How To Making Your Teeth Whiter.

In this article, I'll give an update on my latest "discoveries" in this ever-changing field.

1. Chairside or DIY
No change here. I always recommend DIY whitening. It's more economical and it works just as well. Some say it works even better than chairside whitening.

2. Effectiveness
Recently, a Japanese dentist published a paper on what kind of teeth bleach better than others and I found it a really interesting read. He mentions (surprisingly) that dentine doesn't actually bleach. It's the enamel that bleaches. I tend to agree with that because in many of my bleaching cases where dentine is exposed due to abrasion cavities, that part of the tooth won't whiten.

If it's true that only enamel bleaches, then it will mean that people with worn out and yellowed teeth are unlikely to benefit very much from bleaching. It also means that areas where the enamel is thicker, like near the incisal tip, will whiten much better than the necks of the teeth where the enamel is thinner. Hence, the location of the staining is very important. If the tooth is darker around the tips, then they will bleach well. If they are darker around the gum area, then they may not bleach well.

The bad news is, Asians tend to have thinner enamel than their Causasian counterparts. This means that Asian teeth will not bleach as well as Caucasian teeth. Many of the claims by the manufacturers of bleaching products are actually based on Caucasian teeth.

3. New Products
For our DIY kit, we're now using 9.5% hydrogen peroxide. We are no longer using 22% carbamide peroxide. The new product is clearly more effective than the old. Besides that, additives like amorphous calcium phosphate go into the new packaging. ACP has been shown to be capable of remineralising demineralised teeth by cauing calcium phosphate to precipitate. It's supposed to help control sensitivity.

Patient feedback confirms that a reduced level of sensitivity is experienced with the new formulation. Our 9.5% hydrogen peroxide take-home kit is the most popular bleaching kit at our office today. It may take a bit longer than chairside whitening, but it's more cost-effective.

For chairside bleaching, we are still using 38% hydrogen peroxide. Not much "improvement" in that area as hydrogen peroxide in those concentrations is highly caustic. For lasting results, all chairside whitening procedures must be followed up with the take home kit. The way I look at it, there's really no point in doing chairside whitening.

4. Procedures

No change in that department. Impressions are first taken and a set of customised bleaching trays are made. If you book your appointment in advance, the trays will be ready in 1 hour.

The mixing tip is attached to a double syringe. As the plunger is pushed, the two chemicals are mixed together and activated. Each syringe contains enough material for 3 upper and lower applications. 3 syringes give 9 applications.


The activated gel is placed into the customised bleaching tray. The trays are worn over the teeth for one hour 2 times a day. They are quite comfortable and are almost invisible. However, the trays must be pushed in for a snug fit. The flexible tray is pressed against the teeth to clear voids in the gel. Excess gel on the gums is wiped off.

Aesthetic Filling Materials

This gentleman has "pits" on his upper lateral incisor. He is bothered by them but didn't know that something can be done.

Many people are afraid to fill these cavities for fear that the filling will look worse than the decay.

Now you can see the composite blends in nicely with the natural tooth.

Use Your Medisave for Wisdom Tooth Surgery

The wisdom tooth is the third last molars. Most people have one in each quadrant of the mouth. However, it is not uncommon to find individuals with less than 4 wisdom teeth.Because this tooth usually erupts when the person is about 18-21 years of age, it is called the wisdom tooth. In reality, the tooth is often non-functional or even problematic.

When there is insufficient space in the jaw for the tooth to emerge fully, the wisdom tooth may get trapped under the gum and bone. Partial eruption makes the tooth susceptible to gum infection which may result in recurrent bouts of pain and swelling. Left alone for long periods, chronic gum infection can lead to fibrous growths or cyst formation.

In certain cases, the tooth may be slanted against the next tooth – the second molar. The resulting gap between the two teeth traps food and promotes bad breath as well as decay

Wisdom tooth surgery is usually carried out to save the second molar or stop the recurrence of gum swelling. In some individuals, the eruption of their wisdom teeth coincides with the appearance of their front teeth being pushed together. Wisdom tooth surgery is also performed to allay fears of crowding/overlapping front teeth, though there is no strong evidence to prove that the crowding front teeth is the direct result of pressure from erupting wisdom teeth.

Payment For Dental Surgery With Medisave

Medisave audits have been driving many dental clinics crazy. Almost no clinic can escape without refunding money due to “over claiming”. It has been and will always be our clinic’s policy to help our patients claim the maximum amount that MOH and CPF Board allow. We are not in the position to dictate or even advise our patients on what to do with their own money.

On the other hand, organisations which regulate the use of Medisave funds have the duty of protecting our patients’ Medisave reserves. The maximum claimable amounts stipulated by MOH are not meant to cover 100% of the bill. As private practitioners, however, we always try our best to charge and claim in a way that results in no cash payment on the part of our patients. Nevertheless, this is not always possible. MOH has very rigid guidelines on the maximum claimable amount for a particular type of wisdom tooth condition. At the MOH side, the evaluation is based purely in x-rays.

After Wisdom Tooth Surgery

You will get Swelling and difficulty when you are open your mouth .
bite firmly on the gauze provided for at least half an hour. Take your painkillers before the numbness wears out. Do not keep spitting or rinsing your mouth. Swallow your saliva. Put the Ice/cold packs are very effective in controlling swelling when applied immediately after surgery. Remember to apply it outside your cheek. Never put ice inside your mouth or apply for more than 20 mins at one time. Allow 10 min intervals between ice applications. Please do not smoke, drink very hot drinks or alcohol and do not exercise , exert yourself. Get plenty of rest at home and take care not to bite your lip when it is numb. And last one when bleeding has stopped, eat soft food and keep the wound clean. Remember to see your dentist for the follow up.

MOST IMPORTANT you must take the antibiotics prescribed to you to prevent infection. We will also prescribe and dispense drugs for pain and swelling for you.

How to use Day White?

Whitening Instructions for who need teeth whiter.
floss and brush your teeth. Twist off the clear plastic cap from the syringe and replace with the mixing nozzle. Place a small "teardrop" amount of gel in each tooth compartment in the tray. To guide you, the "gel drop" shown represents the average size drop you should dispense into each tooth compartment. Remember this is a guideline only. if you have small teeth, use a smaller "gel drop". Conversely, if you have larger teeth, use a slightly larger drop.

Place the tray with the gel in the mouth. Remove excess gel with you finger or dry toothbrush. When inserting the tray, becareful not to push the gel out, but be sure that the tray is completely seated. You may see "bubbling" within your trays while wearing them. This bubbling is acually part of the whitening process. Wear trays for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than 60 minutes. After whitening, remove and rinse the trays with cold water. Hot water may damage the trays. If necessary, use a toothbrush to remove any residual gel. Place the trays in the storage case, and store them in a cool, dry place Rinse and brush excess gel form the teeth.

Day white available at New Age Cosmetic Dentists.

Zirconia crown

This Australian teacher has been brushing his teeth without mercy for many years - so much so that the bristles have worn out the necks of his teeth, causing "furrows" which gradually weakened the teeth.

One day, he bit on something hard and his lateral incisor snapped. We handled the emergency by doing a root canal followed by a temporary post crown built up freehand with flowable composite.
As a temporary measure, we "planted" a stainless steel wire into the space created after removal of the nerve. A composite crown moulded entirely freehand from flowable composite was built up around the wire.

All done within an hour. The patient will be called back for the permanent crown which will be customised to match the colour of the other teeth.

Here is the tooth prepared for post crown.

A zirconia crown is fitted

Generally, zirconia does not have the same translucency as emax. However, they still look quite natural. Why zirconia? It's easily twice the strength of emax.

Cheap Dentist In Singapore

Have you ever facing the problem of seeking for experienced dentist with reasonable/cheap chargers in Singapore?

If it is YES, i would strongly recommended Polyclinic. But, do you have the time to queue up for the appointment? If you're having toothache right now, and what you need is root canal treatment ,wisdom tooth surgery. Singapore polyclinic will still refer you to the specialist. That might be fine with you. Of cause straight away you will be visiting the specialist to solve your pain. Another problem you have to face is to queue up at the specialist.

When you are having toothache, do you think you still have the patient to queue up for few days, a weeks or even take months for the appointment?

Well, you'll always have the second choice in your life. I am here to settle all the "problems" that you will be facing or you are having now. With the requirement of experienced dentist with reasonable/cheap chargers in Singapore.

Just email to me poohfa@hotmail.com . What's your problem ? we will try to solve and help your problem.

Another an actress replacement Single Implant @ My Dental Clinic

This young actress showed up at our clinic with a hopeless premolar on her right side.

As her job requires her to look good in front of the camera all the time, she cannot afford to go without a tooth.

We extracted her tooth and inserted a tiny one-tooth Flexite immediate denture.

With pink coloured nylon claps and no coverage of her palate, she was able to look good before the camera and not have a denture plate interfere with her speech immediately after her extraction.

2 months after extraction, she came in for implant surgery. The healing was not very good and the bone quality not as good as we had wanted it to be, but we managed to insert a 4.5mmx8.5mm Osstem GSII implant into the space.


The extraction space after 2 months. Healing is not perfect, making the surgery a challenging one.
The implant is in place. The blue fixture mount was removed and the wound was stitched up. She reported only mild discomfort after surgery and went straight back to work. The restoration phase of the treatment will take place in 3 months. We will post the updates then...

The question for dental implant.

Patient ask :

I heard from internet sources that dental implants last forever. A friend of mine had an implant done a few years ago and now it’s loosening. The dentist says my friend has poor hygiene. If implants last a lifetime, why is it that poor hygiene can cause it to loosen?
Admin answer :

Dental implants MAY last a lifetime. Their durability is dependent on several factors. True, implants don’t decay, but like natural teeth, the gums and bone surrounding an implant can get infected due to poor oral hygiene.

Chronic inflammation “melts” away the bone holding the implant. Even with very good oral hygiene, some of the older designs of dental implants have microgaps inherent in the system which trap bacteria and cause chronic inflammation, giving rise to bone resorption even with good oral hygiene.

With better knowledge nowadays, dentists are less likely to use systems which have microgaps. Still, inflammation and bone resorption will set in if implants are not properly maintained.

Cost of tooth whitening @ my clinic

Cost of tooth whitening at my clinic starts from $400 for a customised DIY tooth whitening kit. Come for impression taking and wait for just one hour to collect the kit. No second visit required.

9 applications, can be completed in 4.5 days if you do it twice a day, one hour each time. The bleaching trays are super thin and virtually invisible, so you can wear them on your way to work or while you're watching TV.

Dental Implant Charges @ Dental Clinic

Sleeping implants $300 cash $900 Medisave.

Implant placement + abutment placement + porcelain fused to metal crown using Osstem®/Dentium® implants S$3000 (S$900 payable with Medisave)

Mini implants + porcelain fused to metal crown for lower front teeth S$2500 (not Medisave claimable)

Full ceramic (zirconia) crown using Osstem®/Dentium® implants S$4000 (S$900 payable with Medisave)

Multiple unit PFM bridge (4 implants, 10 teeth) S$14,000

Multiple unit PFM bridge (6 implants, 12 teeth) S$18,000

Implants for denture support S$2500 each (minumum 2)

Additional Procedures (applicable to some cases only)

Bone grafting procedure to thicken ridge using Biogen® or Synthograft® S$500-S$1000

Internal sinus lift procedure using Biogen® or Synthograft® S$500

Sinus Grafting procedure using Biogen® or Synthograft® S$1000

Additional soft tissue graft using Alloderm S$300-S$800 (depending on size)