All About Dental

[winth]

Dear all,


Thanks for all the PMs on the dentist that DS1 is visiting.
Very sorry for not being able to respond sooner as I’m very inactive now, I think I’ve come online less than 10 times this year.

DS1 visited this dentist due to misaligned upper and lower jaw set of teeth and I didn’t believe the neighbourhood dentist who simply told us that he needs braces (cos he was diagnosed with crooked teeth, but we needed all his milk teeth to fall off before those metal braces). And the last draw came, after he told my son that his teeth is too deeply decayed and needs a crown and needs a specialist treatment for crown for S$6k (on top of losing his good tooth).

The new dentist we visited had his decayed tooth fixed in no time, though he said that the decay was really pretty deep. He introduced us his wife (another dentist) after discovering that DS1’s upper and lower jaw problem. He told us that it’s not a matter of braces and if we had waited for his milk teeth to fall out, it’ll be too late to align his jaw problem (which was really, the problem that DS1 had).

The dentist clinic is Dr Johnny Lee and Hinly Lau, and they just moved to Novena, Thomas Medical Centre early 2010. We are his regular clients since that visit. They are a husband and wife team, in their 50s and very professional. Dr Hinly has been treating DS1 and we visit her monthly to see how DS1’s progress.

DS1’s ‘braces’ involved two sets that click onto his teeth. It cost me S$1,200 for that special set and I have to manually calibrate it so that the ‘braces’ will push against his about his set of teeth so that they will align gradually. The equipment is really not difficult to calibrate and people with all thumbs like me can do it. Oh! Other than the S$1,200 for the set, I need to pay a fee of S$20++ for every visit to Dr Hinly Lau for his monthly progress.

DS1 is on the braces since June/July this year (couldn’t really remember) and he is pretty used to it. At first, it was really a matter of getting used to something acrylic in his mouth. And his tongue couldn’t really feel his way, that’s when his pronunciation wasn’t good. Now, he’s eating and sleeping with it.

The ‘braces’ are really just clicking onto his teeth, so he just needs to unclick them and brush them in the am and pm.

=========================

As for me, I was diagnosed with thinning gums by that same neighbourhood dentist why. He told me I was simply brushing it too hard. The only way to prevent it was not to brush so ‘hard’. ya ya

Luckily for me too, I changed to this new dentist and he told me my problem of thinning gums was due to food stuck in my gums. Nothing to do with brushing. I merely needed flossing and regular dentist visits. And he told me that my brushing is so thorough and the teeth are in good condition.

Hope the stories help in creating a little bit of general awareness and I would strongly recommend that seeking consultation in different dentists is quite crucial.

[Serendipity]

Hi, can anyone recommend a children’s dentist in the west? Want to bring my 4yr plus DD for checkup n cleaning. Went to Q&M at City Square b4 but I m hoping to find a clinic nearer me.


Thanks!

[CTong]

Be careful when choosing your dentist. It’s does matter.

[sall]

Hi CTong, thanks for sharing. Is your problem finally solved now. Your experience is really awful and I can imagine the excruciating pain you had to go thru. I’m glad I didn’t opt for root canal treatment. Sounds really frightening if it is not done by a skilled dentist.

[CTong]

Hi Sall, thanks for your concern.


I have yet to do a crowning. Actually, thinking of leaving it alone. In case, my tooth gives me problem, I will just extract it away. Sigh…

[maggicho]

Google it?

[verykiasu2010]

CTong:

Just want to share my experience with National Dental Centre. PLEASE PLEASE reconsider your treatment there. Hope the information helps those looking for dentist service.


Went to NDC for a root canal treatment since April 2011 after calling NDC receptionist informing me that it will be somewhere 30% cheaper than private after subsidised. So I got myself referred to NDC by Polyclinic.

Have booked the 1st appt in 7 April to have it done since it is cheaper (what a grave mistakes I made).

Gone for the 1st visit, paying $145, and subsequent 3 visits, paying $89 in total - have to pay every visit (not mentioning that during 1 of the visit, I suffered tremendously headache due to root canal not cleanse properly and bacteria grew and worst it was during a weekend, got to suffer in pain, not even panadol helped). Finally, got to see the so called root canal specialist on 10 Aug and paid $519. After x-ray taken, she told me that one of the NDC's dentist has left a broken surgical needle in the canal. She also mentioned that it is not uncommon, todate, there are 8451 cases happened. After another 3 visits, paying $103, she told me that it is not possible to remove the surgial needle. Her advice is to leave it there since it will not rust. Most likely not causing problem, since only 2 out of 8451 cases having problem. If I insist to remove, I have to undergo a surgery (wondering will NDC pay?).

Dear readers, do take note that my fillings kept dropping out cause it is just a temporary filling during all these while.

When NDC sent me a letter to postpone my appointment, I was so upset that I even wrote a complain letter to NDC cc the minister, Gan Kim Yong regarding my case, only to get a appointment the next day. No mentioned of the surgical needle in my tooth at all!!!

So all in all, I have paid $856. (Do you call this cheap?) My colleague had hers done at TwinCity at $550 and another done at The Endodontic at $880 (1 time payment, subsequent visits all no charges) with no problem and have it fixed within 3 visits in 2 months.

THINK TWICE, don't be cheated by the word \"NATIONAL Dental Centre\". They are a bunch of inexperience dentist looking for guinea pigs and yet charge a super high S$.

Thanks for the info.

Hope you get well soon

I too have no good impression with NDC. I found the private dentists cheaper, better, faster, (!!!) no need to wait for 6 months to have appointment changed one week before actual date

When I told them about NDC, they all laughed

[thatsmygirl]

how old should a kid be for them to start visiting the dentist? any ideas?

[sesame246]

sall:

Hi sesame, it's not wise to just leave the gap there, the neighbouring teeth will shift to take up the space, and in future, your teeth may not be perfectly aligned. It's best to do it asap after extraction, when the wound after extraction has completely healed. If you wait too long, you may lose some bone mass (something like that). Better not watch the procedure on youtube, it's so bloody and scary.

I think mine should cost more than what I mentioned earlier, I haven't paid the whole sum, can pay part of it thru medisave.
As for my dentist, he's done a lot of implant before and he did my extraction too. It was a good job done and I'm very comfortable with him even though he's not a specialist.

Tks for sharing, Sall.

Finally I hv done my implant 2 wks ago. I was surprised that it is such a simple procedure - all over within 20 min. Though i know the dentist is doing some drilling, i did not feel the pain. I dont remember seeing is any blood too. No down time, I took my dinner about 2 hrs later. I was given painkillers but never hv to take them.

a week before the implant, my dentist sent me to a specialist to do a root canal to treat the tooth beside the implant tooth. That procedure was quite terrible, it took abt 1.5 hrs.

[Verysuperkiasu]

I am thinking of going for implant. Anyone knows the cost claimable by CPF. Maybe I go for the cheaper mini dental implant?