April and May, especially the month of May, has been an incredibly busy month for the specialist team at Specialist Dental Group. Almost all of our dental specialists were giving presentations in Singapore or internationally during this period.
April The month of April was off to a flying start with an Invisalign accreditation workshop conducted by Dr. Eugene Chan in Singapore on April 5, 2009.
Dr. Helena Lee then gave a presentation on Periodontics: Where function meets aesthetics. A role for hard and soft tissue grafting at the Singapore Dental Association Continuing Professional Education Program on April 22, 2009.
Indonesia was the port of call for Dr. Neo Tee Khin where he gave a presentation to the Basic Science to Implantology and Dental Implantology Study Group, organized by Indonesian Dental Association and Dr. Bastian Dental Clinic in Jakarta.
Closer to home, Dr. Ho Kok Sen was involved in giving a live demonstration for the Nobel Biocare Mentor Programme- Quickstart with NobelActive on April 29-30, 2009.
May
On May 1, 2009, Dr. Ansgar Cheng was in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, where he spoke on Clinical considerations of implant supported overdentures at the University of Nebraska Medical Centre.
The third week of May will be an eventful week for 4 of our specialists as they are invited speakers in 4 different countries:
Australia – Dr. Eugene Chan is speaking at the Invisalign accreditation workshop in Sydney on May 22, 2009
India – Dr. Ho Kok Sen will be in Mangalore, India from May 23-24, 2009 as a speaker for the Certificate in Oral Implantology organized by the Manipal College of Dental Sciences in Mangalore.
Malaysia – Dr. Ansgar Cheng will lecture at the Malaysian Association of Aesthetic Dentistry meeting on May 24 on the theme of Sharing Realistic Clinic Experience in Aesthetic Prosthodontics.
Singapore:Dr. Elvin Leong will give a presentation in Chinese to the public on Losing your Precious Teeth – The Dentist has Options for Replacement organized by the Punggol Community Club on May 24, 2009
One of the visions of Specialist Dental Group is to contribute to the professional community in Singapore and internationally, as well as increase public awareness about dental health. Our dental specialists are regularly invited to speak at professional dental meetings and/or community events to share their knowledge and experience in dental procedures.
Many of our dentists are either current or former professors / faculty members at the National University of Singapore and other international universities. We also actively contribute professional articles to clinical journals such as the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Cosmetic Dentistry and the International Journal of Prosthodontics.
Invisalign is a new way to straighten teeth without braces by using a series of clear removable aligners. When worn, the aligners are virtually invisible… – one patient reported that she wore Invisalign aligners for several days without anyone in her family or workplace noticing until she called it to their attention!
Invisalign was launched in Singapore in 2005 (it was launched in 2002 in Hong Kong and Australia). Specialist Dental Group has four Invisalign-accredited dentists on our team, including Dr Eugene Chan and Dr Patricia Yeong. Gone are the days of the “metal mouth”…. with Invisalign, you can go about your daily activities with minimal disruption to your schedule. You can also eat anything you like as the aligners are removed for meals, and put on again after you have brushed your teeth….this also leads to better oral hygiene.
Background Facts
* Invisalign has been around for about 10 years in the USA – over 950,000 patients have been treated worldwide
* More than 52,000 dentists have been trained in Invisalign
* Over 500 new Invisalign cases everyday
* Over 20 million aligners have been shipped worldwide
How Invisalign Works
Invisalign uses clear aligners to move teeth. The aligners are changed every two weeks, allowing gradual movement of teeth and minimizing discomfort. These aligners are customized for every patient. Patients are generally given three sets of aligners and they only see the dentist every 6 weeks to check on the progress of their case. Thus, there is reduced frequency of appointments needed compared with braces which requires appointments on a monthly basis.
Key Benefits of Invisalign
1) Teeth are straightened invisibly – as mentioned above, few people can tell that you are wearing Invisalign….it is analogous to wearing contact lenses. Patients using Invisalign smile more during treatment and it does not affect their social life.
2) Invisalign aligners are removable – you can eat or drink anything and can easily brush/floss your teeth resulting in beetter oral hygiene. Studies have shown that Invisalign wearers have better oral hygiene and less gum problems compared with braces patients.
3) Comfortable – since there are no brackets, there are fewer abrasions to the mouth during treatment. The teeth also feel less sore since less force is used as the aligners are changed every two weeks, compared with the monthly adjustment for braces.
The Invisalign Consultation
Your dentist will examine your dental condition and discuss with you the various options to straighten your teeth, including the advantages and disadvantages of each method. If you decide to proceed with Invisalign, an impression of your teeth will be taken as well as a photograph (front and profile) of your current dental condition.
Your dental impression will be sent to a CT scanning machine and incorporated into the ClinCheck 3D animation software. This is a web-based computer program which will show the movement of your teeth from start to finish. Your dentist will discuss the ClinCheck case with you and make any necessary adjustments to your treatment plan. Once approved, all the clear customized aligners required for Invisalign treatment will be fabricated. For more information on Invisalign, please click here.
