Becoming an oral and maxillofacial surgeon is the longest, most competitive path in dentistry: dental school, then a hospital-based surgical residency of at least four years — CODA's minimum, with some programs integrated with a medical degree — followed by board certification from the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS).
It often totals 12 or more years of training after high school.
Here's the path.
The short answer
You become a dentist first, then complete a four-to-six-year hospital-based oral and maxillofacial surgery residency — the longest in dentistry — and pursue ABOMS board certification.
Some integrated programs award an MD alongside the surgical training.
Admission is among the most competitive of any dental specialty.
For how specialty training works in general — CODA accreditation, the match, and boards — see dental residency & board certification.
The step-by-step path
The route runs longer than any other dental specialty:
Earn a bachelor's degree with prerequisites
Complete undergrad with the required sciences and a strong GPA — OMS is highly competitive, so a strong record matters from the start.Complete dental school (DDS or DMD)
Four years of dental school earns a DDS or DMD. Class rank, board scores, and research weigh heavily, because OMS residency admission is the most selective in dentistry.Match into an OMS residency (at least four years)
Apply, typically through a match, to a hospital-based oral and maxillofacial surgery program. These run at least four years — the longest CODA minimum among the dental specialties sourced here — and some are integrated tracks that also award a medical degree (MD). See the CODA-set four-year minimum and 120-week clinical requirement for exactly what the accrediting standard requires.Complete surgical and hospital training
The residency covers dentoalveolar surgery, anesthesia, orthognathic (jaw) surgery, facial trauma, and pathology, with rotations in medicine, anesthesia, and surgery alongside hospital operating-room experience.Earn ABOMS board certification
After residency, most surgeons certify through the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery — voluntary, but a widely recognized standard for the specialty and often expected for hospital privileges.
What it takes — and what it pays
The trade for that long, competitive path is the top pay in dentistry: OMS post a BLS median around $352,220 a year (SOC 29-1022, May 2025), with the range running well past $600,000.
It's demanding training, but among the highest-earning healthcare careers.
For the full role, see what an oral surgeon does.
This article is general career information; pay figures are national BLS averages and vary by source, ownership, and location.