How to become an oral surgeon: the longest dental path
Oral & maxillofacial surgery is the longest, most competitive, and highest-paid path in dentistry. Here's the full route — through dental school and a multi-year surgical residency, sometimes with a medical degree — and where the pay stands.
Oral & maxillofacial surgeons operate on the mouth, jaws, and face — extractions and implants through corrective jaw surgery and facial trauma. It's the most surgical dental specialty, the longest to train for, and the best paid. Here's what the path actually requires.
Step 1–3: Undergrad, DAT, and dental school
Like every dental specialty, it begins with the general path: roughly four years of undergraduate study with the science prerequisites, the DAT, and four years of dental school for a DDS or DMD — detailed in how to become a dentist. OMS is among the most competitive specialties to match into, so strong dental-school performance and the CBSE (a medical-science exam OMS programs use) matter enormously.
Step 4: OMS residency (4–6+ years)
This is where the path diverges from every other specialty. Oral & maxillofacial surgery residencies are hospital-based and long:
- 4-year certificate track — a focused surgical residency producing a board-eligible oral surgeon.
- 6-year dual-degree track — integrates medical school and awards an MDalongside the surgical training, for the broadest scope. It's longer and highly competitive.
Both involve extensive rotations in anesthesia, general surgery, and medicine, reflecting the specialty's genuine surgical and hospital footprint.
Why it pays the most
The pay reflects the training and the work: the longest, most selective path in dentistry; a real surgical scope including trauma; and a small pool of providers relative to demand. Oral surgery sits at or near the very top of dental pay, well above the general-dentist median of about $170,950 (BLS OEWS May 2025). See the verified figure on the oral surgeon salary page, the head-to-head with orthodontics in oral surgeon vs. orthodontist, and the specialty landscape in the highest-paying dental specialties. (One honesty note: the very top dental figures are frequently "top-coded" — reported as at-or-above a ceiling — so read them as a floor.)
Is it worth it?
Oral surgery is for people genuinely drawn to surgery and willing to invest more than a decade of training. The income ceiling is the highest in the field, but it's the reward for the hardest path — choose it for the work, and let the verified pay confirm the decision.
Frequently asked questions
How many years does it take to become an oral surgeon?
It's the longest path in dentistry — commonly 12–14+ years after high school: about four years of undergrad, four years of dental school, then a four-to-six-year hospital-based oral & maxillofacial surgery residency. Many programs are 'dual-degree,' awarding an MD alongside the surgical training, which extends the timeline further.
Do oral surgeons go to medical school?
Sometimes. Oral & maxillofacial surgery residencies come in two forms: a 4-year certificate track and a 6-year dual-degree track that includes medical school and an MD. Both produce board-eligible oral surgeons; the dual-degree path is longer and common for those pursuing the broadest surgical scope.
Why is oral surgery the highest-paid dental specialty?
Oral & maxillofacial surgery combines the longest, most competitive training, a genuine surgical scope (including hospital and trauma work), and real scarcity of providers. That's why it sits at or near the very top of dental pay — well above the general-dentist median of about $170,950 (BLS OEWS May 2025). Note that the top specialty figures are often reported only as a floor.
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