All About Dental

[ngl2010]

juz_me:

Hi


My son Pri 5 has streaks of white on the 2 front permanet upper teeth.

Anyone has the same condition?

Thanks

Yes. My son and my niece have white streaks on their teeth. I read in the internet that it is because they swallowed toothpaste containing fluoride when they were young. Our teeth do not have white streaks because there was not many toothpaste containing fluoride when we were young. I guess prosperity and technology advancement have its downside.

[osim]

bebe:

Hi,

It is LQ Dental at Novena medical center. You need to call to make appointment.

Hi,

Which doctor is servicing your case and is he/she good? Does he/she explains thoroughly his diagnosis and plans and welcome questions? Is he skillful in doing the braces. Your child experiencing any pain?

Sorry so many questions. I want to settle dd braces this holiday. I hope I don't have to wait too long for appt.

[osim]

Brought dd to fix her fused tooth today. The dentist did a wonderful job and it looks much better cosmetically now. Dentist gave an analysis of the crowding in the upper and lower teeth using the mold of her teeth and some photos and measurements which were done earlier.


Was quoted $5K for the braces plus $320 to do 4 extractions. Is this a reasonable price? Is it better to do the extractions and braces during the next long school holiday in Nov/Dec?

[bebe]

osim:

Brought dd to fix her fused tooth today. The dentist did a wonderful job and it looks much better cosmetically now. Dentist gave an analysis of the crowding in the upper and lower teeth using the mold of her teeth and some photos and measurements which were done earlier.


Was quoted $5K for the braces plus $320 to do 4 extractions. Is this a reasonable price? Is it better to do the extractions and braces during the next long school holiday in Nov/Dec?

Hi Osim
Sorry for the late reply. My gal is seeing Dr Lim (a guy in his 40s?) Did you send your girl to the same orthodontist? According to Dr Lim, he advised me to wait till my girl finishes her PSLE (next yr), as braces treatment can last for 1-2 years and P5/P6 are the most stressful and busiest time for primary school kid. He said there is no need to give additional stress to them and we can wait till next year. By then, she is likely to reach her puberty and her jawline shd be more defined. However, we have to go back to review on a 6 monthly basis so that he can determine if immediate action is required.
Prior to him, we went to another orthodontist who suggested us to start the braces straight away after my girl has dropped all her baby tooth. The reason being she can treat the lower jaw first and if things goes well, we may skip the upper jaw. Her lower jaw is overcrowding and affecting the upper jaw. Hence if lower jaw is treated, upper jaw may aligned accordingly on its own.
Both dental clinic quoted similar package SGD2500 for one jaw; worked out to be SGD5000 for both jaw. X-ray and extraction are charged separately - likely to be SGD$50-$80 per extraction depending on the tooth position. X-ray is somehow standard $80. The difference would be the consultation. I rem the former orthodontist quoted me SGD45 per visit but Dr Lim is SGD25 per visit. In any case, Dr Lim's clinic is nearer to us, so we reckon it will be easier to go back to the clinic.

[osim]

Thanks bebe,


I did go to the same clinic. We are seeing Dr Clare Chen. My girl is in her teens and quite ready to get the teeth fixed. Her case was open to 3-4 options due to her fused 2nd incisor. We paid $300 to get a full mouth record which includes making a mold, X-ray and Dr took front, side photo profile of her face and inside of mouth. She had to make measurements based on the records to find out what are the various options to advise. In the end, there were 4 options. We chose the least invasive method as per her advise and cosmetically treat the fuse tooth for now and next step is to extract 4 premolars and put on braces. Definitely should do during school holiday.

I always wonder if some early intervention could have been done. I regretted not seeing the private dentist when she was younger. Paying more do get better service. Dr Clare was very thorough and patient in explaining dd’s options. We spent almost 1 hr there, discussion and fixing the fused tooth (25mins).

[bebe]

osim:

I always wonder if some early intervention could have been done. I regretted not seeing the private dentist when she was younger. Paying more do get better service.

When I talked to Dr Lim about early intervention, he said things like this can wait, and no point in getting braces early. He quoted me some pros of delaying treatments eg kids will be more independent in taking care of the braces, and less uncertainty due to jaw feature affected by puberty growth or new teeth growth. And I agree with him that when kids grow older, they tend to be more conscious of their look and will be more willing to take care of their own teeth. Sometimes, I hv to nag my girl to brush her tooth properly, due to overcrowding, there are some teeth that pose challenge.

[osim]

bebe:

When I talked to Dr Lim about early intervention, he said things like this can wait, and no point in getting braces early. He quoted me some pros of delaying treatments eg kids will be more independent in taking care of the braces, and less uncertainty due to jaw feature affected by puberty growth or new teeth growth. And I agree with him that when kids grow older, they tend to be more conscious of their look and will be more willing to take care of their own teeth. Sometimes, I hv to nag my girl to brush her tooth properly, due to overcrowding, there are some teeth that pose challenge.

What he said make sense.

You may want to try electric toothbrush for you dd. My family uses the Philips Sonicare for more than a year and we find it very effective for plaque remover. We will not return to manual toothbrush unless necessary. Also the smart-timer and quad pacer helps the children brush for 2 mins and change section every 30 sec. It brushes 31000 strokes per minute so you just concentrate on positioning the brush head and no need to worry about the brushing itself. That helps my dd overcrowded teeth. Also I used to have bleeding gums frequently but that has stopped ever since.

[sendrik]

Hi all,


Help! I need some advice about my son getting GA to fix his tooth ASAP.

My son, 5.5 year old, went to see Paediatric Dentist @ orchard area yesterday. This is his first time ever.

He had an x-ray and was diagnose to have 8 holes that require immediate treatment. 6 regular filling and 2 needs pulpotomy/root canal treatment & crown. She offered 2 options: local anaesthetics with 4 visits or get everything done in 1 visit with General Anaesthetics.
We are considering option 2 with GA because we don’t want our son to suffered and traumatized by dentist. But after knowing the cost (it’s a whooping $4500! Around $2500 for the whole thing + $2000 for GA and operating theatre), we are quite shocked and confused.
Moreover, the doctor seems to push us to get it done ASAP because she said the condition might get worse by the time if we drag too long. She even suggested to get it done on Monday (we visit the doctor on Sat). So we are faced with a situation where either go for it on Friday (that’s the next available slot for the doc) and pay $4500 or get 2nd opinion. But to get 2nd opinion, waiting time for most of the dentist is verryyyyy long. And we have to make decision ASAP to book the doc’s time for this Friday.

Btw, when I ask my son if his teeth is painful, he said ‘no’ and he seldom complain about his teeth too. Maybe sometime he complain when he eats feel painful and my wife found some food stuck on his teeth but that’s all. The doctor makes it seems to be very critical. But again, I’m not a doctor and I can’t read the xray result. So not sure if the diagnosis is right or abit exaggerated.
Can anyone give any comments whether to go for it or later? is the cost reasonable? where can I see another good Paediatric Dentist within short period of time?

Thanks in advance.

[cherrygal]

Understand your worries. Just to inform that cavities that go deep down may not present as large holes to the naked eye.


I would get a second opinion just to make sure.

[mummyv]

sendrik:

Hi all,


Help! I need some advice about my son getting GA to fix his tooth ASAP.
He had an x-ray and was diagnose to have 8 holes that require immediate treatment.

Hi

My 3.5 yo just had a root canal done w 3 fillings. It was discovered when she told me there was a swelling on her roof after an episode of high fever. She only complains of occasional pain when food gets stuck in teeth. I did not go to a specialist paed dentist but a neighbourhood one recommended by a friend. Will PM you full contact & costs.

I think there is an urgency but it is not a life or death situation. Find a dentist that you are comfortable with. If there is no fever that means no infection so you can delay a bit more. The worst case scenario is infection sets in, then you need to treat infection bef work can be done otherwise w/out GA it will be painful (according to dentist)

I was shocked that a root canal was needed and after asking the dentist it was more for space management to preserve jaw alignment. The procedure was done without GA - 3 diff visits. Assessment 1st visit - antibiotics needed cos of fever. Root canal 2nd visit (2 wks later). Filling for root canal and 2 other teeth 3rd visit (1.5 wks later). The dentist first rubbed a anaesthetic gel bef injecting the anesthesia. When the tooth was numb, the procedure started. I was impressed cos my child did not cry. It was manageable. It helped that dentist was kid friendly and there were props for her to play with. I also prepped her by reading lots of visiting to dentist books borrowed fm the library plus bribes to buy toys after visit.