My husband is going to be an oral surgeon

Hi everyone! I have been married to my husband for 6 years now. We have 2 wonderful boys. We made it through dental school and my husband has been working for a temp agency, covering for Dallas dentists as they go on vacation, maternity leave, etc. The pay has been very good, and this has been something for him to do while he looked for an optimum location for his own practice. Now, however, he is putting starting his own practice on hold to go back to school for oral surgery. I want him to be happy, but I am super stressed about this! I am a stay at home mom, so I am worried about money. I came here to commiserate and find support. Looking forward to getting to know other people's stories.

[diggitydot]

Welcome to the group! Feel free to post often. We get it.

[Momo]

Hello& welcome!
Well you have found just the place to get you through his surgical training & beyond! Stick around & post often

[ides]

Welcome! What training/residency length is required for oral surgery? I'm only familiar with the medical surgical paths.

[ladymoreta]

Welcome! You're definitely in the right place - this forum is great! I hope training goes smoothly. I would be nervous, too. Will he need to do the full medical school/residency path, or is it shorter for someone who's already a dentist?

[MrsPotts]

Welcome!! I'm not familiar how the dentistry path works - but hopefully some of the other girls are!! And you will get support here

[MDPhDWife]

Welcome! I'm also not very familiar with the dental surgical path. Will you have to move for him to do his additional training? How many more years is it?

[lovelight]

Ditto to what others said on my unfamiliarity of the dental path, but looking forward to learning more. Welcome!

[v-girl]

Welcome!

[alison]

Welcome! I think it's pretty grueling. My oral surgeon had an MD and DDS. My dh worked with him in the OR a few times--he said they do crazy crazy stuff like basically take the whole jaw apart and put it back on together again... Nice thought... But these gals/guys are totally amazing!

[peggyfromwastate]

My dh works closely with oral surgeons... I think he would have loved to be an oral surgeon. From what I understand, you get your dental degree and them do an oral surgery residency following dental school. 4 year residency, so you have a dental degree and an oral surgery degree but not a MD?

Anyway it's a busy residency with lots of trauma (we alternate omfs and ENT covering trauma every other month).

Anyway-- I'm a sahm also (for about 11 years now). Welcome!!

[alison]

I don't know how it works, Peggy. Mine in Palo Alto had an MD, but the one I went to in seattle to get a molar pulled didn't have an MD.

Hmmm.... Tell us more!

[peggyfromwastate]

Dh says some oral surgeons do a combined MD/oral surgery degree or whatever they call it for 6 years. Otherwise the standard is dental then oral surgery residency without the MD. That is a 4 year residency.

Very tough to get in! But quite lucrative on the outside...

[Cinderella]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! For those of you asking about the length of the oral surgery program, it would be at least 4 years... There are some programs that offer a dual program that also gives an MD, but he is not interested in that path (at least not right now). Luckily we don't have to move, there is a dental school very close.