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Oral Surgeon salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an oral surgeon is $218,400 per annum, before tax, up $45,600 since 2018.
Where you work shapes earnings more than anything else. Salaried specialist positions in public hospital dental and maxillofacial units sit on state health service enterprise agreements with set bands, while private practice pays fee for service, so income follows the number and complexity of procedures you take on. Specialists who own their rooms or hold visiting rights at day surgery units carry practice costs but also keep more of what they bill.
Roles that pay more than oral surgeon
The largest typical pay rise is $15,600 a year, moving into Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon+$15,600/yr
How to negotiate a higher oral surgeon salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time oral surgeon salary is $218,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Oral Surgeons are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Clinical assessment and treatment and Patient care and support tend to command a premium over general oral surgeon experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon pays a typical $15,600 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Oral Surgeon salary questions
How much do oral surgeons earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an oral surgeon is $218,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is oral surgeon pay rising or falling?
The median oral surgeon salary is up $45,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than oral surgeon?
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon pays a typical $15,600 a year more and draws on similar skills to oral surgeon.