Oral & Maxillofacial surgery (OMS) is a specialty of dentistry. In Singapore, there are less than 100 oral & maxillofacial surgeons. Oral & maxillofacial surgeons, Like Dr Lim Kheng Ann, go through at least six years of post-graduate training and must pass several milestone examinations before they can apply to be registered as a specialist in the field. At this point, the surgeons are considered junior specialists. They will have to work in a registered hospital for another three to six years before they are conferred institutional “consultant” status.
The field of oral & maxillofacial surgery ranges from simple extractions and surgical removal of buried teeth (including wisdom teeth) to management of facial trauma. In Singapore, oral & maxillofacial surgeons are very well trained in functional cosmetic jaw surgery to correct long and short jaws. This specialty of dentistry does most of its work in close collaboration with other specialties in dentistry. For example, in the field of Dental Implants, the oral & maxillofacial surgeons will perform the complex work of bone grafting to the insertion of the dental implant into the jaw bone. The prosthodontist will then take over to complete the crown portion of the dental implant. This is the traditional method of treatment for dental implants where specialists in dentistry work in tandem with each other.
Oral & maxillofacial surgery was previously a little known specialty in Dentistry, however, in recent years, patients are beginning to be aware of this specialty and will seek out reputable oral & maxillofacial surgeons for their wisdom teeth and dental implant surgeries.
