Dr Marzella, Dr Neo Tee Khin, Richard Soh, Dr Ansgar Cheng and Dr Ho Kok Sen

A team of dentists from Specialist Dental Group and Universitas Trisakti performed the NobelGuide Teeth-in-an-Hour Live Surgery procedure before a group of approximately 200 dentists in Jakarta on Saturday, February 20, 2010. This revolutionary procedure enables dental implants to be placed in one hour, and was the first time that this procedure was performed in Indonesia.

According to Dr Neo Tee Khin, Prosthodontist with Specialist Dental Group, “With this Nobelguide Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure, people who have missing teeth can get new teeth that look, feel and function just their natural teeth – all in an hour.”

The Live Surgery event was part of a workshop organized by the Indonesian Society of Implant Dentistry with the collaboration of Universitas Trisakti and sponsored by NobelBiocare.  Dr Neo and Dr Ho Kok Sen, Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon with Specialist Dental Group, were instrumental in planning and providing clinical expertise for the procedure together with Dr Marzella Mega Lestari from Universitas Trisakti.

The patient, Richard Soh, 56, is from Singapore and previously lived in Jakarta for a few years. Mr Soh had been wearing dentures for many years on both his upper and lower jaw. He found the dentures uncomfortable and he could not fully enjoy his food. After the NobelGuide Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure, Mr Soh was able to eat almost immediately – and he enjoyed a full lunch that afternoon and was able to eat as normal the rest of the time.

Patient eating watermelon minutes after the surgery

“The NobelGuide Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure is minimally invasive – there is no swelling or pain, and the recovery is very quick,” added Dr Ho Kok Sen.

Professor Ansgar Cheng of Specialist Dental Group also provided a briefing on the NobelGuide Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure. “Our clinical experience shows that the success rate of this procedure is about 99%”, said Dr Cheng.

For more information on the Teeth-in-an-Hour procedure, visit: http://www.specialistdentalgroup.com/services/serv_teeth_in_an_hour.php

Nobel Biocare is the world leader in innovative restorative and aesthetic dental solutions. It has the largest share of the global dental market and has developed numerous advancements in dental implants over the past 40 years. The company is the leading innovator of computer-aided design and manufacturing as well as computer-aided implant treatment planning and guided implant installation. For more information, visit www.nobelbiocare.com

Specialist Dental Group is the leading multi-specialist dental clinic in Singapore. Based at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, the clinic celebrated its 30^th anniversary in 2009. Its founder, Dr Henry Lee, placed the first dental implants in Singapore over 25 years ago. The dental team consists of 7 internationally trained/qualified specialists in different areas of dentistry. Specialist Dental Group offers comprehensive specialist dental solutions under one roof. For more information visit www.specialistdentalgroup.com

More people are becoming aware that correcting their smile will have a major impact on their overall appearance. Solutions to imperfect smiles can be found by visiting the dentist…and in some cases, achieved in just one hour !

 Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening brightens discoloured or stained teeth caused by food, coffee or smoking. It is a painless procedure which can be completed in less than one hour. A consultation and examination is first done to ensure that the patient is a good candidate, and to rule out existing gum problems or decayed teeth which may affect the treatment outcome. .

It is also important to keep in mind that daily oral hygiene is an essential part of maintaining teeth whitening results. Depending on one’s lifestyle and dietary habits, the whitening can last for as long as two years.

 Veneers

Veneers are thin, custom-made high strength porcelain or composite resin shells designed to fit discreetly over the teeth. It is another option available for discoloured teeth, worn down teeth, broken or chipped teeth, gaps between teeth, and uneven, misaligned or irregularly shaped teeth.

In addition to aesthetic benefits, veneers also have a functional purpose as they protect the surface of a damaged tooth. They may even replace the need for a crown in certain situations, eliminating the need for more invasive tooth preparation.

This is a good alternative treatment to braces, for moderately misaligned teeth that fulfil certain clinical requirements, as it can be completed in shorter period of time – as short as two visits to the dentist.

Composite Bonding

Composite bonding is another option in treating teeth with small chips or gaps or dark stains that do not respond to bleaching. This procedure involves applying a tooth-coloured polymeric resin to the tooth and moulding it into the proper shape. This is a painless procedure and typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete.  

Crowns

Crowns are restorations that cover or cap teeth, restoring them to their natural size, shape, and color. Crowns are indicated when there is a need to strengthen teeth that are mechanically weakened (e.g. teeth with large cavities). Our clinic usually uses zirconium crowns.

Zirconium-based dental crowns are superior in structural strength reinforcement and aesthetic quality. Instead of relying on a dental technician alone, well-fitting crowns could be robotically made using CAD-CAM technology with significantly reduced human intervention. Research has shown that the fit of these CAD-CAM crowns are excellent even at a sub-microscopic level.

Dental Implants

Dental implants replace missing teeth with natural-looking teeth that look, feel and function just like your own teeth. Conventional implants take between three to nine months for treatment to be completed as time is needed for the implant to integrate with the jawbone. With Instant Implants™ and Teeth-in-an-Hour implants, the time to complete treatment is much shorter, due to the skill of the dentist and the technology used.

Braces / Invisalign

Braces function to straighten crooked teeth or close the gap between teeth. Aesthetic braces such as ceramic (tooth coloured) braces and invisible braces (lingual braces) are gaining popularity. Invisalign, a series of removable clear aligners are also a discreet, aesthetic and comfortable way of perfecting your smile….almost without anyone knowing.

Walk Out with that Beautiful Smile

While there are many options available for smile makeovers, your teeth are there to reflect your inner well-being. The most important consideration for a lasting and healthy smile is to have regular check-ups, brush/floss well, and maintain a balanced diet and lifestyle. This is the real secret to looking great, at any age!

Dental crowns effectively improve a smile by modifying teeth color, position and size simultaneously. They are essential for comprehensive cosmetic dental makeovers and/or reinforcement of structurally compromised teeth. Properly-made crowns radiate life-like tooth aesthetics, enhance structure integrity and improve smile quality.

What’s Involved

The making of dental crowns involves 3 main steps:
(1) professional contouring of weakened tooth structure,
(2) fabrication of the crown on a laboratory bench top, and
(3) bonding of the crowns to strengthen the weakened teeth.

Traditional dental crowns are either made of metal or porcelain. Conventional tooth color porcelain materials are similar in physical nature as our household porcelain – they are brittle in nature. On the other hand, metal crowns are strong but lack life-like aesthetic quality. Even though porcelain veneers are commonly used in smile makeovers, porcelain veneers do not offer any structural reinforcement to the teeth and their longevity is questionable when the structural strength of the teeth is sub-optimal. A skillful and experienced dental technician is also essential for the fabrication of well-fitting traditional crowns with excellent artistic quality.

Revolutionary Material

Derivatives of zirconium material have been used for fabrication of man-made diamonds (cubic zirconia) and artificial hip joints for a long time. One of its advantages is its biocompatibility – our human body integrates well with zirconium material with minimal adverse reaction.

Research has shown that the strength of contemporary zirconium dental materials is comparable to titanium, the metal commonly used in aircraft structures and dental implants. The recent development of zirconium-based CAD-CAM dental crown materials combine computer technology precision and the strength of metal crowns while offering life-like superior aesthetic quality. Instead of relying on a dental technician, well-fitting crowns could be robotically made using CAD-CAM technology with significantly reduced human intervention. Research has shown that the fit of these CAD-CAM crowns are excellent even at a sub-microscopic level.

The removal of excessive tooth structure may compromise the long term functional outcome of the tooth. Excessive removal of tooth structure is no longer required as very thin crowns can be made due to the superior physical strength of zirconium crowns.

As a result, zirconium based dental crowns are superior in structural strength reinforcement and aesthetic quality. It may be the closest to the perfect material for any smile makeover. Maybe we are finally truly realizing the full potential of ‘Diamonds are a girl’s (and guy’s) best friend’

For more information on Crowns, please click here