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www.theconnectionsnj.com
3322 Route 22 West, Suite 1207-1208, Branchburg, NJ 08876
908-218-0300
908-218-0301 (fax)
www.branchburgoralsurgery.com
We Accept Most Major PPO Dental Plans
Karl Maloney, D.D.S.
Board Certified
Oral & Maxillofacial
Surgeon
Wisdom Teeth
Dental Implants
Bone Grafting
General Anesthesia
3D Cone Beam CT
Jaw Surgery
Oral Pathology
Facial Trauma
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BRANCHBURG ORAL,
MAXILLOFACIAL &
IMPLANT SURGERY
3322 Route 22 West
Suite 1207-1208
Branchburg
By: Dr. Karl Maloney
Karl Maloney, D.D.S.
In the United States, according to the
American Dental Association,
Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery, or OMS,
is “the spe-
cialty of dentistry which includes the diag-
nosis, surgical and adjunctive treatment of
diseases, injuries and defects involving both
the functional and esthetic aspects of the
hard and soft tissues of the oral and max-
illofacial region.”
To specialize in OMS one must first
graduate from dental school. After dental
school you must be accepted into a hospi-
tal-based surgical residency program that
can range from four to six years.
All residency programs will include a
number of different rotations to gain
knowledge, skill and experience in multiple
related disciplines such as general surgery,
plastic surgery, head and neck surgery,
anesthesia, and internal medicine. The
majority of time spent in residency pertains
to OMS. This includes caring for all patients
admitted to the hospital under the OMS
service, attending lectures and confer-
ences, taking 24 hour call for hospital
emergencies, treating patients in the oral
surgery clinic, and performing invasive and
longer operations in the operating room.
Though not required by law to practice
OMS, many offices and hospitals will
require that surgeons become board certi-
fied in order to practice with them. This
requires taking separate written and oral
examinations. Only after passing both parts
of the examination will the surgeon be rec-
ognized by the American Board of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgery as a diplomate. This is
the highest level of recognition a surgeon
can obtain within the specialty.
In addition to providing multiple surgical
services, OMS specialists also receive exten-
sive training in anesthesia. They are able to
safely offer patients general anesthesia in
the office to achieve better pain control,
less anxiety, and increased comfort during
surgery. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
are trained to do the following:
• Manage dental disease as well as sup-
porting hard and soft tissue structures
• Perform surgical reconstruction of the
jawbones
• Treatment plan and place single or mul-
tiple dental implants to restore a single
tooth, multiple teeth or all teeth
• Evaluate and manage traumatic injuries
to the teeth, face and jawbones
• Diagnose and treat facial pain
• Diagnose and treat malignant and
benign diseases of the maxillofacial
region
• Perform corrective jaw, craniofacial and
cleft surgery
• Evaluate and treat obstructive sleep
apnea
• Perform cosmetic procedures to
improve facial aesthetics
Currently, advancements are being
made that are allowing surgeons to virtual-
ly perform procedures preoperatively to
ensure a faster, less invasive and more
accurate operation with an excellent out-
come. In the area of bone regeneration,
technology is emerging with the hope that
in the future we will no longer need to har-
vest a patient’s bone to accomplish bony
reconstruction for implant placement, or
reconstruct defects secondary to trauma or
disease. These are just a few examples of
many that are currently being developed.
As technology and science continue to
improve, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery will
continue to evolve and remain one of the
most exciting fields in dentistry, medicine
and surgery.
Dr. Maloney is a board certified oral
and maxillofacial surgeon. In addition, he
is a Fellow of the American Association of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and Fel-
low of the International Association of
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. To sched-
ule an appointment at
Branchburg Oral,
Maxillofacial & Implant Surgery,
call
908-218-0300.
What is Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery?
PAGE 48
Health and Wellness
