as an oral surgery resident, I have mixed feelings about posts like this. On one hand, I think it's great that there is a good representation of OMFS as a specialty, as numerous residents from different programs around the country post their opinions. However, I do get a bit worried that we may come off as being a bit too cavalier. My point being, all the talk about oral surgeons making XX million dollars per year, who can extract 4 FBI in 20 minutes....things like this can potentially rub a lot of the practicing dentists and the dental students on this forum the wrong way. Guys, we have to remember that OMFS is a referral practice. Patients don't, on avg anyway, go on the phone book, look for oral & maxillofacial surgeon listings to get their wisdom teeth out. They normally go to their family dentists and do whatever they tell them to do. If the GP wants to take 1.5 hrs, and dig into the mandible under local anesthesia to get the wizzies out, most patients will comply. If the GP wants to refer the pt out to an oral surgeon becasue he/she likes us, trusts us and looks out for the best interest of the patient, then more power to us...That's just the fact. The last thing we want our referral colleagues to think that (1) we are arrogant bastards, (2) we are getting massively rich of their referrals, and (3) that we think that we are better than them. I think we'd all be much better off if our colleagues think that, although financially comfortable, we can always afford to see more patients because we are not millionaires. We should be focusing more on how we can form a stronger alliance with our dental colleagues rather than alienating them by discussing our surgical prowess, which I assure you they are probably not that interested in.
Seriously, only those of us who are in the field know just how amazing this specialty is. No one, outside of the field, regardless of how many offices they worked or shadowed in, how many oral surgeons they've talked to etc will truly know what OMFS as a specialty is like. We shouldn't have to advertise how great OMFS is as a career. Let the ones who have the will to get thru residency find out for themselves. I think certain things should be 'trade secret' and I think income should be one of them. Besides, I'd much rather have GP's thinking that the periodontists are the ones who are getting truly rich off of their referrals, not us hard working oral surgeons.
BTW, no one should take the ADA income figure too seriously. How many guys out there do you think ACTUALLY reports how much they make? You don't think after all the tax loop holes and etc, that teh income may be a lot higher than what they report? For example, some guys who have their practice as a LLC write themselves a paycheck, and consider this as a practice expense write off....
in the garage.
