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

Benefits of Whiter Teeth

Teeth whitening or bleaching is a quick method to restore the sparkle back into your smile. Apart from having a whiter smile, another benefit of gleaming pearly whites is the positive impact this has on one’s confidence and self-esteem. A side benefit is a more youthful smile since yellow and stained teeth are often associated with ageing.

Consultation with the Dentist is Important

A dental examination and consultation is important to assess whether teeth whitening is appropriate.

While most people will be suitable candidates for whitening, those with gum problems, tooth infections, ulcers or sensitive teeth may have to address outstanding dental issues before having teeth whitening done.

In addition, the dentist will determine the cause of the stained or discoloured teeth. Tooth discolouration can be due to either external or internal causes, and the treatment is different for each.  Smoking, as well as tea, coffee and soft drink consumption are some of the biggest causes of external staining. At times, irregularities on teeth surfaces may contribute significantly to the uptake of external stains too. For external discolouration, a proper cleaning and teeth whitening should be sufficient to restore the sparkle to the smile.

Internal or intrinsic discolouration could be the result of a dead or infected tooth or a result of medication (e.g. tetracycline stains). Treatment for intrinsic discolouration is more complicated. In such cases, bleaching alone may not be sufficient, and other types of treatment, such as veneers or crowns may have to be considered.

There are also different shades of stains on the teeth that play a part in determining how the final result of whitening would look like. For example, teeth that have yellow stains or brown stains would respond best to bleaching treatment, compared with teeth that have a grayish tinge.

The key to effective treatment is to get a proper examination and diagnosis. Your dentist would be able to identify the causes of your concern and the relevant treatment.

The process

Teeth whitening can usually be completed in an hour’s visit to the dentist.

A whitening gel is carefully applied to the teeth. A safe, whitening light is used to activate the gel and bleach away stains on the teeth. Once the gel is activated, it remains on the teeth for 20 minutes until the process completed. Several rounds of this process are performed in the clinic during the visit.

What to expect?

Teeth whitening is a painless procedure and patients who undergo this treatment will be able to resume their daily activities immediately although on rare occasions, some teeth may experience sensitivity to cold drinks or air. But, nothing to worry about as this will settle with time.

Teeth that are whitened generally stay that way for approximately 24 months; however certain stain-inducing lifestyle habits such as smoking or drinking coffee, tea or red wine, will increase the likelihood of a patient requiring teeth whitening treatments from time to time.

What’s next?

Maintenance is required in order to keep the result achieved after the treatment. Thus, in some cases, dentists will also provide the patients with a take home kit, so that they can do touch up from time to time, as advised by the dentist.

Lastly, basic rule of thumb applies, maintaining a good oral hygiene is essential. Dental cleaning, combined with regular check-ups to your dentist will help in giving you healthy teeth and a good looking smile.

For more information on teeth whitening, click here.

As a one stop centre for specialist dental solutions; Specialist Dental Group is always striving to meet our patients’ needs more effectively and efficiently. One such way is by having the latest equipment such as a Digital Panoramic X-Ray system as well as a Cone Beam CT Scanner installed in our clinic.

Digital Panoramic X-Rays

• Patients benefit from a state-of-the-art patient-positioning system which makes the x-ray taking procedure quick, simple and accurate. Images from all different positions of the head (lateral, horizontal or chin to head imagery) can be taken and analyzed at the same time. 
• The digital images are also transmitted into the treatment room in seconds – enabling the patient and dental specialist to discuss the x-rays almost immediately after they are taken. This is especially beneficial to patients with time constraints. 
• Digital x-rays are also much safer for patients as the level of radiation is significantly lower than traditional x-rays (which is already very low).
• In addition, the accuracy of the images producted digitally assists our dental specialists in planning surgery and measurements.

 Cone Beam CT Scanner

The CT scanner provides three-dimensional imaging of a patient’s overall oral and maxillofacial anatomy

• It can be used for a wide cross-section of situations, including dental implants, jaw surgery, treatment of temporomandibular jaw problems (TMJ or jaw joint problems) and sinus surgery.
• It is also extremely useful as an aid for dentists in visualizing patients’ internal anatomy and analyzing the exact position and orientation of patients’ critical structures such as nerves, sinus, nose, teeth roots, or even any previous implants.

With the use of technology, the margin of safety in clinical procedures is even wider, and procedures are carried out more efficiently and effectively. .. .

The best part of all these new technology at Specialist Dental Group for patients is the added convenience of having everything under one roof – there is no longer any need to go to another location to have CT scans taken.

Currently, Specialist Dental Group has a Cone Beam CT scanner, a digital x-ray machine, a lateral cephalometric machine and a surgical microscope. All nine treatment rooms are equipped with computers to enable viewing of CT scans, digital xrays and videos.