While oral and maxillofacial surgeons offer a wide variety of services including preparation for dentures or braces, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder management, and other preparatory or preventive treatments, caring for patients following dental trauma is one of our primary purposes. During the additional training completed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, the majority of dentists spend time completing residency in a hospital setting. This hospital training gives dentists the opportunity to familiarize themselves with traumatic facial injuries and their treatments. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons are often referred to as the link between dentistry and medicine, and this idea is never more clear than it is when treating traumatic oral or maxillofacial injuries in conjunction with general dentists and physicians. The goal of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and most general dental practitioners and medical doctors, is to provide patients the highest quality treatment to restore natural look, feel, and function.
(more…)