Mr Fry’s excellent surgery… made a difficult situation so much easier.

A private patient, August 2017

Thank you so much for your skill and kindness.

An NHS patient, August 2017

I consider myself very lucky to have been directed to Mr Fry’s care… a caring and approachable consultant who inspires total confidence.

A Private patient, December 2017

Many thanks to Mr Fry and his team for their great and professional service.

A Private Patient, May 2018

I owe you such a debt of gratitude over the last 4 years since my operation.

A Mouth Cancer patient, December 2017

You are saving lives!

THE FAMILY OF A PRIVATE PATIENT, JUNE 2018

Mr Fry is clearly an exceptional and skilled surgeon with a warm and friendly manner

A PRIVATE PATIENT, APRIL 2018

You said you would look after me and you certainly did! I received simply first class treatment.

An NHS patient, August 2017

Mr Fry was exceptionally helpful and understanding

A PRIVATE PATIENT, JUNE 2018

My Expertise

Wisdom Teeth

2019 Statistics

  • 140wisdom teeth removed
  • 3.2%of cases had Dry Socket, fully resolved with simple measures
  • 0%of cases that resulted in permanent numbness

For over 15 years, Alastair has been performing the surgical removal of wisdom teeth with extremely low complication rates.

As a fully trained UK specialist in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery, Alastair’s combined dental and surgical expertise mean that you are in extremely safe hands undergoing wisdom tooth surgery.

How Alastair can help you

Alastair offers the latest techniques available with the aim of reducing this complication. If on the standard OPT X-ray the canal containing the nerve is close to the roots of the wisdom tooth, a more accurate 3-dimensional cone-beam CT scan can be performed which can be used to plan the surgical approach and more accurately assess the risks.

In cases where the roots are very closely associated with the nerve there is sometimes the option of performing a Coronectomy as an alternative to the conventional surgical removal of the whole tooth.

Coronectomy involves careful surgical division and removal of the crown part of the tooth, leaving the roots undisturbed and thereby reducing the risk of permanent nerve injury. This is not necessarily the best option in all cases and Alastair will be happy to discuss this with you at your consultation.

Wisdom teeth procedure

After being referred for wisdom tooth surgery you will receive a consultation and have the chance to discuss the available options including surgical removal under general anaesthetic, Local anaesthetic (with or without sedation), or alternatively a Coronectomy, which is the removal of the crown of the tooth leaving the roots undisturbed.

In addition to clinical assessment, an OPT radiograph is usually performed. This is a type of X-ray that demonstrates the position of the tooth within the jaw and its relationship to other important structures. It also demonstrates pathology within the jaws which can be related or unrelated.

Here is an example of a typical OPT radiograph showing a wisdom tooth and its relationship to the nerve supplying the lower lip and chin:

The risks

Wisdom tooth removal is a common procedure performed for pain and recurrent infection, and the associated risk of complication is very low.

One of the longer term – but infrequent – complications of wisdom teeth removal experienced by some patients is injury to the nerve supplying the lower lip resulting in altered feeling in the lower lip and chin area. In the medical literature this occurs at a rate of around 5% but is mostly temporary. Permanent altered sensation is 1%.