When to see an oral surgeon vs a dentist

Patients in West Palm Beach are sometimes sent to an oral surgeon without being told why the dentist’s chair was not enough. Other times they stay in a general practice too long because no one wanted to “lose” the procedure. This is a practical split, not a ranking.

What your dentist already does well

A general dentist is the quarterback of your mouth: cleanings, fillings, crowns, night guards, and many simple extractions. They see you twice a year. They notice the white patch. They decide when a tooth is restorable. If you need a crown on a healthy implant, that crown usually belongs with your dentist, not with the surgeon who placed the fixture.

What oral and maxillofacial surgeons add

An oral and maxillofacial surgeon trains for years after dental school in surgery of the mouth, jaws, and face, including anesthesia. Dr. Chad Curtis completed that training at the University of Cincinnati after a D.D.S. from Columbia. The extra training shows up when a tooth is under bone, when an implant needs a graft, when a lesion needs a biopsy, or when you want IV sedation.

• Impacted wisdom teeth
• Broken roots and surgical extractions
• Dental implants and full-arch surgery
• Jaw procedures that are skeletal, not just dental

Gray areas that deserve a conversation

Some dentists place implants beautifully. Some oral surgeons restore them. The honest model in this office is surgical placement by Dr. Curtis and restoration by your dentist — unless your dentist asks for a different split. What you do not want is two offices assuming the other person is managing the bite.

Sedation is another gray area. A short pill in a dental office helps many people. A long full-arch case is a different anesthetic problem. If your medical history is complicated, a hospital-campus OMS office is often the safer room.

How to decide this week

If your dentist referred you, go. They saw something they do not want to manage alone. If you are comparing plans on your own, you can request a consult at an independent practice. Bring the films. Do not upload them to a website.

If the issue is a cavity or a chipped front tooth, call your dentist. If the issue is a numb lip, a growing jaw lesion, or a third molar against a nerve, call an oral surgeon.

What an independent office changes about the referral

Dr. Chad Curtis will call the restorative dentist if the plan changes mid-stream. That is the value of an independently owned practice on a hospital campus: a medical setting and a short line back to the office that referred you.

If you are a dentist reading this, the referring doctors page is the short version of how we like to work — imaging sent the usual way, notes written for clinicians.

A last distinction that confuses people: “oral surgeon” and “oral and maxillofacial surgeon” are the same specialty in ordinary conversation. Maxillofacial just names the jaws and face. It does not mean every visit is a hospital reconstructive case. Most days in West Palm Beach are wisdom teeth, implants, and extractions. The longer training is why those ordinary days are safer when they stop being ordinary.