What is Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is the surgical specialty that includes the surgical and adjunctive treatment of diseases, injuries, and defects involving both the functional and esthetic aspects of the hard and soft tissues of the head and neck areas.

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons go through a rigorous and extensive training process, which takes 8-10 years to complete. Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) training begins after the completion of dental school. Only the most qualified candidates are accepted into OMFS hospital-based residency programs. OMFS residency requires 4-6 years of
hospital-based training. It includes extensive training in the head and neck region in addition to the oral cavity. OMFS training also includes medical rotations such as anesthesia, pediatric anesthesia, pediatric surgery, internal medicine, emergency medicine, general surgery, trauma surgery, and cosmetic surgery. OMFS residents receive training in the administration of inpatient and outpatient anesthesia and are required to administer thousands of anesthetics during their residency training.

OMFS is a surgical specialty that involves both dental and medical surgical procedures. It diagnoses and treats diseases, deformities, injuries, and cosmetic defects of the facial and oral region. Many of the procedures are performed on an outpatient basis in an ambulatory surgical setting. These procedures include the removal of teeth, placement of dental implants, bone grafting, biopsies, pathology management, and procedures to facilitate orthodontic treatment. Other OMFS surgeries are performed as inpatient procedures, which are completed in a hospital operating room setting. These procedures include orthognathic surgery (to correct jaw malocclusion problems), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery, treatment of facial trauma, management of cleft lip and palate deformities, and treatment of tumors of the jaw and face.

Dr. VanHoose and Dr.Orzel have extensive hospital-based training in the delivery of inpatient and outpatient general anesthesia and intravenous sedation. Our staff is trained in assisting with surgery and anesthesia under the guidelines of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS). Both of our state-of-the-art offices are set up to provide surgical treatment in a safe and comfortable setting. Patients are continuously monitored during and after surgery. Dr. VanHoose and Dr. Orzel are members in good standing with the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and the Michigan Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (MSOMS).

Dr. VanHoose and Dr. Orzel are board certified and are Diplomates with the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS).