Welcome

It’s another new year! Wow,I was just trying to catch up with the past few months that seemed to be whizzing past me and before I know it,the year 2011 had come to an end!

The year that passed has been a very eventful year,the highlight being Tjia-Xin,who turns 5 months old in a few days time,the latest addition to our family

I am really thankful for good health,that at my not-so-young age,I went through a easy and comfortable pregnancy and labor.
And its really great to have so many helpers around the house.

Well,2012 is definitely going to be exciting!

I just came back from a short but superb holiday together with my husband of 18 years. We try to make it a point to go away somewhere by ourselves during this time of the year to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It is usually just a 3 or 4- day trip but it is always such a wonderful experience and we come home knowing that we are rejuvenated in our relationship. Our children can see that too and it is one of the best ways to assure them and to give them a sense of security.
Some holiday photos in Macau and Hong Kong to share,mostly of us eating!

We had one of the best Portuguese egg tarts I’ve ever tasted,in this quaint little village at the southern tip of Macau,called Coloane.

I spent the entire day at a dental conference,amidst the outcry from my children!

Nevertheless,I had a wonderful weekend. I had dinner with my family on Saturday night at a nice cosy restaurant in a local mall,where all the children said something appreciative about me. Really touched me.

Then after my conference on Sunday, my dear husband took me for a dinner for “daddy appreciates mummy” dinner…mmm

Last week we had some really spicy home cooked Southern Indian food. It left all our tongues on fire!!!

The ice-cream was a good ending to put out the fire.

I just got home from a two weeks trip to New Zealand, having attended the Trans-Tasman Endodontic Conference in Christchurch. The 3-day conference had almost 300 delegates mainly from Australia and New Zealand plus a handful of others who decided to travel many many hours to be there,namely people like me!

We had a great time of learning from some very well known speakers from all Australasia,Europe and USA.

My dear husband,TC,came along( to be my bodyguard,as usual )

After the conference we went for another 10 days of proper holiday.

One of the highlights of our trip was a planned 3-day alpine hike,or what the New Zealanders call tramping, on the Routeburn Track,one of the many Great Walks in New Zealand. The Routeburn Track traverses 32 kilometres of Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks,part of South West New Zealand  World Heritage Area,and is administered by the Department of Conservation on behalf of the New Zealand public.

We carried everything that we needed for 3 days and 2 nights in our backpacks and we slept in sleeping bags in Department of Conservation huts. We walked on tracks in the forest,climb rocky paths,crossed unbridged streams,walked through snowy paths and in the rain(and got our boots really wet and muddy!) and even walked past a waterfall! Words and even pictures are not really able to fully describe the experience and the fabulous views that we encountered over the 3 days. We can only tell each other that we will be back to do more of these beautiful walks!

This is the common question asked when someone comes to me to do teeth whitening.
I would not answer the question in this manner. I would rather compare it based on the needs and compliance of the individual.
If you are getting married tomorrow,then obviously you will need to get an “instant” whitening ie the chair-side in-house whitening.On the other hand,if you are  generally a compliant and disciplined person who is willing to listen to your dentist’s instructions ,then go for the take-home overnight whitening.
The end result?  They both give you white teeth.

Below are some before and after pictures .

The 1st picture was  taken in June 2009 .The 2nd picture was taken 2 weeks later after using the take-home whitening which was applied on the upper teeth only. This lady of 68 years old, continued with the whitening procedure for her lower teeth for another 2 weeks.(This process can be done together ie the upper and lower teeth can be whitened at the same time).The 3rd picture was taken recently in September 2010. obviously the patient is very happy with the results.

The above are pictures of a chair-side whitening patient,obviously a very happy young lady of 19 years old.

In summary,you can will get results irregardless of the type of whitening you do.

Some time ago,(well,it was a LONGGG time ago…very embarassing that I have not been updating my blog for ages)I posted some information about teeth grinding.
It is something that is becoming so common in this society.
I took a picture recently to show how severe it can be.
This is a night guard that is barely 9 month old,the wearer is a young female adult in her early thirties. She wears it every night and she realised that it’s got holes in it.

Well,in this case,we had to make a her a new night guard…

I just returned home from Singapore after attending  the FDI Annual World Dental Congress(AWDC) held at the Suntec Convention Centre there from the 2nd to 5th September. The FDI AWDC plays an important role in the advancement of dentistry. This internationally recognised event is held in a different city every year.And it was so good (and definitely so much more economical for me) that this year,it was held relatively close to home because most of the time it is held in the American or European continent.

This event comprises of scientific programmes,exhibitions and meetings by representatives from all over the world to strategize,plan and make policies for the advancement of dentistry in the future.

The scientific programme is an educational event with speakers from around the world presenting on the latest scientific topics affecting the dental profession globally. We had 4 days of lectures to attend,which covered all the various aspects of dentistry.It is quite awesome to be a part of  this huge group of dental practitioners from all over the world,who had gathered together to learn.The speakers were truly chosen from among the best.They go beyond excellence,bringing dentistry to a different level ,in the things they do,whether it be in the area of research or clinical work.

I felt  privileged to be a participant in this event as there is this increasing realisation that dentistry is moving in a direction where changes are occuring so rapidly.We are in the era of practising evidence-based dentistry.We do not just do what the textbooks say and definitely not what we learnt in dental school around 2 decades ago(well at least I am speaking for myself). Things have changed so much that it unnerves me to think that a big chunk of what I learnt in dental school is actually obsolete. Well,it just goes to prove that learning is an ongoing and a life-long process.

The dental exhibition was showcase of state-of-the-art advanced dental technology, equipment and products. Some of the products exhibited were being launched for the first time.

I guess one of the main things that I took home is the assurance that I am doing the right things in my practice and using the right materials for different cases.

Managed to take some pictures with my mobile phone…

It’s the month of Ramadhan again and we took the opportunity to go for “buka puasa”(breaking of fast)dinner together at a hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur with our team and family members. As usual,we had lots of fun and laughter together…

    and pretty good food too.

I take quite a number of intraoral radiographs or Xrays in my daily practice.Most of the time it is the routine few that I need to take in the course of root canal treatment for my patients.I also take them very often to help me diagnose an existing  condition or when I suspect that there is a condition.It is such an essential part of my practice that it is without a doubt that a dentist cannot practice proper dentistry without an Xray facility in his or her office.

Occasionally I get the question of “Is is OK to take so many Xrays?” when I take more than a couple for one patient,which is quite normal in the course of a root canal treatment. I give them the assurance that intraoral Xrays are really extremely low in the radiation it emmits.

An intraoral Xrays emmits an estimated 0.009 mSV. (A millisievert (mSV) is a unit of measure that allows for some comparison between radiation sources that expose the entire body (such as natural background radiation) and those that only expose a portion of the body (such as radiographs). Don’t worry if you do not understand this statement,neither do I!!). Compare that to a chest Xray which emmits approximately 0.080 mSV. This is using conventional Xray films.In the advent of modern technology,we are now moving towards digital Xrays and the radiation used for digital Xrays are reduced by between 70-80%.

Dental radiographs or Xrays are images taken when Xrays pass through your mouth during a dental examination.

How it works is when the Xrays are taken,more rays are absorbed by teeth and bone,which are more dense than the cheeks and gums. The image created is called a radiograph. This can be in the form of a film or an image on the computer screen.

Teeth and bony structures will appear lighter whereas tooth decay, infections and signs of gum disease will, appear darker because of more Xray penetration. Dental fillings  may appear lighter or darker, depending on the type of material used for the particular filling.

Your dentist will be able to observe and  interpretation  these radiographs and can therefore come to a more accurate diagnosis.

Dental  Xrays can provide essential information about the condition of our teeth and our jaw. It is also imperative as a record in the event of identification of a particular individual,for example in forensic cases.

Dental Xrays can show small areas of decay between teeth or under an existing filling,which is usually not detectable by your dentist in the mouth.It can also show bone loss due to tooth infection or gum infection.Some tumours and cysts are also visible from dental XRays,and certain developmental abnormalities can be detected from them. They are also very useful for determining the position of unerupted teeth in the jaw.In cases of trauma,dental XRays play a vital role in observing possible fractures and also the position of the fracture lines.

Hence,we are able to detect and treat many dental conditions in the early stage.

I probably sound redundant,but,dental Xrays are really something we dental practitioners  cannot do without if we want to provide proper dental care to our patients.