You're an overachiever that isn't satisfied with just being a dentist and want the extra degree of surgical expertise.

Let's debunk the public perception myths and give it to you straight.

This is the reality of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Dr jabal med school insiders dot com.

Welcome to our next installment.

And so you want to be in this series, We highlight a specific specialty within medicine such as oral and maxillofacial surgery and help you decide if it's a good fit for you.

You can find the other specialties on our so you want to be playlist if you want to vote in upcoming polls to decide what future specialties we cover.

Make sure you're subscribed.

If you'd like to see what being an oral and maxillofacial surgeon looks like check out my second channel kevin gable MD.

Where we'll be covering a day in the life of an O.

M.

F.

S.

In the future.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery or O.

M.

F.

S for short is a sub specialty of dentistry that focuses on the surgical management of the face, jaw and oral cavity.

When most people think of O.

M.

F.

S.

The first things that come to mind are wisdom teeth extractions and dental implants.

Although these are a large part of what and oh Mfs does their actual scope is much broader to start all O.

M.

F surgeons are trained extensively in administering anesthesia.

They learn everything from establishing and maintaining intravenous lines to managing airways to performing endotracheal intubation.

They're also taught how to manage any complications or emergencies that might occur during anesthesia administration.

For this reason it is very common for MFS in the outpatient setting to simultaneously serve two roles being both surgeon and anesthetist.

The surgical scope of MFS also goes beyond what many expect.

Omf surgeons perform a variety of reconstructive and corrective surgeries both individually and as part of an interdisciplinary healthcare team when treating oral and oral pharyngeal cancers for example and O.

M.

F surgeon may work alongside a plastic surgeon and a head and neck trained E.

M.

T.

To remove the lesion and reconstruct the area.

They also perform a variety of corrective jaw surgeries to treat issues resulting from facial deformities.

TMJ disorder or Malik Lucien's a great example of this is Orson ethic surgery where they manipulate the positioning of the max ella and mandible to treat conditions like Malik luge in and sleep apnea.

Mfs can perform emergent surgeries for life threatening conditions such as Ludwig is angina and like other surgical specialties they split their time between procedures and consultations.

Those that work in an academic center will further divide their time between academic responsibilities such as teaching and research.

This brings us to an important method of differentiating and MF surgeons practice in the academic setting.

Omf surgeons will on average see more complex and emergent cases compared to community or private practice settings.

Presenting concerns include severe head and neck infections, orbital floor fractures with extra ocular muscle entrapment and gunshot wounds to the face, all of which require immediate surgical intervention.

True emergencies like these are rare though.

And at most hospitals, facial trauma call is split between some combination of MFS plastic surgery and E N.

T.

Community practices are few and far between.

The majority of RMF surgeons work in private practice here.

They will typically see less complexity compared to the academic setting in general.

They will also receive higher compensation and have greater flexibility in their hours.

For this reason, it is common for many O.

M.

F surgeons in academia or community to only work part time and split their time with private practice.

Oh, MFS is an often misunderstood field, many people associated with just pulling teeth.

However, the procedures that NMFS perform can be complex and can have a significant impact on their patient's day to day life.

It's not uncommon to confuse O M F S E N T and plastic surgery given the high degree of overlap.

While somewhat of an oversimplification.

Think of E N.

T surgeons as the masters of complex work deep inside the head and neck region such as cancer receptions.

Think of plastic surgeons as masters of soft tissue from one end of the spectrum helping E N.

T.

S with coverage after cancer resection through complex flaps to pioneering facial aesthetics on the other end and think of MFS as the masters of anything related to the teeth or temporal mandibular joint or TMJ, The path to MFS starts with completing dental school.

If you want to get involved in a similar line of work through the medical school track.

Check out E.

N.

T.

Also known as otolaryngology which we've covered any previous.

So you want to be episode after dental school.

There are two pathways to becoming an O.

M.

F.

S.

The four year program and the six year dual degree program.

Both will certify you to practice as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

However the six year degree will also grant you an MD.

In terms of the curriculum between four and six year degree programs, there is a high degree of variability depending on the particular program.

In general six year degree programs will have longer surgical rotations, plus added time spent on medical school coursework.

In fact with these added obligations it's very much possible that six year degree programs will give you less oral surgery experience than four year programs.

Oh MFS is competitive as a dental school specialty applicants to both four and six year programs tend to be at the top of their class during dental school.

It is also the only dental specialty that requires studying for and taking the comprehensive basic science exam or CBS.

C.

Which is essentially an abbreviated US Emily step one exam.

So in addition to studying for dental exams and dental boards like everyone else.

Oh fFS aspirants will need to additionally prepare for this test.

The average cbsI score for students accepted into MFS programs is 68.9 which is equivalent to about 1 95 to 200 on us.

Emily step one.

According to data from the national matching service.

In 2021 only approximately 48% of applicants match into either four or six year old MFS residency programs, applicants that don't match the first time around have three options.

The first and increasingly common option is to do a non categorical internship year offered by an MFS residency program and apply again.

Alternatively students can spend this gap.

You're practicing dentistry or completing a one year general practice residency before applying again.

The good news is that dental school is more attainable than medical school.

The average dental school matriculate has a G.

P.

A.

Of 3.5 and composite D.

A.

T.

Score of 20 which is around the 75th percentile.

In comparison the average MD matriculate will have a G.

P.

A.

Of 3.7 and M.

Cat score of 5 11 which is in the 88th percentile if you want to learn more about how competitive medical school and dental school are and how they stack up against other professional schools.

I made a video explaining the differences link in the description after completing Oh MFS residency.

You can further sub specialized with fellowship.

There are three main fellowship options.

Head and neck oncology, facial cosmetics and cleft and cranial maxillofacial surgery.

Even then most fellowship trained surgeons will still perform basic MFS procedures as well.

Head and neck oncology is a two year fellowship focusing on the ablation and reconstruction of malignant tumors of the head and neck with special attention to the oral cavity, salivary glands and maxillofacial complex.

This fellowship also provides training and microvascular reconstruction of note.

This fellowship is more commonly completed by E.

N.

T.

Surgeons.

Then bio MFS facial cosmetics is a one year fellowship that provides additional experience with facial cosmetic procedures including face lift, blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty, cleft and cranial maxillofacial surgery is a one year fellowship providing surgical experience in treating cleft lip and palate, craniofacial surgery and other major facial deformities of note.

Most craniofacial fellowship trained surgeons are plastic surgeons which we've covered any separate so you want to be episode.

There's a lot to love about the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

O.

M.

F surgeons see the full spectrum of patients from young to old and healthy too sick.

The types of cases that they see are also for the most part fairly routine procedures like dental extractions.

Dental implants, biopsies, infections, arthur synthesis guided bone regeneration and trigger point injections are the bread and butter of MFS.

Like most other surgical specialties.

Oh MFS offers near instant gratification and treatment of ailments whether relieving pain from TMJ disorder or restoring function through dental implants and orthodontic surgery.

Most MFS procedures have favorable outcomes and mortality is low job satisfaction is high amongst um F surgeons in one survey, approximately 84% reported satisfaction with their career and 77% reported they would choose a career at MFS again.

Oh, MF surgeons are highly compensated even with respect to other specialized dental and medical fields, making an average of $465,000 per year.

It's important to note that the majority of MFS work in private practice and those working in academic or community settings will often receive lower compensation.

Private practice also provides greater independence, which often translates to prioritizing shorter and more straightforward cases to boost compensation.

That being said.

Um FS is not for everyone.

The private practice route, which is common amongst MFS requires running a business and the additional administrative work and complexity that is associated with that.

Like many other surgical specialties, the training to become an MF surgeon is long and comes with additional opportunity cost.

Unlike the medical school pathway, residency isn't required after dental school, that means rather than going out to practice as a general dentist and making a solid income, you'll instead be committing an additional 4 to 6 years for O.

M.

F.

S.

Residency.

Oh MFS residency is also highly competitive with only 48% of applicants getting accepted each cycle diversity in the field has historically been lacking with regards to gender.

The field is 87% dominated by men.

This has started to change in recent years with higher proportions of female students being accepted into MFS residencies.

However, as it stands now, the reality is that most um if surgeons are men at the end of the day, how can you decide if nmFS is a good fit for you?

If you're set on working in the oral and maxillofacial region, then um FS can be a great fit if your life outside of medicine is important to you.

Oh, MFS can provide the flexibility to perform surgery while still having time for your own family and interests.

If you love camaraderie and pride yourself in being a leader amongst leaders.

You will appreciate the fact that general dentists and dental specialists will often turn to you for help and advice.

That being said you should only pursue all MFS.

If you are truly certain you want to work in the oral and maxillofacial region.

Over 50% of medical students end up changing their minds about what specialty to pursue during medical school.

Since oh, MFS requires going to dental school instead of medical school.

Your options are limited If you decide, oh mfs isn't for you going, the medical school route can offer you more flexibility while still allowing you to do similar work as an E.

N.

T surgeon.

Big shout out to Dr Michael Bennish.

Ooh!

Oh mFS Resident at Brooklyn Hospital Center for helping me in the creation of this video.

If you do decide to pursue medical school, it's hi ry to work with experts who can help you craft the strongest medical school or residency application.

As you look at resources and companies to work with, seek out those who are actual MD physicians, not PhD or other types of doctors that didn't go to medical school.

Look for those who have achieved stellar results themselves, a track record of success with positive ratings from customers and a systemic approach.

So, you know, you'll always receive high quality service.

If you decide on med school insiders, we love to be a part of your journey in becoming a future physician visit us on medical Insiders dot com.

Thank you all so much for watching.

If you enjoyed this video, check out our so you want to be an E N.

T.

Or another specialty on our so you want to be playlist.

Much love and I'll see you guys there.

Mhm.