This dental specialty treats problems related to the hard and soft tissues of your face, mouth, and jaw. You don’t need this type of dental specialist for every kind of oral surgery. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons perform more complex procedures or procedures requiring deep levels of sedation beyond nitrous oxide or laughing gas. In fact, oral surgeons are the only health care professionals, other than anesthesiologists, who administer all levels of sedation. Specialized procedures performed by oral surgeons include tooth extractions, corrective jaw surgery, and cleft lip or cleft palate surgery.
