Oral surgeon: what they treat, when to see one and NFZ care in Białystok

What does an oral surgeon do?

An oral surgeon provides surgical treatment of the teeth, jawbones and soft tissues of the mouth. Oral surgery is one of 9 dental specialties on the Ministry of Health list (regulation of 4 May 2023, Dz.U. 2023 poz. 975). Specialist status follows specialist training and the State Specialisation Examination.

The 2023 training programme of the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education (CMKP) lists treatment of diseases of the teeth, alveolar process, oral soft tissues, temporomandibular joints and salivary glands, and detection of potentially malignant lesions, among an oral surgeon’s competencies. The required skills also include implant treatment and guided tissue regeneration.

Oral surgeons see problems that need a procedure. The list of NFZ-funded oral surgery services includes:

• Tooth extraction, including surgical extraction, and surgical removal of an impacted tooth, such as a wisdom tooth.
• Tooth removal involving extra-alveolar bone removal with formation of a mucoperiosteal flap.
• Enucleation of an odontogenic cyst and removal of a stone from a salivary duct.
• Excision of a small lump or tumour-like lesion and taking a biopsy for histopathological examination.
• Repair of an opening between the mouth and sinus after extraction and closure of a sinus opened during surgery.
• Incision of an abscess, wound care, frenuloplasty and temporary immobilisation of a fractured jaw.
• For patients under 18, exposure of an impacted tooth for orthodontic treatment and apicectomy of an anterior tooth.

Oral surgeon or maxillofacial surgeon: what is the difference?

An oral surgeon works mainly on the mouth and jawbones, while a maxillofacial surgeon treats the whole facial skeleton and neck, including in hospital departments. Maxillofacial surgery appears on both the medical and dental specialty lists (Dz.U. 2023 poz. 975).

The 2023 CMKP programme defines a maxillofacial surgeon’s competencies as surgical treatment of diseases of facial and neck soft tissues, facial bones including the anterior cranial fossa base, temporomandibular joints, benign and malignant tumours, cranio-maxillofacial injuries and congenital and acquired cranio-maxillo-occlusal deformities.

The boundary between the disciplines is not absolute. The dental services regulation allows NFZ oral surgery services to be provided by a specialist in oral surgery, maxillofacial surgery or periodontology, or a dentist training in one of these specialties (Dz.U. 2025 poz. 615, Annex 5).

Who should treat your problem: a dentist, oral surgeon or maxillofacial surgeon?

The first step is usually a dental appointment to assess the problem and arrange onward care if needed. The table shows the usual division based on NFZ service lists and CMKP training programmes; the clinician decides in each case after examination.

Do you need a referral to an oral surgeon?

Polish law does not require a referral for NFZ-funded oral surgery: it exempts dental services (art. 57 ust. 2 pkt 2 of the Act on healthcare services financed from public funds), without dividing them by specialty. When booking, ask whether the clinic requests an X-ray or a description from your treating dentist so you can bring all the necessary documents.

The rules differ for specialist medical care and hospital treatment. Outpatient specialist services generally require a referral from a health insurance doctor (art. 57 ust. 1), while hospital treatment requires one from a doctor, dentist or feldsher, a medical practitioner with an intermediate qualification (art. 58). A dentist working for a provider with an NFZ contract is also a health insurance doctor (art. 5 pkt 14).

Check with the reception of a maxillofacial surgery clinic whether it accepts patients without a referral. No referral is needed for private care (legal status as of 24 October 2026).

How can you find an NFZ oral surgeon in Białystok?

Use the NFZ “Gdzie się leczyć” (where to get treatment) search tool at gsl.nfz.gov.pl. In “Terminy leczenia” (treatment waiting times), choose “poradnia chirurgii stomatologicznej” (oral surgery clinic) and the voivodeship. It shows clinic addresses, phone numbers and waiting-list information supplied by the clinics. You can select stable or urgent cases and adult or children’s services, as the NFZ has a separate category for children’s oral surgery clinics.

The Podlaskie NFZ Regional Branch states that oral surgery and periodontology services have been available at 16 locations in the voivodeship since 1 July 2025. The waiting-times search lists 16 oral surgery clinics in Podlaskie, including 5 in Białystok, among them the clinic at the Medical University’s Specialist Dental Treatment Centre (as of 24 October 2026).

If you do not know where to look, the free NFZ Patient Telephone Information service on 800 190 590 operates around the clock. With toothache, you do not have to wait in the specialist queue: an NFZ-contracted dentist provides help on the day you seek it (§ 6 of the regulation, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 615). Out-of-hours and public holiday dental care is available outside normal hours.

Where is maxillofacial surgery available in Białystok?

The NFZ waiting-times search lists maxillofacial surgery at two public hospitals in the city. Uniwersytecki Szpital Kliniczny has its Department of Maxillofacial and Plastic Surgery at ul. M. C. Skłodowskiej 24A and a Maxillofacial Surgery Outpatient Clinic at ul. Waszyngtona 15A. Wojewódzki Szpital Zespolony im. J. Śniadeckiego has an outpatient clinic at ul. Wołodyjowskiego 2/1 (NFZ search, as of 24 October 2026).

Planned admission to a hospital department requires a referral from a doctor or dentist (art. 58 of the Healthcare Services Act), but in an emergency you should not wait for an outpatient appointment. Seek help straight away for:

• Difficulty breathing, speaking or swallowing: hospital emergency department (SOR) or 112.
• Rapidly increasing facial or neck swelling, or swelling reaching the eye: SOR or 112.
• Facial injury with a suspected fracture, loss of consciousness or vomiting: SOR.
• Bleeding from the mouth that does not stop despite 15 to 20 minutes of firm pressure on a gauze pad: contact a dentist or doctor urgently. Sudden heavy or uncontrollable bleeding: SOR or 112.

How much does private oral surgery cost?

The cost of private oral surgery comprises consultation, imaging and the procedure itself. In the DentalBlue price list, “Badanie/konsultacja” (examination/consultation) in the surgery category costs 300 zł, “Pantomogram” (panoramic X-ray) 120 zł, “Operacyjne usunięcie zęba całkowicie zatrzymanego” (surgical removal of a fully impacted tooth) 1 000 zł, “Wyłuszczenie torbieli” (cyst enucleation) 1 000 zł and “Usunięcie zmiany na błonie śluzowej” (removal of a mucosal lesion) 500 zł. “Badanie histopatologiczne” (histopathological examination), at 100 zł, may be added.

The dentist sets the final scope and cost at the consultation, and prices may change. The estimate should list the consultation, X-rays and each planned procedure separately so that you know what you are paying for.

How oral surgery works at DentalBlue

DentalBlue carries out extractions and bone reconstruction procedures, from routine to complex, under local or general anaesthesia. The clinic’s own radiology unit takes panoramic X-rays and CBCT scans, and implants are planned using CBCT images. General anaesthesia is available for children unable to cooperate in the chair, patients with disabilities, people allergic to local anaesthetics and inflammation too acute for local anaesthesia to work; the NFZ funds it for eligible patients, with eligibility confirmed at assessment. “Wizyta bez bólu” (visit without pain) includes a panoramic X-ray, consultation, examination and a written treatment plan with prices for each stage. The clinic is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 20:00 and Saturdays from 8:00 to 16:00.