) Oral Surgeon Surgeon