Why Choose a Board-Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

When facing an impending oral or facial surgery, choosing a doctor, and more specifically, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, can be overwhelming and confusing. Our doctors, Dieter J. Moya, DDS and Blake D. Maida, DDS, MD at Houston Oral Surgery Associates know that when deciding between one doctor and another, there’s a lot to think about. That’s why we offer you this guide—a list of factors to consider.

The Value of a Specialist

The current climate of finding a provider to provide for your oral surgery needs can be very confusing. Many dental practitioners will claim that they provide “oral surgery” or that they are “oral surgeons”, but only an oral and maxillofacial surgeon has undergone the extensive hospital based surgical, medical, and anesthesia training to be fully trained to ensure your safety & prompt recovery.

The oral and maxillofacial surgeon’s sole focus is oral and maxillofacial surgery, and as specialists, our oral and maxillofacial surgeons at Houston Oral Surgery Associates, have undergone extensive and concentrated surgical training unique to oral and maxillofacial surgery. Furthermore, our oral and maxillofacial surgeons have specialized equipment and materials that are easily accessible and within reach. In fact, offices like ours, stocked with instrumentation specific to oral and maxillofacial surgery, allow for our doctors to perform procedures quickly, accurately, and conveniently. Further optimizing the comfort of your treatment, oral and maxillofacial surgeons are trained and certified to administer a full spectrum of anesthesia. Unlike any other dentist, oral and maxillofacial surgeons rotate with anesthesiologists in a hospital setting for several months during their training.

The Importance of Board Certification

Board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons are diplomates of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery which ensures optimal safety and exceptional care. As board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons, our doctors have completed an additional series of rigorous requirements, from written and oral examinations to a review of their surgical expertise by a panel of peers, proving they have achieved the highest level of competence. Our doctors are committed to lifelong learning and maintain their certifications by continuing to fulfill ongoing professional education requirements provided through national meetings, seminars, lectures, and special courses.

Choosing a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon to perform your oral surgery is choosing the most qualified and highly trained surgeon within a specialty, specifically, the mouth, face and jaw region. This will not only guarantee the best treatment possible, but also ensure a peace of mind that you are truly in the hands of an expert.

The Details of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

The foundation of oral and maxillofacial surgery is dentistry. When our oral surgeons finished dental school, they went on to attain specialty training beyond the expertise of their dental credentials. Oral and maxillofacial surgery is, simply put, mouth surgery and jaw & facial reconstruction, and our doctors have been practicing this unique specialty for many years.

The Particulars of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Training

Dental graduates have the option of choosing a specialty, and some go on to be trained as oral and maxillofacial surgeons. This specialty training includes:

• An additional 4-6 years of medical and hospital training, including:
  • Medical School, MD
  • anesthesiology.
  • internal medicine.
  • emergency medicine.
  • intensive care.
  • general surgery.
  • ENT/plastic surgery.
  • neurosurgery.
• Extended study and skill development of the mouth, face and jaw region.
• Hands-on experience and thorough research and complete analysis of:
  • dental implant surgery.
  • bone grafting.
  • wisdom tooth removal.
  • corrective jaw (orthognathic) surgery.
  • facial trauma.
  • TMJ surgery.
  • pathology & reconstruction.
  • facial cosmetic surgery.