In the event of a traumatic accidents, oral surgery may be required to repair broken or fractured jaws and other facial bones. When pain and swelling appear in the face, neck or jaws, a consultation with a specialist can be key to the fast identification and treatment of any underlying, and potentially life-threatening, infections. Treatment is such cases can include the surgical draining of an infected area.

You’ve more than likely seen heartbreaking images of children in the Third World who have been born with cleft lips and palates. That’s not to say it only happens in impoverished places. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 2,650 babies are born with a cleft palate and 4,440 babies are born with a cleft lip (with or without a cleft palate) each year in the U.S. Those occur when a child’s mouth and nasal cavity don’t grow together properly prior to birth, resulting in a gap of the upper lip, the roof of the mouth or both. It takes a team of specialists a good deal of time to treat cleft lips and plates—and oral surgeons are vital members of those teams.