If oral and maxillofacial surgeons can find the time to commit to their local hospitals and associations beyond their private practices, the integrity of the specialty will be more securely protected. This is a belief held by today’s guest, Dr. Alexis Olsson, and his career shows it. Dr. Olsson is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon practicing in Chicago, Illinois. He is currently Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Anne and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, as well as Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He is also an active member in the oral and maxillofacial surgery community through his service to both AAOMS and well IAOMS. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Olsson about how he grew his practice to straddle the public and private spheres with such equal measure, while also hearing about as the techniques that have defined and are defining his practice today. We hear his thoughts on the current landscape of the oral and maxillofacial surgery specialty too, where he talks about the forces that are jeopardizing it, the need for new surgeons to take an active concern in its survival, and what is to be done in this regard. For a conversation rich in insights that span the technical and social sides of oral surgery, tune in today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Dr. Alexis Olsson’s education and career in both private and academic settings.
• How Dr. Olsson was able to grow his career in the academic as well as private space.
• Staying afloat in competitive downtown Chicago by being dedicated to patient care.
• The recent value of virtual surgical planning and new technology for Dr. Olsson’s practice.
• Challenges in Dr. Olsson’s career; less personal relationships between patients and doctors.
• Advice from Dr. Olsson for new surgeons who have a desire to protect the profession.
• Rewarding parts of being a teacher and Dr. Olsson’s hopes for his students’ futures.
• ‘Taboo’ but effective techniques Dr. Olsson used early on and new tricks for optimizing surgery.
• How Dr. Olsson goes about doing implants generally – his case by case approach.
• When Dr. Olsson will do a flapless implant; biological characteristics of patients.
• Dr. Olsson’s philosophy of being conservative with soft tissue manipulation.
• The approach Dr. Olsson has to reconstructions and how things have become more aggressive.
• Dr. Olsson’s approach to doing molar immediate implants.
• What communication techniques and bedside manner should look like for surgeons.
• Final comments from Dr. Olsson about the need for oral and maxillofacial surgeons to protect their specialty and represent it well.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Alexis Olsson

Northwestern University

Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Lurie Children’s Hospital

Northwestern Medicine

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Northwestern Dental Center

AAOMS

IAOMS

Dr. Mark C. Hutten

Dr. Grant Stucki Contact — 720-775-5843