Almost everyone visits the dentist, but there are many instances where you may require the services of a highly specialised Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, or OMS, instead. 

Precision OMS is a leading Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical practice located in Geelong. While we perform many different oral and facial procedures, our focus as an OMS is on the scope of surgery of the face, mouth, teeth and jaws. Our treatments and procedures can help you improve the appearance of your face and smile and increase your overall quality of life.

What is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery involves detecting, diagnosing and treating a variety of issues that may affect your face and bone structure, including the jaws and oral cavity (mouth and teeth).

An OMS is a surgeon who combines medical and dental university-level training to treat common and complex oral and facial problems, such as impacted teeth, replacement of missing teeth with dental implants, head and neck cancers (both benign and malignant), facial trauma and more. Surgeons such as Mr Richard Wood will have had up to 15 years of higher-level training, as well as having accumulated surgical, medical and dental experience through ongoing daily practice. 

An Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon works directly with patients to treat and manage their oral condition, but will also often work in tandem with other specialists – such as orthodontists, plastic surgeons, ear nose and throat surgeons, sleep physicians, oncologists and anaesthetists – depending on the complexity of the treatment or procedure. 

While you can contact an OMS specialist directly, most patients are referred through either their general practitioner (GP), treating specialist or their regular dentist. 

Why use an OMS?

While dentists provide services like teeth cleaning, fillings and other minor oral procedures, complex problems require a more specialised dental professional like an OMS surgeon. If you have any of the oral issues described in the next section, an OMS may be the right choice for you.

Why? An experienced OMS has had extensive training to identify your issue and will either monitor it or put in place a treatment plan that will deliver the ideal outcome which may include surgery. Because Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons are single practitioners with combined oral, dental, medical and surgical expertise, they provide you with specialist-level care within the full scope of facial and oral medical and surgical management options available. 

Using an OMS can be an option for many people, thanks to Australia’s public healthcare system and private health insurance providers. These schemes can provide a rebate on the treatments provided by our surgeons, making it easier than ever to get the right treatment and care for your dental issue.

What type of oral and facial issues do Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons solve?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is a broad surgical subspecialty with a strong background in dentistry. It covers a range of different treatment options and surgery options.

At Precision OMS, our surgeons are highly skilled and accredited, meaning they have the depth of knowledge and expertise required to perform everything from the simplest oral procedures to the most complicated facial and oral surgeries. 

Some of the most common oral or maxillofacial issues our surgeons solve include:

• Dental and oral pain and infection
• Overcrowding and other orthodontic needs – in direct alliance with your treating orthodontist
• Facial balance or bite correction – functional and aesthetic emphasis in combined treatment with orthodontists and plastic/ENT surgeons
• Breathing (airway optimisation) and sleep apnoea issues – in close partnership with sleep physicians
• Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ)
• Single-tooth replacements with dental implants
• Denture retention – implant-borne stabilising options
• Fixed full arch prostheses
• Soft-tissue oral and facial injuries 
• Significant facial and jaw issues, such as fractured facial bones or jaws and knocked-out teeth
• Salivary gland issues
• Urgent or elective removal of wisdom teeth
• Head and neck diseases including cysts, tumours and malignant cancers