Question about oral surgery vs dentistry

[IllegalSeal]

I am just curious about the benefits of each career path. I am interested in both, and my father is a rather successful GP. If I chose the dental route, I would just step into his office, if not that path I would go for oral surgery. One of the things I find the most interesting is implants, and my question is about the benefits of going into oral surgery over dentistry, as it seems that most dentists now are able to do extractions and implants just as easily as an oral surgeon? I mean wouldn’t if just be less time consuming and ultimately more profitable to just step into my dads practice? Especially if GP’s can essentially do all of the same stuff?

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[omfsing]

I am just curious about the benefits of each career path. I am interested in both, and my father is a rather successful GP. If I chose the dental route, I would just step into his office, if not that path I would go for oral surgery. One of the things I find the most interesting is implants, and my question is about the benefits of going into oral surgery over dentistry, as it seems that most dentists now are able to do extractions and implants just as easily as an oral surgeon? I mean wouldn’t if just be less time consuming and ultimately more profitable to just step into my dads practice? Especially if GP’s can essentially do all of the same stuff?

You have a lot to learn young Padawan. Focus on school and explore oral surgery clinic once you’re there. Omfs is much much more than taking out teeth and putting in implants, and no one does it better than us (and if they tell that to you they’re wrong because they can’t handle the complications to the extent we can).

 

[Eli Manning]

There is more to omfs than extractions and implants. Facial trauma, pathology, orthognathic, tmj surgery, cleft lip, anesthesia, etc. If all you’re interested in is implants and the other stuff doesn’t interest you then general dentistry might be a better fit

 

[Captain Underplants]

If you’re only interested in implants and extractions and have the option of joining a family practice I would definitely stay as a GP. If you’re interested in being a superstar OMFS who occasionally does implants and surgical exts that’s a different story.

 

[White_Sponge_Nevus]

There is more to omfs than extractions and implants. Facial trauma, pathology, orthognathic, tmj surgery, cleft lip, anesthesia, etc. If all you’re interested in is implants and the other stuff doesn’t interest you then general dentistry might be a better fit

I love that picture of Eli Manning

 

[Localnative]

I am just curious about the benefits of each career path. I am interested in both, and my father is a rather successful GP. If I chose the dental route, I would just step into his office, if not that path I would go for oral surgery. One of the things I find the most interesting is implants, and my question is about the benefits of going into oral surgery over dentistry, as it seems that most dentists now are able to do extractions and implants just as easily as an oral surgeon? I mean wouldn’t if just be less time consuming and ultimately more profitable to just step into my dads practice? Especially if GP’s can essentially do all of the same stuff?

Think you answered your own question. And if you screw up, you can refer me the complication. We all have to eat.

By the way, don't listen to Eli. He's D league.

 

[TanMan]

I am just curious about the benefits of each career path. I am interested in both, and my father is a rather successful GP. If I chose the dental route, I would just step into his office, if not that path I would go for oral surgery. One of the things I find the most interesting is implants, and my question is about the benefits of going into oral surgery over dentistry, as it seems that most dentists now are able to do extractions and implants just as easily as an oral surgeon? I mean wouldn’t if just be less time consuming and ultimately more profitable to just step into my dads practice? Especially if GP’s can essentially do all of the same stuff?

If you already have a successful GP practice waiting for you, why not utilize what's available to you now? If you really really love oral surgery, then go for it, but remember that it's an additional 4-6 years of lost income/youth (and you already have a headstart with a producing practice!). You don't need to be an oral surgeon to do 3rds and implants, but an average oral surgeon can definitely do them quicker and better than your average GP. Now, I say average because there are some really bad OS's out there, but most that I've worked with are stellar clinicians. As the oral surgeons/residents have chimed in, an OS can definitely manage complications a lot better, but you shouldn't be doing those cases as a GP anyway (risk v. reward). On the flip side, there's some OS's that will claim that GP's should NOT do any implants or thirds, are the ones that I would avoid because they are the ones that are more likely to talk trash about any work that you perform. Everyone becomes better with experience... but oral surgeons have a deeper foundation of knowledge to pull from when it comes to dealing with the problems that can come from both 3rd's and implants.

Moral of the story: As a GP, do the easy ones, leave the hard ones for the OS. Make more money with less headache. Build a positive relationship with your specialists and don't use them as a dumping ground for your mess ups or cherry picking (i.e doing upper thirds, leaving lower thirds for the OS - unless the patient is in severe pain in one tooth, just give the whole case to the OS so that the patient doesn't have to go through the pain twice). I think this is where a lot of the specialist's animosity comes from towards GP's.