A renowned expert in veterinary dentistry is spearheading a dentistry and maxillofacial surgery service launch at two well-respected referral centres later this January.
José C. Almansa Ruiz DVM (Hons) MSc (Vet) MRCVS, who has more than a decade of experience as a veterinary dentist and maxillofacial surgeon, will be heading up the new offering at two Linnaeus-owned centres, Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Essex and Davies Veterinary Specialists in Hitchin.
The new service will see José provide a broad range of dentistry and maxillofacial treatments at Southfields and Davies, a first such offering at each centre, which will both be accepting referrals from across the south of England and further afield.
Tim Richardson, managing director of both Southfields and Davies, said José’s arrival at the respected referral centres and the launch of a dentistry and maxillofacial surgery service added yet more expert knowledge to the multidisciplinary sites.
He said: “We look forward to welcoming José to the teams at both Southfields and Davies. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge in his field and is a highly-respected clinician.
“The launch of dentistry and maxillofacial services at our multi-disciplinary referral centres is another exciting addition and we’re looking forward to accepting referrals from colleagues across the profession as we continue to lead the industry in the breadth of treatments that we can now offer.”
José, who will be sitting exams to become a European Specialist in Veterinary Dentistry this summer, said: “I’m delighted to be joining the teams at Southfields and Davies, and my plan is to establish and really grow a dentistry and maxillofacial surgery service over the coming 12 months.
“I would like to start offering reconstruction techniques for those patients undergoing mandibulectomies, while I have been hoping for some time now to begin using 3D printing as part of the planning for big surgeries.
“We will be offering a very complete and advanced veterinary dentistry service. From the maxillofacial surgery point of view, fracture repair procedures will see the introduction of non-invasive techniques for repair of maxillomandibular fractures.
“Craniofacial trauma cases will be worked up more in-depth together with anaesthesia, diagnostic imaging, ophthalmology, critical care and neurology, which will offer a truly multidisciplinary approach.”
José qualified from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2008, before completing an honours degree in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the same university, while working in an after-hours veterinary emergency hospital in Madrid.
In 2009, he relocated to South Africa where he undertook an internship in dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the academic hospital of the faculty of veterinary science of the University of Pretoria.
Then in 2011, José relocated to the UK and, in 2012, began the European Veterinary Dental College diploma, for which he fulfilled the requirements and had his credentials accepted.
In 2015, he returned to South Africa, working in referral hospitals, before being appointed as an extraordinary lecturer in veterinary dentistry and maxillofacial surgery at the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria in January 2018.
José has a special interest in temporomandibular joint pathology, oncological surgery and reconstruction, as well as wildlife dentistry.
Both Southfields and Davies are fully open and accepting referrals in all disciplines.
