Patient Guide
How a Traveling Oral Surgeon Works
Specialty surgery at the dentist's office you already know and trust.
Last updated 2026-10-09
The short answer
A traveling oral surgeon is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who comes to your own dentist’s office to operate, instead of you being referred across town to a separate surgical practice. You keep your dentist and your dental team, and the surgery happens in the office you already know. Tänder’s surgeons work this way across Greater Phoenix.
Compared
Traveling Surgeon vs. a Referral to a Surgery Office
| Tänder (traveling surgeon) | Traditional referral | Implant chain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where surgery happens | Your own dentist's office | A separate surgical office you've never visited | A standalone clinic |
| Your dentist's role | Stays on your care team; follow-up is coordinated with them | Hands you off with a referral | Varies; ask |
| Surgeon training | Board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons (four-year hospital-based residency) | Varies; ask | Varies; ask |
| All-on-X teeth | Made by an in-house lab technician during surgery; same-day delivery | Often made by an outside lab, adding days or weeks | Varies; ask |
| Where you go for routine care | Your same dentist | Your same dentist | Often a new office |
Where the table says “varies; ask,” practices differ. Ask any provider about board certification, sedation and who makes your teeth.
For Patients
What It’s Like, Step by Step
- 1
Book a free consultation
Contact Tänder or ask your dentist. The consultation takes place at a partner dental office near you.
- 2
Meet your surgeon
A board-certified oral surgeon reviews your imaging, answers your questions, and gives you an honest recommendation.
- 3
Surgery in your dentist's office
Your surgeon and assistant (plus Tänder's lab technician for All-on-X) arrive at your dentist's office and operate in the same operatory where you get your care.
- 4
Follow-up and aftercare
Follow-up visits are usually at the office where you had surgery, and you can also be seen at other Tänder partner locations. You are given that office's contact information, and Tänder has a dedicated after-hours phone line for questions, concerns and emergencies.
Credentials and Care
Same Surgical Training. A More Familiar Setting.
Traveling doesn’t change the training. Tänder’s surgeons, Dr. Forrest Pratt and Dr. Jordan Campbell, are board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons who completed hospital-based residencies. Tänder manages surgeon credentialing and sedation-compliance logistics with each partner office.
For TanderTeeth (All-on-X), an in-house lab technician travels with the team, so your fixed teeth can be made during surgery. See teeth in a day, step by step.
Services include implants, extractions, wisdom tooth removal, bone grafts and sinus lifts, and oral pathology biopsies. Find a partner office on our locations page.
For Dental Offices
Bring a Surgeon to Your Practice
If you run a dental practice, a traveling surgeon lets you keep specialty cases in your own operatory instead of referring them out. Tänder provides the surgeons and, for All-on-X, the in-house lab. We handle credentialing logistics and sedation compliance, train your staff on scheduling, coding and billing, and offer free annual continuing education.
FAQ
Traveling Oral Surgeon: Frequently Asked Questions
A traveling oral surgeon is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who comes to your own dentist's office to perform surgery, instead of sending you to a separate surgical practice. Tänder's surgeons work this way, performing procedures in partner dental offices around Greater Phoenix.
Being a traveling surgeon doesn't change training. Tänder's surgeons, Dr. Forrest Pratt and Dr. Jordan Campbell, are board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons who completed a four-year hospital-based residency. Whoever you choose, ask about board certification and residency training.
No. Your surgery takes place in your dentist's operatory, with your dentist's team around you. This keeps you with people you already know and reduces the anxiety of going to an unfamiliar office.
Tänder's surgeons perform All-on-X (TanderTeeth) full-arch implants, single-tooth implants and overdentures, tooth extractions, wisdom tooth removal, bone grafts and sinus lifts, and oral pathology biopsies. Sedation is available. More complex cases such as jaw surgery and facial trauma are discussed at your consultation.
For All-on-X cases, Tänder's lab technician travels with the surgical team and fabricates your teeth during the procedure, so you can leave with fixed teeth the same day instead of waiting for an outside lab.
Tänder currently operates at partner dental offices in Mesa, Gilbert and San Tan Valley, Arizona, serving patients across Greater Phoenix. See the locations page for office names and addresses.
Start with a free discovery call of about 30 minutes. If it's a good fit, Tänder handles surgeon credentialing logistics and sedation compliance, trains your staff on scheduling, coding and billing, and can have your office ready for its first specialty day within three to four months.
Get Expert Surgery at Your Own Dentist's Office
Free, no-pressure consultation with a board-certified oral surgeon at a dental office near you.