Oral Surgery

Oral surgery is carried out by a surgically-trained dental clinician, otherwise known as an oral surgeon, to remove wisdom teeth, diseased or impacted teeth, and to treat injuries of the mouth, jaw and face.

Oral surgery can be used to treat children, teenagers and adults alike, and is also suitable for patients who have medically-complex needs, or who are anxious about dental surgery.

We have our own dental surgeons here at The Bristol Dental Practice, so however complex a treatment you require, we’ll be able to offer you an appointment here at the earliest convenience.

Wisdom teeth were once used by our ancestors to provide extra chewing power, but are now entirely unnecessary for modern diets. Because of this, our jaws rarely grow to a suitable length to comfortably accommodate them, leading to wisdom teeth that fail to erupt or become impacted, damaging adjacent teeth. Therefore, wisdom teeth removal is a common procedure to prevent further pain, damage or infection.

Where possible, we will always look to preserve your natural teeth. However, there are still instances where an extraction is clinically necessary or highly recommended. This can include impacted teeth that have failed to erupt or have only partially erupted, overcrowded teeth, badly damaged teeth that can’t be salvaged and infected teeth that pose a risk to your overall health.

Impacted teeth don’t always need to be extracted. Depending on the position and condition of the teeth, they can be encouraged to erupt or realign using orthodontic exposures. This may include removing a small amount of gum or bone to make way for the impacted tooth, as well as bonding an orthodontic bracket to the exposed tooth to encourage it to emerge at a certain angle.

Before beginning treatment, your dentist will explain your options, what different procedures entail, let you know if you’ll need any local or general anaesthetic, and answer any questions you might have.

Dr Jonathan Cochrane is one of our surgically-trained dental clinicians and the Principal Dentist at The Bristol Dental Practice. He has a special interest in oral surgery, dental implants and sedation. He is passionate about being able to rebuild his patients smiles.

As a trusted and experienced practice, The Bristol Dental Practice is able to accept self-referrals and referrals from other clinics, allowing patients to benefit from the wide range of treatments we offer here, while remaining registered with their current dental practice.

At The Bristol Dental Practice, we understand that many people are anxious about visiting the dentist. However, we have put a host of measures in place to ensure that your experience is as pleasant and painless as possible. All of our staff receive special training on how to support nervous patients, and we offer additional solutions such as conscious sedation.