Silver amalgam fillings eventually need to be replaced. Your dentist can tell you when they appear to need to be replaced due to leakage, breakdown or recurrent decay. If your concern is strictly aesthetic, there are many new methods available to replace the fillings with beautiful, functional long lasting restorations. Such things as tooth colored fillings materials, full ceramic crowns and veneers are available.

Generally, you should visit your dentist in every 6 months. People at greater risks (e.g. tobacco, alcohol users, pregnant women or diabetic patients) of dental problems should visit dentist more than twice a year. Visit your dentist regularly to detect any dental problems.

If you have an object caught between your teeth, you should try to remove it with dental floss gently. Do not attempt to remove the object with a sharp or pointed device. If you cannot remove the object, see your dentist.

Foods, bad oral hygiene routine, gum diseases, tobacoo products, dry mouth or medical problems such as sinus infection are few examples that can cause bad breath. You should see your dentist to clarify your particular problem. However, regular brushing, flossing and tongue scraping help maintain oral environment. Chew sugar free gum if mouth feels dry.

If possible, children should visit a dentist when their first tooth comes in or no later than their first birthday.

Removal of wisdom tooth is the most common procedure performed by dentist and oral surgeons. One of the most common reasons is that impacted (angled forward) wisdom tooth push the other teeth forward and cause crowding as well as damage to the adjacent tooth. Patients should ask the dentist about the health and positioning of their wisdom tooth. The dentist may make a recommendation for removal or refer the patient to an oral surgeon for further evaluation.

It requires at least 5 hours

Dental implants are engineered screw-like structures inserted into the jaw bone to replace / act like roots of missing teeth. Currently, the material of choice is titanium as it is high biocompatible and allows bone to make intimate contact on its surface, a process known as osseointegration.

Implants may be used as anchorage to replace single tooth, multiple teeth or a denture.

In general, you need to maintain daily rigorous oral hygiene routines like brushing, flossing etc. This will go a long way towards maintaining the longevity of the implants. Your dentist / implantologist will normally set up a review schedule with you. When the situation is stable, the review / check up may be twice a year.

In general, all edentulous (toothless) areas requiring tooth/teeth replacement can be done with dental implants. However, the condition of the bone, namely width and height of the remaining alveolar bone, the position of the maxillary sinus and the major nerve within the mandible, may impose limitation to the insertion of implants. Your dentist will be able to propose different ways to overcome these anatomical limitations, if the use of dental implant is desirable in your case.

The benefits of dental implants include and not limited to the following:

1. Allow the patient to have single tooth/ teeth replacement instead of a bridge. The advantages include
   1. Most importantly, tooth structures of the adjacent teeth are preserved. This will in turn preserve the longevity of teeth and integrity of the dentition.
   2. Appearance can be good
   3. Maintenance of the replacement tooth/teeth is the same as natural teeth
       
2. Allowed the patients to enjoy fixed prosthesis (single crowns or bridges) in situations which otherwise can only be replaced with removable dentures, for example
   1. When all molar (back) teeth are missing
   2. When all teeth are missing (totally edentulous)
   3. When too many teeth are missing, making it impossible to construct teeth support bridge
       
3. Making removable full dentures very firm and stable, allowing the patient to enjoy good chewing function, good speech and freedom from the worry that the denture may come off anytime.

This may vary from clinic to clinic depending on the expertise of the dentists / specialists and the materials used. Use of materials may vary in terms of the implant system and the cost of construction of the crowns, bridges and dentures. It is best that you discuss with the dentist in this respect.

Most implant surgeries are done under local anesthesia. With adequate local anesthesia, there should be no pain during the surgery.

If you are very anxious, you can discuss with the implant surgeon regarding the use of sedatives.

More rarely, extensive surgeries are required and these are done under general anesthesia.

When local anesthetic wears off, there will be mild to moderate pain. The pain can be controlled with adequate analgesics and good rest. It is advisable to take the prescribed analgesics (pain killers) before the pain reaches its crescendo. However, please take care not to exceed the maximum dosage allowed for each medication.

The number of visits may vary from patient to patient. It is easier to discuss in terms of the stages of dental implant treatment:

1. Treatment planning
2. Surgery to placement implant.
3. Exposure of implant top and connection of sulcus former / healing abutment to mold the soft tissue (gum) around the future crown. This step may be done at the time of implant placement.
4. Taking impression (mold) of the implant / abutment for laboratory work
5. Fixing the supra-structure (crown, bridge or denture)

The interval between surgery and fitting the supra-structure may vary from immediate to 6 months or longer depending on whether the implant was very firm at time of surgery and whether bone grafting (addition of artificial bone substitute to cover exposed implant surfaces) was done.

You need to discuss with your implant dentist if you would like to cut down on the number of visits and the waiting period.

In general, there is no upper age limit, as long as the patient has good general health and is able to maintain good oral hygiene routines.

However, it is not advisable to insert dental implants in growing children. This is because the bone around the implants will not grow in tandem with the bone around the teeth, and the dental implant tooth may be left at a different level compared to other teeth in the same dentition.

The founder on the use of dental implants (Professor Branemark of Sweden) reported that the implants he placed in the jaw 40 years ago were still in function.

The longevity of implants can be affected by many factors, which include:

1. Poor general health, diabetes mellitus, smoking habits
2. Poor oral hygiene
3. Abnormal or excessive grinding of teeth

Please bear in mind that implant is the structure inserted into the bone. While the implants may remain stable, the crown or bridge may chip/ crack / fracture / come loose, and will require replacement

It is usually possible to place implant again when the bone has healed.

Orthodontic treatment deals with irregularities of dentition, i.e. crowding teeth, open bite, spacing, impaction etc. It corrects the malocclusion with the aim to achieve healthy and functional occlusion and a better looking smile.

General dental checkup should be done when the baby teeth are all out at 2-3 years old. The dentist would refer when they feel the child has malocclusion problems which required a specialist intervention.

No. Adult can have orthodontic treatment. But because of the bone in adult is more dense, therefore, there is a reduction in blood supply. This will cause delayed in tooth movement.

Consultation is required

• Clinical examination : face, mouth, temporomandibular joint, teeth and bite
• Records taking:
  • Study model,
  • X-ray,
  • Clinical pictures
     

Treatment Planning

• After the records are ready, the orthodontist will have to analyze the skeletal structure, the dentition and the soft tissue of the patient.
• Problem List will be developed
• Treatment goals will be listed
• Treatment options and treatment plan will be prepared and presented to the patient on the next visit.

It varies from case to case. You will be informed during discussion of the treatment plan. Please inform the orthodontist about the plan of your vacation, further studies or migration prior to start of treatment.

In cases where there is severe crowding, we might need to take out teeth to make space. However, before we decide to extract teeth, we have to consider the lips profile and the gum condition of the patient and others.

These are braces which are attached at the inner part of the teeth. It is also known as Aesthetic Braces. People may not notice if one is wearing this type of braces. It is particular helpful to those desired aesthetic appearance during braces treatment.

Your orthodontist will explain the treatment plan and braces suitable for your condition. Treatment will start only after you agreed with the plan the Orthodontist proposed. You are encouraged to voice out any concerns or issues that you feel need to be resolved during the discussion of the treatment plan.

No. You will need to wear retainer and the duration of the retention phase varies. The orthodontist will inform you during the treatment planning session

Yes. You will need to see your orthodontist for dental and retainer check up for the 1st year after braces and subsequently, check up can be done by your dentist.

Fees are based upon treatment time, the severity of the case and types of braces you decide on

Cleaning is vey important when wearing braces. However, it is not difficult as a child as young as 7 years old can do it if they do it correctly and consistently.