Friday, October 8, 2010

Another Challenge Case

Root canal treated on first state

Gum surgery done. Root canal treated teeth are trimmed down.

Temporary crowns placed

The temporary crowns will be left for 2 months. Once the gums have stabilised, we will take impressions for the emax crowns.

And here are the emax crowns, back form the lab.

Emax crowns tried and cemented in the mouth.
Some reddening due to irritation from the temporary crowns.
The gums will bounce back in no time.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Screw-Retained Implant Crowns

This patient already has a screw-retained crown on his lower right side. We are placing 2 more screw-retained crowns for him.

Here are the crowns. The screw holes can be blocked out after the screws have been tightened.

The biggest advantage for this type of crowns is that the crowns can be removed at any time for cleaning and/or repair and then replaced in the mouth.

A screw-retained crown is not cemented but screwed into the implant.

All it takes is a special screwdriver to place and remove

A screw attaches the abutment and the crown to the implant.

A screw attaches the abutment and the crown to the implant.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Cost of Bonding

This young lady has a gap between her two front teeth.
We've decided to do bonding for her.


~~ Before ~~
This gaps is very obvious when she smiles or talks.


Composite resin cured over 2 front teeth to close the gap.
~~ After ~~
Under more natural lighting conditions and her dehydrated teeth given an opportunity to moisten, the bonding is virtually indistinguishable.


This treatment cost her $$200.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Cost of Root Canal Treatment (Endodontics)


If you are looking to do the root canal treatment in Singapore. Yes, you should ask for the cost of the treatment but the cheap root canal might not be the cheapest in the long run. Don't go to a dentist with whom don't have experience or you are not familiar just to get a cheap treatment. The better you should search to be sure first but I didn't saying that the dentist with the cheap fee won't do a good job .

How much does root canal treatment cost ? (in Singapore)

Central incisor, Lateral incisor (front tooth) about $ 250 - $400
Canine $300 - $500
First premolar, Second premolar $400 - $600
First molar , Second molar $600 - $950
(This price for GP )

For Endodontics Specialist about $800 - $2000

Monday, March 8, 2010

Another Instant Orthodontics

This lady had always known that something was wrong with her smile. She thought it was just her protruding front teeth. Projected results of pushing her teeth back didn't help her see a favourable outcome. She also insisted on no braces.

She consulted us and was given a proposal for an extreme makeover incorporating gum surgery, root canal and emax crowns.



This is what she would look like if she had tried to smile naturally. Simply crowning her teeth backwards would not have helped much.

This is the gumline we thought she should have. All 4 front teeth must also be drastically shortened and pushed back.


The patient is ready for crown lengthening surgery

Gum and bone were removed.


Suturing was done and her front teeth (root canal treated), were trimmed back and shortened.

It's barely 2 weeks after surgery. Healing is satisfactory. She is still hesitant about smiling, but this is roughly where her new gumline will be. The final exact position of her gums will only be known in 2 months. That's why we can only place temporaries.

Her temporaries will be removed in 2 months for impression taking.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Sleeping Implants


Socket Preservation With Sleeping Implants $1250 by Medisave (no cash)

When you lose a tooth, you don't just lose a tooth. Bone surrounding the tooth will shrivel away as it becomes redundant.

And bone is everything in dental implantology. The longer you delay implant treatment, the more your bone will shrink, complicating implant surgery and restoration in the future. It's a pity that many patients have been unable to have implants placed soon after they had their teeth extracted due to various personal reasons and economic conditions.

When these people are finally ready to restore their lost teeth, these teeth may have been missing for many years. Bone deficiency may result in painful, complicated surgery and a high risk of implant failure which advanced practitioners experienced with challenging cases are so familiar with.

What is the best way to prevent your precious bone from melting away like an ice cube? You place an implant into that spot within 2 months after extraction. In some cases, we can even insert the implant on the day of the extraction. That implant can stay sleeping underneath your gums until you are ready to restore it.

How much does that cost you? Just $300 in cold cash.

No, we're not kidding. For implant surgery, you can use up to $1250 from your Medisave account. When you are ready to restore the implant (after graduation, landing a job etc), we can restore it for you for $1800. Or if you want another dentist to restore it, we wouldn't mind either. We just don't want people to lose their precious bone simply because they can't afford implants at a certain time in their lives.


Monday, March 1, 2010

Cosmetic Emergency

Is there such a thing as a cosmetic emergency? There sure is.

This young lady had a half-treated tooth which broke off when we are so close to Chinese New Year and all the labs are closed. We had to put something presentable to last her till the labs are operating again.

This is what her tooth looks like. Root canal treatment was started but not completed. The patient left the tooth as it was until it fractured.

We completed the root canal for her, placed a couple of metal pins into the root filling and built a composite crown. Notice the greyish colouration from the metal pins.

We saw the patient again when the root filling has settled in. A fibre post was cemented inside the canal. The core of the crown was built up.


An accurate rubber impression was sent to the lab. We shall wait for the final emax crown to be completed. Stay tuned.


Final emax crown.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

What are the stages of gum disease?


Gingivitis is the earliest stage, a milder and reversible form of periodontal disease that only affects the gums. Left untreated, gingivitis may progress to a more severe form of gum disease called periodontitis.

Gingivitis - Gums are mildly inflamed, may appear red or swollen and may bleed during brushing.

Periodontitis - Gums begin to separate and recede from the teeth. This allows plaque to move towards the roots, supporting fibers and bone.

Advanced Periodontitis - Supporting fibers and bone are destroyed. Teeth become loose and may need to be removed.

Monday, February 22, 2010

10 steps for diabetics to achieve a healthier mouth.

Is effective in reducing gum problems and keeping your gums in good health. The following are 10 steps to help you achieve a brighter smile and healthier body:

1. Oral health is an essential part of general health.

2. Self-identify signs & symptoms of gum disease:

Bleeding gums , Swollen gums, Bad breath, Receding gums/tooth sensitivity, Shaky/loose teeht.

3. Inform your dentist if you:
have Diabeties Mellitus, Have relevant family medical history, have Heart disease,
are on long-term medication, use tobacco/smoke, have any other medical conditions.

4. Request for gum check-up (periodontal screening) to be performed as an essential part of your regular (at least twice yearly) dental check - up.

5. Please be aware that gum disease is an important complication of diabetes and uncontrolled gum disease
may worsen your diabetic condition.

6. Bacteria in plaque are the main cause of gum disease.
- Gum disease can be controlled by the effective removal of plaque by the following measures:
- Brush correctly twice a day with an appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Floss/clean in between the teeth once daily
- Chang toothbrush as necessary (2-3 months)
- Clean your tongue
- Oral rinse as advised by dentists

7. Stop smoking, eat healthy and exercise regularly for oral and general health.

8. Gum disease should be controlled prior to other dental treatments (e.g. orthodontic treatments, dentures,
crowns, bridges, and implants).

9. Seek regular medical and dental check-ups. Comply with long term maintenance care (every 3 to 6 months) as advised.

10. Healthy lifestyle and healthy gums leads to healthy body.


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Is there such a thing as a cosmetic emergency? There sure is.

This young lady had a half-treated tooth which broke off when we are so close to Chinese New Year and all the labs are closed. We had to put something presentable to last her till the labs are operating again.

This is what her tooth looks like. Root canal treatment was started but not completed. The patient left the tooth as it was until it fractured.

We completed the root canal for her, placed a couple of metal pins into the root filling and built a composite crown. Notice the greyish colouration from the metal pins.

We saw the patient again when the root filling has settled in. A fibre post was cemented inside the canal. The core of the crown was built up.

A temporary crown was made. The greyish colouration is no longer obvious as we have replaced metal pins with a fibre post.

An accurate rubber impression was sent to the lab. We shall wait for the final emax crown to be completed. Stay tuned.