sURGEONS
Tauranga Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery offers the expertise of three surgeons;
DR JOHN BRIDGMAN
Specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
DR DAVID CHRISP
Specialist Oral Surgeon
DR ABI ESTELLE
Specialist Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons specialise in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the mouth, jaws, face, and neck. It is a unique surgical specialty requiring a dual qualification in medicine and dentistry. It encompasses the full range of Oral surgery including the extraction of teeth, the removal of impacted wisdom teeth, the placement of dental implants and the use of intravenous sedation. The maxillofacial training expands into the management of medical and surgical problems of the mouth jaws and face.
Dr John Bridgman
MBChB BDS MDS FRACDS (OMS)
A New Zealander by birth, John completed his Dental Degree at Otago University in 1990. He became interested in the surgical aspects of dentistry whilst working as a dentist at Christchurch Hospital for two years after graduation.
He joined the staff at the University of Otago in the Oral Surgery Department for two years lecturing and training in Oral Surgery. Following this he entered the New Zealand training program in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery by completing a Masters Degree in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and a Medical Degree, both from the University of Otago. After working for two years as a Medical Doctor at Palmerston North he held Higher Surgical Training Posts in Oral and Maxillofacial for one year in Auckland and two years in the United Kingdom at the East Grinstead Maxillofacial Unit. This unit is a famous and prestigious unit that provided John with valuable experience in Reconstructive Surgery of the face and jaws. John returned to Tauranga, New Zealand in 2004 and joined David Chrisp to form Tauranga OMS.
John enjoys treating all aspects of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. This includes:
- Diagnosis and Management of pain of the mouth, jaws and face
- Surgical Extraction of teeth
- Placement of Dental Implants
- Management of Trauma to the teeth, jaws and facial bones
- Surgery of the jaw joint (TMJ)
- Correction of jaw deformities and discrepancies (Orthognathic Surgery)
- Management of Salivary Gland Tissues
Dr David Chrisp
BDS FRACDS FFDRCS
David was born and educated in Gisborne prior to completing his Dental Degree at Otago University in 1978. Following a year as a Hospital Dentist for the Wellington Hospital Board he commenced Oral Surgery training at Burwood Hospital in Christchurch in 1980.
David's surgical training was continued with appointments at Sydney University and St Thomas' Hospital in London with intervals in Private Dental Practice in Gisborne and Canberra.
David obtained Fellowship by examination in Oral Surgery from the Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons in 1982 and the Irish Royal College of Surgeons in 2000.
David commenced practice in Tauranga in 1984 and enjoyed a blend of General Dental Practice and Oral Surgery until 1995 when he restricted his practice to full time Oral Surgery. David was joined in practice by John Bridgman in 2004 to form Tauranga OMS.
David has held a consultancy position at Tauranga Hospital since 1986 and operates in the hospital weekly, together with an after-hours on-call commitment. He is an active member of the New Zealand Dental Association, the New Zealand Society for Sedation in Dentistry, the Waikato Maxillofacial Audit Group and the Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.
David has been teaching sedation techniques to Dentists annually since 1990 and lectured Nationally on his implant practice. David maintains a strong commitment to ongoing education and travels extensively to attend post graduate conferences and additional training meetings.
David's practice satisfies the credentialing and registration requirements of the Australasian College of Dental Surgeons and the New Zealand Dental Council, together with maintaining a current resuscitation certification.
David enjoys all aspects of Specialist Oral Surgery Practice, including:
- Dental extractions in medically compromised or anxious patients
- Surgical removal of teeth, including impacted wisdom teeth
- Placement of dental implants and associated tissue grafting procedures
- Management of dental infections
- Management of jaw cysts and pathology of the jaws
- Diagnosis and management of facial pain
- Intravenous sedation
Dr Abi Estelle
MBBS, BDS, MRCS (Eng), FRCD(C)
Abi is a British and American trained Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.
Abi was born in Cambridge, UK and grew up in the south-east, attending school in Walmer and Sandwich before moving to London to study medicine. During her degree she spent some time onboard Mercy Ships in Sierra Leone which was her first encounter with maxillofacial surgery. Inspired, she completed her medical degree, spent her junior house officer years rotating through general surgery and ENT, before returning to the Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ University to study dentistry. Throughout this time Abi continued to volunteer overseas whenever possible. She has visited over 50 countries and provided medical care in 5 continents. It was in Haiti that she met her husband, Kenny, an American!
Completing dentistry Abi moved to Jacksonville, Florida to undertake 5 years oral and maxillofacial specialty training. Jacksonville is renowned for its breadth of max-fac training which boasts a strong Head and Neck cancer centre, a cleft and craniofacial team, level 1 trauma as well as orthognathic, TMJ, cosmetic and dentoalveolar surgery. Upon graduation Abi and Kenny decided to relocate the family to their favourite country; New Zealand!
Abi enjoys treating all aspects of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. This includes:
- Diagnosis and Management of pain of the mouth, jaws and face
- Surgical Extraction of teeth
- Placement of Dental Implants
- Management of Trauma to the teeth, jaws and facial bones
- Surgery of the jaw joint (TMJ)
- Correction of jaw deformities and discrepancies (Orthognathic Surgery)
- Management of Salivary Gland Tissues
Abi has a particular interest in global surgery and understanding difficulties and discrepancies in access to medical and surgical care
She is active in addressing this through her role as medical board director for the children’s charity www.willingandabel.org.uk and membership with the Global Alliance for Surgical, Obstetric, Trauma and Anaesthesia Care. She is also on standyby with Samaritan’s Purse International Disaster Response Team.
