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All dentists attend a four-year dental school prior to receiving their dental degree. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons then spend an additional four to six years intensively training in medicine, surgery, anesthesia and implant dentistry. Some receive medical degrees in the process but all get the same intensive core training in expert third-molar removal, complex-implant placement, jaw surgery, temporomandibular joint and trauma surgery. Following this training, most then submit for written and oral examinations to achieve board certification.

Oral surgery offices are built from the ground up for outpatient surgery and anesthesia rather than general dental care. From anesthesia and safety equipment to patient flow and recovery, the facility is designed for outpatient surgery. All oral-surgery offices undergo onsite examination and certification to ensure office-based anesthesia standards are met. All general dental offices are different, but most necessitate that the traveling dentist bring anesthesia, surgery and safety equipment with each visit. Additionally, while complications are rare, often, patients want the reassurance of a quick unscheduled visit to check in or confirm healing is going well. With most surgeons’ offices staffed full time, there is always an expert available to provide that follow-up care and reassurance. Such accessibility is often not available with traveling providers.

Almost all who can be seen in an office environment can have some form of anesthesia. The type of anesthesia and ideal treatment environment are best discussed with your surgeon at the time of a consultation visit, when your medical history can be discussed in detail.