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.”
His own special interest is oral surgery and implant dentistry. He holds a GDC recognised Dentist With a Special Interest (DWSI) in Oral Surgery and his work has resulted in invitations to lecture across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
His path into dentistry started long before university but at home.
“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 is what 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 mum’s face didn’t just change her life, they shaped his future.
He pushed through GCSEs and A-levels aiming for Glasgow, where his mum’s surgeon worked. But life moved quickly and at twenty-six 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. 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 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.”
A key part of his clinical philosophy 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. It 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.”
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.” Digital guides, he explained, simply come with considerations like any other technique, 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’s needed.
“In the lower jaw, where the anatomy is more complex, or higher risk patients the CBCT becomes essential.”
Ultimately, he emphasises that his philosophy is rooted in clinical judgement 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 the 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, 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.
“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 without needing to get on a plane.