What Is OMFS

4 years of dental school, 4-6 years of residency, and beyond...

Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) combines the art of dentistry with bony reconstruction and soft tissue management. The bread and butter of OMFS - dentoalveolar - entails implant placement, preprosthetic surgery, extractions and orthognathic surgery. This is commonly referred to as teeth and titanium. Our scope does not end there. OMFS includes the following subspecialties:

1. Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ-D): we treat patients with TMJ-D that may severely affect their quality of life. These types of procedures range from non-invasive, like botox injections, to TMJ replacement

2. Craniofacial: patients with cleft lip/palate, craniosynostosis, hemifacial microsomia and congenital anomalies such as Crouzon, Apert, Pfieffer

3. Microvascular and oncologic: head and neck cancer, soft tissue flaps, fibula free flaps to reconstruct the jaw and restore function

4. Trauma: midface fractures, nasal bone fractures, orbital floor or frontal bone fractures

5. Cosmetics: rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, genioplasty, gender affirmation surgery...

But this barely scratches the surface. We collaborate closely with dental specialists, ENT surgeons, neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons and other specialists. We have one goal in mind. The ability to restore an individual's structure and function, confidence, quality of life, and the way that they show up as themselves every day... calling it a privilege would be an understatement. Follow along to hear about the process of OMFS applications, experience in dental school and residency, Q&A's, day in the life, and all the future endeavors.

My biggest inspiration for pursuing OMFS is my mom, a refugee from the Soviet Union. She came to the US in the 90's determined to establish a career in dentistry, opportunities for her children and instill the thought that anything is possible as long as you have grit and family. She graduated from NYU College of Dentistry and began practicing in the city with boundless limits. 

From a young age, I spent hours in my mom's office, drawing on patient's charts, playing with impression material and admiring her dedication to the craft. When I was a little kid, I saw my mom as having a double identity - I saw the positive effect that she had on her patients. By establishing interpersonal, trusting connections, envisioning an individualized treatment plan she would custom-make with golden hands, she accomplished the restoration of confidence and improved quality of life for her patients day by day. 

As soon as the white coat came off, she showed up as a mom, a wife and a daughter. She made me believe that incorporating your dream career into your dream life is possible. Objectively, she is a superhero and the reason I aim beyond my deemed potential. 

While working alongside my mom during my college gap year, a new patient was scheduled for an oral cancer consult. Patient WC presented as a seemingly typical middle-aged man; I would not have noted any issue had it not been for his speech. Slurping with every few words, and lacking the ability to enunciate letters, the patient laughed, made jokes and sarcastic remarks. Upon intraoral exam, however, I realized that WC was far from ordinary. His tongue had been reconstructed using forearm tissue and his mandible grafted using his own fibula. Learning about his experience, I became infatuated with the art of surgery. So I followed in my mom's footsteps. 

The second I showed up to NYU, I walked directly into the oral surgery clinic and became a sponge. I followed the "see one, do one, teach one" method... hundreds of times. Every patient was different, thus treatment plans were different, techniques were different, but the outcome was the same - restore quality of life and absorb as much as possible in the process. As for WC, my mom fabricated a prosthesis in conjunction with an oral surgeon to restore his dentition. Surgery makes the impossible feasible; a patient who could not bear another day, is now smiling, eating and making sarcastic remarks. 

Commitment to the surgical profession is lifelong, requiring immense dedication and boundless learning. I am wholeheartedly invested in the art that rids patients of pain and restores function. To this day, WC is in remission. The Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery team turned his dread to bear another day into a will to live. The power that lies in a healthcare provider's hands is astronomical.

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