Many people were hoping (us included!) that we could bid farewell to Covid-19 in 2021, however that did not happen. In the past 12 months, Singapore and the world dealt with the Delta variant, and now Omicron. A silver lining is that Omicron may be the final variant of concern, and we certainly hope that this will be the case in the next year. While we hope and dream for a better 2022, it is also time to reflect and count our blessings for the things that took place in 2021. In this blog post, we will share some highlights of Specialist Dental Group (the non-clinical side of things).
New Instagram Page: @specialistdentalgrp
We started our account on Instagram at the start of the year to connect with patients and friends who uses Instagram more often. On IG, we share behind-the-scenes photos of our colleagues and handy dental tips. If you also happen to use Instagram, do follow us too!
SDG Education Awards
One of the yearly tradition we have is to award our colleagues’ children who have either done well or made significant improvement in their studies. $50 is given for every “A” or “Rank 1” achieved and any subject which improved for more than 2 grades during the year. This year, we had three children who were awarded, they are Clarissa Lim, Catrina Poo and Alfred Poo.
Long Service Awards
2021 also marks then 10-year work anniversary of three of our colleagues, Liza, Abby and Nengsi. They were each presented with a $10,000 cheque, and once again, we would like to thank them for their dedication and service towards Specialist Dental Group and our patients.
Public Education Opportunities
A few of our dental specialists were invited to share their expertise and knowledge to the public through radio programmes, newspaper articles and online talks. Our dental specialists set time aside for these as we believe that it is important to raise dental awareness so that the public can make informed decisions regarding their dental health.
Dr Steven Soo, Prosthodontist, was on CNA 938 radio programme “Health Matters”, as he shared with DJ Daniel Martin about “Psoriasis and your teeth”.
Dr Irene Sim, Endodontist, shared with listeners of Capital 95.8FM on cracked teeth and root canal treatment. She also had the opportunity to speak to DJ Anna (安娜) from 96.3 好FM on the dangers of D.I.Y dental trends.
Dr Ansgar Cheng, Prosthodontist, also went on another segment of CNA 938 radio programme “Health Matters” to talk about the link between gum disease and dementia.
On the newspaper side of things, Dr Irene Sim was interviewed about dental abscess (“pimple on the gum”) and why it should not be ignored. Dr Tan Kian Meng, Prosthodontist, shared about the destructive forces of teeth grinding. While Dr Ho Kok Sen, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, reminded the public that delaying the removal of wisdom teeth may cause other dental problems. These are some of the common dental conditions that they treat in clinic.
As for online talks, one of such sessions was conducted by Dr Tabitha Chng, Paedodontist, where she spoke about children dental health and teeth development in a young child. A video recording and summary of the talk can be found here.
Sharing of Expertise in Singapore and Internationally
In addition to public education, our team of dental specialists also frequently share their expertise with fellow dental professionals in Singapore (and in the region).
Dr Neo Tee Khin, Prosthodontist, had the opportunity to share alongside Marik Guizot and Dr Sunil Kumar in an online webinar for dental professionals from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, on immediate implant placement considerations.
Dr Ansgar Cheng and Dr Tan Kian Meng were reappointed as Associate Professor and Assistant Professor of Hong Kong University respectively. Every fortnight, they will interact with the prosthodontic postgraduate students to go through many pieces of scientific literature.
Dr Tan Kian Meng was also appointed as the President of Prosthodontic Society Singapore (PSS) this year. Apart from speaking at various talks organised by the PSS, he was also invited to speak by Singapore’s Medical Alumni Association.
Dr Irene Sim shared about managing and diagnosing dentine hypersensitivity with fellow dental colleagues in an online talk for dental professionals which was organised by GSK. We were thankful that more than 300 dental professionals attended the online event.
Giving Back to Society
In Singapore, there are many ways to support causes that we are passionate about. In 2021, we raised funds for a few organisations by climbing stairs, cycling and donating:
- Singapore Disability Sports Council – Organised by Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), colleagues participated in a “Vertical Challenge” where pairs are to complete at least 360 metres of elevation gain to raise funds for SDSC. Team members went hiking and stairs climbing in order to achieve their targets.
- Community Chest Singapore – In another meaningful fundraising event organised by SNEF, colleagues participated in “Cycle for a Cause” and cover more than 50km each to raise funds.
- Autism Association (Singapore) – Another yearly tradition that we have is to raise funds for a charity that is voted for by the majority of our colleagues. This year, the selected charity is Autism Association (Singapore) and an internal donation drive was conducted. Every dollar donated by the team members would be match dollar-for-dollar by the company. We are proud to donate a total of $5,300 to this meaningful cause.
With that, 2021 flew by for most of us and we are looking forward to a better 2022. We would like to thank all patients, family and friends for your continuous support. Here’s wishing everyone a fresh start, renewed energy and many reasons to smile throughout the year!
