The article below first appeared in the October 27, 2012 issue of the Straits Times. We have reproduced it below for the benefit of those who missed the article when it was published.
Long waiting time coupled with the fear of drilling, filling and billing can make dental visits a dread.
According to a 2012 survey by Oral-B, 38 per cent of Singaporeans visit dentists only when they feel pain.
The negative impression of a visit to the dentist makes Specialist Dental Group – winner for this year’s Singapore Experience Award winner (Healthcare) -stand out for delivering a painless dental treatment experience.
Before you even step into one of the Group’s three clinics at Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre, you can assuage your fears by scrolling through information on various dental procedures and the specialists’ profiles put up on its website, blog and Facebook page.
Making an appointment request online takes just a click.
Breaking the barriers
SMSes and emails will remind you of your upcoming dental appointment, and on appointment day, the clinic can arrange for an interpreter to be present so that you are served in the language that you are most comfortable in, from Russian to Bahasa – at no extra cost. A Patient Services Manager is present to coordinate appointments and travel arrangements to make the visit a breeze for you.
You can tap the expertise of the Group’s orthodontists, periodontists, prosthodontists, oral surgeon or paedodontist, all at the same visit without needing to make several separate appointments or paying several consultation fees.
In other clinics, you would have to awkwardly move between clinics wearing a bib. At Specialist Dental Group, the specialists go to you while you rest reclined in your chair. Each of the 3 clinics with X-ray imaging facilities and the latest tools for dental treatment.
Says Dr Ansgar Cheng and Dr Neo Tee Khin, Managing Partners and Prosthodontists with Specialist Dental Group: “We provide a handout on post-surgery instructions to assist patients on knowing what to do (and what not to do) in the event that they forget our verbal instructions.
“We also brief the accompanying family member or friend as well as put these instructions on our website for easier 24 hour access.
“All our patients who have undergone surgery receive a follow-up call the next day to check on how they are doing, and to address any concerns they may have.”
Junior friendly
Children, too, can say goodbye to nightmares at the dentist’s clinic. The Group’s Children’s Dentistry section features a colourful children-sized dental chair, a fish tank and plays cartoons to focus children’s attention away from the whir and zing of dental drills.
