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Blake Harris

Written with insights from Blake Harris, a dental specialist recruiter at ETS Dental. He recruits for Endodontists, Oral Maxillofacial Surgeons, and Periodontists nationwide.

Call or text 540-491-9261 or email bharris@etsdental.com.

The pool of oral surgeons in the United States is small, the demand is high, and the competition to hire one is real. Practices that understand the market, structure the right offer, and stay flexible are the ones that win. Those that move too slowly, or assume their opportunity sells itself, often go months without filling the position.

After years of placing oral surgeons and talking with candidates and practice owners every day, the patterns are clear. This guide covers what oral surgeons are actually looking for, what practices need to offer to compete, and where most hiring efforts go wrong.

Understanding the Oral Surgeon Hiring Landscape

There are 7,424 practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the U.S. as of 2024, up from 6,358 in 2001 (Becker’s Dental Review). That sounds like steady growth, but open positions far outnumber available candidates.

A few things make this market especially competitive:

• Geographic concentration. California, New York, Texas, and Florida hold a disproportionate share of practicing surgeons. Practices in smaller cities and rural areas are working with a much thinner pool.
• DSO competition. Oral surgery has a significantly higher rate of DSO affiliation than most other dental specialties (Becker’s Dental Review). Large groups with dedicated recruiting teams are competing for the same candidates as independent practices.
• A small annual pipeline. Roughly 270 new OMS diplomates were certified in 2026 (ABOMS), which puts the new graduate supply into perspective.

Who Is Actually Available

The candidate pool breaks into two groups:

• Active candidates are surgeons currently applying to open positions and represent a small slice of the market
• Passive candidates are not job hunting but would consider the right opportunity

Many of the strongest candidates are passive. Relying on job boards alone will leave a lot of talent off the table.

Why Oral Surgeons Make a Move

Oral surgeons think about the long game. The most consistent drivers are long-term growth into partnership, ownership, or equity, followed by economic opportunity, office culture, and location. Understanding those motivators before structuring an offer is an advantage most practices never use.

Compensation Structure: What Oral Surgeons Are Being Offered

Quick answer: Expect to offer 35% to 45% of production for specialty practices, 45% to 50% for general dental settings, plus a guaranteed salary of $350,000 to $600,000 for full-time roles.

Compensation is more layered than a single percentage. The structure shifts based on practice type, employment classification, and production expectations.

Compensation at a Glance

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the average annual OMS salary at $360,240 as of 2024, up from $237,570 in 2019. High performers in private practice regularly exceed that. When a guaranteed salary is part of the offer, the production percentage typically only kicks in after a benchmark, often around $1 million in production.

Daily Guarantees for Part-Time Positions

For part-time or per diem arrangements, daily guarantees are the norm. Most part-time oral surgeon positions carry a daily guarantee of $1,500 to $2,500. For full-time roles, that guarantee is built into the annual salary structure instead.

W-2 vs. 1099

For full-time positions, W-2 is more common and tends to work better for both sides. It comes with a benefits package, long-term stability, and a cleaner employment relationship. For 1099 arrangements, surgeons take on their own taxes, insurance, and retirement planning, so they typically expect 3% to 5% more on the production percentage to offset that burden.

Who Pays for Malpractice?

For W-2 positions, the practice covering malpractice is standard. For 1099 it is negotiable, but practices that cover it regardless of classification have a meaningful edge.

Do the Math Before You Post

Before going to market, understand your own numbers. If the practice is not set up for IV sedation, address that first. The vast majority of oral surgeons will require it. Then map out how many patients can realistically be directed to a surgeon and what production growth looks like over time.

Oral surgeons can produce anywhere from $2 million to $5 million or more annually. Working backwards from a realistic production estimate makes it far easier to build an offer that holds up in negotiation.

Pro tip: Know your numbers before you post. How many cases are you referring out each month? What will the surgeon actually produce in your practice? Do the math first, then build the offer.

Benefits: What Moves the Needle

Quick answer: Health insurance, 401k, malpractice, CE, and PTO are expected. Loan repayment, sign-on bonuses, relocation assistance, and a clear partnership track are what separate a good offer from a great one.

Standard Benefits (W-2)

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401k with employer match
• Paid time off
• Continuing education stipend
• Malpractice coverage

Benefits That Make an Offer Stand Out

• Loan repayment assistance
• Sign-on bonus
• Relocation assistance
• 4-day work week
• Structured path to partnership, equity, or ownership

The best opportunities nationally include at least two or three items from that second list. In a market where a surgeon can find competitive base compensation almost anywhere, the extras are often what close the deal.

Student Loan Debt Is a Real Factor

OMS residency runs 4 to 6 years on top of dental school. Many oral surgeons carry more than half a million dollars in combined debt when they enter the job market. Any repayment assistance, even a modest annual contribution, signals that a practice understands the financial reality its candidates are navigating. That signal matters more than most practice owners realize.

Technology and Equipment

IV sedation capability is essentially a baseline requirement today. Beyond that, candidates are asking about CBCT imaging, implant systems, and surgical infrastructure before they seriously consider a position. Practices without those tools are at a real disadvantage.

Partnership Track

A clear path to ownership or equity comes up consistently with experienced surgeons. When partnership is on the table, it is typically offered within two years of joining and should be outlined clearly in the initial contract, including buy-in cost and timeline. Vague promises carry little weight with candidates who have seen those conversations stall before.

Oral surgery is also seeing significant private equity activity. PE deals in oral surgery increased 9.1% in 2025 even as other specialties declined (Becker’s Dental Review). Candidates are tracking this landscape and factoring ownership potential into every decision.

Hiring Strategy: What Works

The Most Common Mistake

The most common mistake is overestimating how unique the opportunity is. Every position has qualities that make it appealing, but similar compensation, benefits, and long-term potential can be found in other markets. Practices that enter negotiations with a rigid, take-it-or-leave-it approach tend to drag out the process and lose candidates they spent months building a relationship with.

In a market where a search can take 6 months to over a year, that rigidity is expensive.

How Long Does It Take to Fill an Oral Surgeon Position?

Anywhere from 6 months to over a year, depending on location and how the opportunity is structured. Practices that start before they are in urgent need, and that move decisively when the right candidate surfaces, consistently have better outcomes than those that wait.

Attracting Candidates to Smaller Markets

Flexibility is the most reliable lever. These elements, used together, can make an opportunity in a smaller market genuinely competitive:

• Higher daily guarantee or more competitive percentage
• Lower production benchmark before the percentage kicks in
• Relocation assistance
• Faster path to partnership or ownership

The goal is to reduce as much financial uncertainty as possible for a surgeon being asked to move somewhere unfamiliar.

Closing a Candidate Who Is on the Fence

Listen carefully and adjust. If relocation assistance was not in the original offer but the candidate mentions it would make a difference, add it. A surgeon producing $2 million to $5 million over the coming years makes the cost of a sign-on bonus or moving assistance look very small by comparison.

What Kills a Deal at the Last Minute

Inflexibility. Last-minute collapses almost always come down to a practice that will not move on any term, or requirements that were too narrow from the start. Flexibility is not a weakness in this market. It is a strategy.

The Bottom Line

The candidate pool is small, the competition is real, and the best oral surgeons are often not actively looking. Practices that do the internal work upfront, build a flexible and competitive offer, and treat every candidate conversation with urgency are the ones that succeed.

ETS Dental works with practice owners every day to structure competitive offers, reach passive candidates, and guide the process from first conversation to a signed contract.

Have questions or need help finding the right oral surgeon? Reach out to Blake Harris.

Frequently Asked Questions

About This Article

Written with insights from Blake Harris, a dental specialist recruiter at ETS Dental. Since joining ETS Dental, Blake has interviewed 118 oral surgeons and is currently managing 21 oral surgeon openings, contributing to over 400 total specialist positions placed by ETS Dental since 2007. He works with oral surgeons, periodontists, endodontists, and prosthodontists nationwide.

Also hiring an endodontist? See our compensation guide.

Data: Becker’s Dental Review (2024-2025), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024), American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (2026)