‘Advanced, ethical’ treatment from a globally known dentist

Sponsored content

FM Dental & Implant Centre co-founder Andrew Fish tells Emily Moore about a career which was inspired by his mother’s health problems and the people who transformed her life

FROM taxmen to traffic wardens, the list of professions people “love to hate” is long, but few get the reaction dentists do.

“Even at social events, you can be chatting away quite happily and the moment you say you’re a dentist, people go, ‘oh, I hate dentists’,” said Andrew Fish with a grin.

The co-owner of FM Dental & Implant Centre (Fish McAllister and Associates) understands how those perceptions form.

“It’s a shame dentistry sometimes carries a poor reputation. A mix of childhood experiences, fear of pain and, yes, the odd negative story about pricing or ethics can influence how people feel,” he said.

Andrew says the ethos of FM Dental is simple: honesty, ethics and genuinely high clinical standards.

“We’ve built a team of clinicians with different interests, enabling us to offer everything under one roof,” he explained.

His own special interest is oral surgery and implant dentistry. He holds a GDC-recognised Dentist With a Special Interest in Oral Surgery and his work has led to invitations to lecture across Europe, south-east Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

But his path into dentistry started long before university.

“My mum lost half her lower jaw to osteomyelitis before I was born,” he said. “A professor in Glasgow rebuilt it with titanium and seeing how that completely changed her life set me on this career path.”

Growing up in a single-parent household on a council estate in Manchester, he had a unique insight in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The surgeons who rebuilt his mother’s face didn’t just change her life; they shaped his future.

He pushed through GCSEs and A-levels, before studying at the University of Glasgow, where his mum’s surgeon worked. But life moved quickly and when he was 26, he and his wife, Grace, welcomed their daughter.

“That steered me towards oral surgery and implants instead, still surgical, still meaningful, just a different path,” he reflected. “I might not be rebuilding faces, but the experience I gained from those surgeons has been invaluable in helping patients smile and eat with confidence, even in the most complex cases.”

After graduating from the University of Glasgow, Andrew completed competitive training at the Edinburgh Dental Institute before spending a number of years with oral and maxillofacial surgery teams across the west of Scotland and Greater Manchester, including at Manchester Dental Hospital. He provided hospital-level oral surgery and IV sedation in primary care and later consolidated his implant experience with a Postgraduate
Certificate in Implantology from the University of Salford. He eventually joined the teaching faculty and was appointed honorary clinical lecturer in oral surgery.

He moved to Jersey nine years ago after being invited by former practice owner Dr Jane Bracken to support oral surgery and implant referrals.

“Since then, demand has kept growing. I place a lot of implants and every one is guided by the same principles: responsibility, predictability and long-term outcomes,” he said.

A key part of his clinical philosophy, he explains, is “evidence-based stewardship from material choice to medication”.

“One thing I’m proud of is that I haven’t routinely prescribed antibiotics for implant surgery in over eight years,” he said. “With the right protocols, the right materials, particularly fully synthetic grafting materials, and the right surgical setup, you simply don’t need them. We’ve seen no increase in failure rates. This approach protects patients and it protects the wider microbiome. Overprescribing antibiotics is a real issue in healthcare and dentistry has its part to play.”

Synthetic grafts, he added, have become a cornerstone of his practice.

“They enable true bone regeneration without the ethical or medical concerns associated with animal or cadaver grafts. They demand precision, but the results can be excellent, and I’ve presented these protocols internationally,” he said.

On CBCT (a mini lower-dose CT scan), Andrew takes a balanced, case-by-case approach.
“CBCT scans are fantastic tools when they’re genuinely indicated,” he said. “Some clinicians use them routinely because they rely on that data to produce digital mock-ups and guides, which help plan and position implants. That’s a completely valid workflow and for many teams it works well.”

But digital guides, he explained, come with considerations such as accuracy, fit, software dependence, extra steps and extra cost.

“My own approach is different. I don’t use guides at all,” he said. “With years of surgical experience, I’m able to place implants freehand in both the upper and lower jaws safely and accurately. In the upper jaw, especially, the anatomy is usually straightforward enough that I rarely need a CBCT. That naturally means my patients receive less radiation overall, which is never a bad thing.”

He added that CBCT remains part of his workflow when it is needed.

“In the lower jaw, where the anatomy is more complex, or when working with higher-risk patients, the CBCT becomes essential,” he said.

Ultimately, Andrew emphasises that his philosophy is rooted in “clinical judgment and patient-centred care”.

When the discussion turns to patients travelling abroad for cheaper treatment, Andrew treads carefully.

“Some people genuinely need more affordable options, I completely get that,” he said.
“I’m probably one of only a few dentists in Jersey who openly acknowledges that. And if patients return with problems, we always offer interim support for them without directly involving ourselves in their treatment. We are just here to help with acute issues.”

And while Turkey has become known for its low-cost packages, Andrew says Islanders might be surprised at how the numbers actually stack up.

“Once you factor in travel, time off work and the cost of repairs or follow-up if anything goes wrong, many people find we’re not that different in price and, in fact, sometimes we are even less,” he said. “And compared with the UK, Jersey is often significantly cheaper.”

Despite being well known among international colleagues, Andrew notes the irony of his lesser-known local profile with a smile, saying: “My work is recognised widely overseas because of my lecturing, but less so here at home. That’s why I’m passionate about letting Islanders know that advanced, ethical and affordable dentistry is available right here in Jersey and that they don’t need to get on a plane to find it.”

Related