Wisdom teeth are the third molars right at the back of your mouth. They usually appear during your late teens or early twenties. If there is not enough room in your mouth they may partially erupt through the gum or not at all. This is referred to as an impacted wisdom tooth. Due to their location wisdom teeth can be difficult to clean and are more susceptible to decay, gum disease and recurrent infections. They can cause crowding of teeth and, on rare occasions, cysts and tumours develop around them. Your dentist will advise if some or all of your wisdom teeth need to be removed. Wisdom teeth will usually only be removed if your dentist believes they will be a significant compromise to your oral health. Impacted tooth extraction Your dentist may recommend extraction if you are at significantly greater risk of infection or tooth decay. Impacted teeth may be removed by your dentist or they may refer you to an oral & maxillofacial surgeon. An incision (cut) is made in your gum and access to the impacted tooth cleared by pushing aside gum tissue and, if necessary, removing some bone. The tooth is removed whole or in pieces and the gum stitched together over the hole. Please click on the link for more information about impacted wisdom teeth.

Gum tissue at the site of the implant is opened up to expose the bone. The bone is drilled and a titanium implant is inserted where the root of your tooth had been. Once the bone and gum has healed (3-6 months), the post is attached to the implant and the crown is placed over the post and cemented into place.

Arthroscopic: several small incisions (cuts) are made over the joint in front of the ear. A small telescopic instrument with a tiny camera attached (arthroscope) is inserted, allowing the surgeon a view of the joint. Small instruments can be inserted into the other cuts to free up the joint by e.g. removing adhesions and scarring, or repositioning a disc. Arthroplasty (open surgery): an incision is made in front of the ear, giving the surgeon access to reconstruct the joint by e.g. smoothing joint surfaces, repairing discs or removing diseased tissue. If a joint replacement is necessary, a second incision under the angle of the jaw may be required. Please click on the link for further information about dental implants.

Surgery involving surgical manipulation of the jaws to move them to a more ideal and normal position is termed Orthognathic ("ortho" means straight and "gnathos" means jaw). The surgery to move or alter the bones is called an osteotomy ("osteo" means bone and "otomy" means surgical movement). Please click on the link for information about orthognathic surgery.

When dentures have been worn for a long period of time the bone supporting them tends to resorb (disappear). This means that many patients who have worn dentures for many years find they do not remain stable; that is the dentures move. Eating many types of food is difficult or impossible. Despite new dentures this problem continues. The advent of dental implants has been able to totally solve this problem for most patients. Please click here for more information.

The main cosmetic use of Botox is to reduce facial lines caused by repeated muscle contraction such as frown lines, crow’s feet and horizontal forehead lines, but Botox is also used around the lip, chin and neck. To discuss whether it is right for you and what the risks and benefits are please make an appointment for a consultation.

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is an x-ray technology that produces 3D images of the bony structure being scanned. This advanced imaging technology allows us to make an accurate diagnosis and precise surgical treatment planning. It is useful in determining the position of the nerve around the wisdom teeth, implant surgery planning, assessment of facial deformities and TMJ problems.