Big Buck Dentistry - OMS

OMS (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery) is the highest paid and most demanding dental specialty. They are part of the top three highest-paid professions, averaging at about $220,000 a year. These dentists are not only dentist, but also medical doctors with specialty. A minimum of twelve years (maximum 15) of post-high school education is required to become an OMS. In addition to four years of both college and dental school, you are required to complete a minimum of four years of hospital surgical residency. After this, all surgeons must pass a board exam and obtain a license to practice in the state of their choosing.
AAOMS (American Association of Oral & Maxilliofacial Surgeons) is the official website supporting the Association of Oral & Maxillofacial surgeons. Here, you will find information about the OMS specialty, organization information, online questionnaire and career enhancement resources. 

According to aaoms.org, OMS specialists "care for patients with problem wisdom teeth, facial pain, and misaligned jaws. They treat accident victims suffering facial injuries, place dental implants, care for patients with oral cancer, tumors and cysts of the jaws, and perform facial cosmetic surgery." An oral surgeon must have specialized knowledge in pain control and advanced training in anesthesia. They must be able to provide quality care with maximum ptient comfort and safety in the office setting. 

This video, produced by AAOMS, does a great job of describing Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery to the viewer. They describe the work conditions, the schooling required, the pros and cons, and overall lifestyle of an Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon. The video provides multiple examples of OMS procedures and shows before and after pictures of multiple different patients that have undergone reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgery.

The work conditions and hours tend to vary a lot and these surgeons are often on call for all hours of the day. This specialty does not support a leisurely and predictable lifestyle, but it extremely rewarding. The usual work setting is in a hospital or outpatient clinic. In extreme cases they can work over 80 hours per week. The work environment is indoors with temperatures in the operating room kept cool. In addition to emergency surgery, they also participate in corrective jaw surgery and a variety of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. 

This is an example of the type of reconstructive and cosmetic surgery that many Oral & Maxillofacial surgeons perform.