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

A Tradition of Excellence

Specialist Dental Group™ has been established at the Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre in Singapore since 1979 and celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year. The Group is one of the largest multi-specialty dental clinics in Singapore and has nine treatment rooms in two clinics served by a team of seven leading dental specialists.

“Not many dental practices in Singapore have the distinction of being around for such a long time,” says Dr Neo Tee Khin, Managing Partner of Specialist Dental Group™. The late Dr. Henry Lee, founder of the clinic, was a well established oral surgeon who placed the first titanium dental implants in Singapore more than 20 years ago. This strong foundation in dental implants has continued today with Specialist Dental Group™ being one of the leading dental implant providers in Singapore.

According to Dr Ansgar C Cheng, Co-Managing Partner of the Group, the clinic was renamed Specialist Dental Group™ in 2008 to reflect the breadth and depth of the comprehensive dental solutions under one roof provided by its internationally trained/ qualified multi-specialty team.

The clinical team at Specialist Dental Group™ includes dentists with specialty training in prosthodontics (teeth replacement), periodontics (gum treatment), orthodontics (braces) and oral & maxillofacial surgery. Signature dental solutions include Teeth-in-an-Hour implants, Instant Implants™, conventional dental implants, Invisalign®, braces, oral surgery, gum treatment and crowns.

“The idea of a multi-specialty practice arose due to the higher demand and expectation of our patients. Having all our specialists in one place improves communication among them resulting in an excellent standard of care and convenience for our patients,” adds Dr. Neo. Patients benefit with reduced waiting times and can access dentists from different specialty areas with one appointment.

Another convenience is that due to the location of the clinic in a premier medical centre, patients can also schedule their medical and dental visits on the same day in the same building, minimizing the need to take extra time off their busy schedules.

The dental team at Specialist Dental Group™ is also experienced in treating patients with medical conditions such as cancer, stroke, diabetes and heart problems. One of the services offered to patients prior to undergoing cancer treatment (e.g., radiation or chemotherapy) or a major medical procedure (e.g. organ transplantation or heart surgery) is a Dental Assessment. Dental Assessments minimize the risk of oral complications developing in the middle of cancer treatment or post-surgery as a result of a pre-existing dental condition such as an infected tooth or gum disease. The significant cost savings and avoidance of physical and emotional trauma are some of the benefits of having a dental assessment.

Contribution to the Professional Community and to Public Awareness

Most of the dentists at Specialist Dental Group™ have taught or are currently teaching at the National University of Singapore and other international universities. They are also active contributors to international scientific journals and sit on the editorial boards of such publications. As opinion leaders in their respective specialty areas, they are regularly invited to speak at local and international dental conferences.

On the public awareness front, the dental team at Specialist Dental Group™ is passionate about educating the public about oral health, innovations in dentistry and the connection between good oral health and a healthy body. In conjunction with the 30^th anniversary of Specialist Dental Group™’ this year, the clinic organized a public seminar with Channel NewsAsia – Putting the Sparkle Back Into Your Smile – A Dental Seminar that Bridges Function & Aesthetics, which was very well received with an audience of almost 600 people attending to learn more about oral health.

Getting Connected

In addition to the comprehensive information on dental procedures on the Specialist Dental Group™ website, patients are also able to make appointment bookings and enquiries as well as view videos. Specialist Dental Group™ also has a Blog, Facebook Fan Page and a Twitter account in order to be more accessible to patients.

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.

To find out more about the profile of our dental team, click here. News and media coverage of our clinic and dentists can also be found on our website together with links to our Facebook Fan Page.