Smile Makeover For Lily – Part 2

THE BEFINNING OF SMILE MAKEOVER

Step 1- Composite Veneers

The first thing I did for Lily is four composite veneers for her upper front teeth.

Why did I choose to do so?

Lily was going to join a new workplace in two weeks time. I needed to do something that had the most impact of her smile.

Base on the smile analysis, people could hardly notice that she had two missing teeth.

The teeth that would affects her smile and image were the four front teeth and hence must be treated first.

Due to the time constraint, her discolored upper right central incisor that needed root canal treatment and internal bleaching (whitening of single tooth from inside the tooth) would be carried out later on.

 

Step 2 – Root Canal Treatment and Internal Bleaching

Base on the investigation results, two teeth required root canal treatment.

It took us about 3 weeks to finish the root canal treatment. Lily was very determined and she came in consistently for her treatment.

From there, we sterted internal bleaching for the discolored upper right central incisor.

Step 3 – Dental bridge

Once the necessary treatments to manage infection were carried out, we moved on to restorative phase.

Lily had two missing premolar, one on the left and one on the right.

After discussion about the treatment options available, Lily prefered to restore the missing teeth with dental bridge.

 

 

We made two fix-fix porcelain bridge for her, just in time for her engagement ceremony.

That was what I promised her, to have the best smile on her engagement ceremony. =)

My heartiest congratulation to Lily!

 

With Love,

Gwen Gan

 

 

 

 

 

Smile Makeover For Lily – Part 1

INTRODUCTION

This blog post is specially dedicated for Lily – a girl who is happy, determined and never give up.

How we met was nothing special, she is a patient and I am a dentist.

She came for dental check up and I was her dentist.

She probably did not expect that our meet up would change her smile and life; and I definitely would not expect that her story would remind me once again how my job could impact someone life.

I want to write this down to remind myself never to forget to be a kind dentist.

THE FIRST MEET UP

Lily had been to many different dentists before seeing me. Her appointment with me was an appointment for scaling.

She is a regular patient in the clinic that I work for but we have never met, she was seeing other dentist all the while.

Looking at her appointment, I did not have a second thought and thought that this is just another patient coming for a regular dental check up and scaling.

However, when I looked into her mouth, I started to frown.

She is a pretty and young lady, and it was very obvious that she had some dental problem but why nothing had been treated despite being a regular patient to the dental clinic. I felt sorry for her.

After the scaling, I sat her down and explain her about her oral condition.

I prepared a long list of what were the problems, what were the treatments required, what are the prices and how long she would need to complete all these.

I reassure her that she would be fine as what she was lacking is someone to guide her and do a good treatment plan for her.

I was running out of time that day, in fact I was overtime as I was only given half an hour with her, but I felt the duty to make sure she understood what is her oral condition and what types of treatment she needed. Hence, I kept her longer to feed her with as much information as I could.

Before she left, I told her that she must make an appointment to come for a discussion again and I did not really have faith that she would return as she was quiet and did not show much interest.

At least I did my part. That was what I thought.

 

THE STRUGGLE IN LILY

Little did I know that, that time she was actually frustrated looking for a dentist.

She had been to many dentists hoping someone could help her, but all she got was blaming her for such bad teeth and never told her what to do.

After we completed everything only she told me that she was taking me as her last chance to fix her teeth.

If I failed her as everyone else, she was ready to give up already.

I am really glad that I took the initiative to explain her oral condition and the treatments that she needed even though she did not ask actively.

I am really grateful that I could be there to help her in making a decision that would impact her life.

I am glad that I still keep my pure heart being a dentist to help people in need. =)

 

to be continued…..

 

Beautiful Smile: In-Office Teeth Whitening

What Is In-Office Teeth Whitening?

In-office teeth whitening means to have your teeth whitten at a dental clinic.

It is a procedure that can only be carried out in a dental clinic by a dentist.

The procedure is safe and result is immediate.

 

How Is The Procedure Like?

There are a few steps involved :

  1. The dentist will first perform scaling to remove plaque and calculus on the teeth.
  2. Photograph will be taken to record the shade (color) before teeth whitening
  3. Cheek retractor and cotton rolls will be inserted in your mouth to protect the soft tissues (to protect your lip, cheek, gum and etc)
  4. A special gel to protect the gum near to the teeth will be applied.
  5. The dentist will then apply the whitening gel on your teeth.
  6. A special laser light is used to shine on your teeth for 15 minutes.
  7. Step 5 and 6 are repeats for 3 or 4 times.
  8. Admire your new smile!

 

How Does It Work?

The whitening gel contains an active whitening ingredient (either carbamide peroxide or hydrogen peroxide) that penetrates the outer layer of your teeth to the deeper layer of your teeth.

When it gets to the discolored molecules , the Oxygen molecules from the whitening agents react with the discolored molecules , breaking the bonds that hold them together.

As the discolored molecules became atom, your teeth now are whiter.

 

Is There Any Side Effect?

Most people experience different level of teeth sensitivity after the procedure.

The effect could last from 2 hours to about a day.

There isn’t any damage to the structure of the teeth as it is a chemical reaction that works to lighter the shade of the teeth.

 

How White Can My Teeth Become?

Nobody can answer this question as the procedure only works to break down the discolored molecules.

It could only at best return your teeth to the color before staining due to food consumption, but it could not give a new color to the teeth.

Imagine that you are bleaching your white shirt, and you will most likely get back the color when you first bought the shirt, but not any whiter.

It works the same for teeth whitening.

How Long Can It Last?

Depending on individual’s diet, it can last up to three years.

 

Do I Need To Avoid Any Food After Whitening?

For the first few days, try not to consume any food that stains.

Example, tumeric,black coffee, marinara sauce, wine, blueberry and etc.

 

I hope I have covered most of the concerns about in-office teeth whitening.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any other question.

 

With Love,

Gwen Gan

 

Bleaching: How I Whiten A Single Discoloured Tooth

Single Discoloured Tooth

Do you have a friend who has a weird colour tooth?

Have you wondered why?

Or are you one of them who hopes to find a solution?

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.

.

Here is the solution: Internal bleaching – a procedure to whiten the dead tooth from within.

Chris’s experience with internal bleaching

Chris had this discoloured tooth accompaniment since forever.

She always had this doubt why is it so, but she never actively looks for a solution.

Until recently when she came to me and I propose this solution and she agrees.

The whole procedures took about a month to complete.

She came about three times in between for me to carry out the procedure.

Each time when Chris came, I would put some whitening gel into the tooth, and she could go home within about 5 minutes. It is a total pain free procedure that is quick and easy to carry out.

 

Who are the suitable candidates for this procedure?
  1. Root canal treated tooth that discoloured.
  2. Tooth that had trauma before
  3. A tooth that without reason turn darker over time

If you have been troubled by this situation, the best is to go to see a dentist for consultation to be sure that if this could be your solution.

 

With Love,

Gwen Gan