Braces treatment also known as orthodontic treatment is a specialized treatment in dentistry involved in straightening teeth.  In conjunction with surgery, orthodontic treatment could also correct the jaw relationship and the bite.

Due to the complex nature of the orthodontic treatment, it is important that the provider of orthodontic treatment have an intimate knowledge of how teeth moves and to accurately diagnose the problems of each patient.  This usually requires the practitioner who is a dentist to have 3 years of full time specialized training in an approved institution and obtained the necessary credentials through examinations by the professional bodies.  These practitioners would be placed in specialist register and they are called Orthodontist or Orthodontic Specialist.  There is no rule or law in Singapore that state that only orthodontist can render braces treatment so you can check if your dentist is a specialist by going to Singapore Dental Council website (www.sdc.gov.sg)

It is a common misunderstanding that orthodontic treatment involves putting on braces on the teeth and attach the wire onto it and the teeth will straighten eventually.  In fact putting on braces is the easy part of the orthodontic treatment.  The difficult part is to diagnose the underlying problems of the condition, anticipate how the teeth will respond to treatment and to resolve any problems when the tooth does not move as predicted.  Orthodontist are practitioner who has restricted themselves to provide only braces treatment on a regular basis and no other treatment.  Thus they are more experienced in handling braces treatment.  These experiences cannot be taught by attending weekend lectures or short term orthodontic courses.

” How long is the braces treatment?”

Most braces treatment lasts between 12-24 month.  The knowledge and experience of the practitioner is important in determining how fast the treatment will progress.  Other factors such as patient’s cooperation during treatment and regular attendance for treatment will also affect the length of treatment.  In some cases the use of self-ligating braces such as SmartClip can shorten the length of treatment.

“Braces treatment done by Orthodontist is expensive!”

The cost of orthodontic treatment rendered by the dentist is the same as the orthodontist in some cases.  It is true that orthodontic treatment is more expensive than routine dental treatment such as cleaning of teeth.  However the cost of treatment is spread out over the entire period of the treatment and you do not have to pay in one lump sum.

It is the peace of mind that you would be getting when you know that your treatment is done by the orthodontist.  Orthodontist also have experience in a wide variety of appliances to treat your problem and they will be able to help you choose an appliance that is most suitable for your case.

“Must I wear retainers after braces treatment”

Retainer is an important part of braces treatment.  It is used to maintain the tooth position after the braces treatment is completed.  Tooth will move regardless of age so retainer is there to prevent that.  Poor oral hygiene and defective fillings can cause the teeth to move more.  It is important to realise that tooth movement is easier to detect in a person with straight teeth than one with crooked teeth.  Thus it is wise to protect what you have worked so hard to achieve by wearing the retainer as directed by your orthodontist.

“Do I have to extract teeth to do braces?”

Extraction of teeth is not always necessary.  It is just one of the way to create space.  There are other ways to create space and the orthodontist is the best person to ask as they would be able to diagnose your problems accurately and give you the correct advice.

“I get jaw clicks, pain, lock jaw and headache after braces treatment”

Extensive research has been done in this area and it has been concluded that good orthodontic treatment and extractions of teeth will not cause these ailments.  There is many causes to jaw clicks and pain such as chewing on ice, stress etc. “Poor bite” could be one of the causes of jaw click and pain.  Orthodontic treatment to resolve these bites will not worsen them and may in fact may them better in some cases.

Body or head posture may result in “poor bite” or clenching of teeth causing headaches.  The changing of the bite pattern in braces treatment is unlikely to cause poor body posture resulting in headaches.

In cases when patients exhibit jaw pain or headaches, orthodontist would advise them to resolve these problems before embarking on braces treatment.

Advantages of Invisalign over braces

Just deciding you’re ready to transform your smile is a big step. The next step is deciding the best way
to do it. See why 6 million people have chosen Invisalign clear aligners.

Nearly Invisible

Invisalign is virtually invisible.
This means you can always smile with confidence, as compared to traditional braces where the wires and metal brackets can be seen.

Removable

Invisalign aligners are made with SmartTrack® flexible material, making it super easy to remove and put on, unlike braces which are fixed. Now, you can enjoy your favorite food any time you want.

Lesser Pain

SmartStage® and SmartForce® technologies ensure there will only be gradual and gentle yet effective teeth movement throughout your treatment, as compared to braces which may irritate and cause pain.

Lesser Doctor Visits

Unlike braces where you have to visit your doctor every 3-4 weeks, Invisalign frees up your schedule with visits to the clinic only once every 6-8 weeks.

Clearer Timelines

Invisalign treatment allows you to visualize every stage of the treatment, giving you a clearer picture of the treatment duration. Braces can only give you an approximate duration at the beginning of the treatment.

Better Oral Health

Since Invisalign aligners are removable, you can still floss and brush your teeth as per normal whereas braces may make it difficult for you to clean in between the metal brackets which can result in plaque accumulation and poor oral hygiene.

Superior results

World’s most advanced digital orthodontic treatment system. Precise, predictable, and gradual teeth movement.

Clincheck® Software

Your doctor uses proprietary ClinCheck software to map out the path to your smile, right down to the tiniest shift, from your first aligner to your brand-new smile. No guesswork. No waiting and seeing.

• The 3D visual interface lets your doctor customize your treatment.
• The algorithm helps calculate just the right amount of force for every tooth movement.
• The software, with input from your doctor, helps ensure every tooth moves in the right order and at the right time.

SmartTrack® Material

All clear aligners are not alike. Only Invisalign clear aligners are made of SmartTrack material, so they are more
comfortable and easier to put on and take off.

Gentle

Applies gentle, constant force

Speed

Treatment time up to 50% faster

Control

Improves control of tooth movements, for the smile you expect

Predictability

Straightens your teeth with 75% more predictability

Comfort

Fits snugly around your teeth

The SmartTrack material difference is based on:

• 8 years of research and development
• 260 materials tested
• Decades of expertise in biomechanics and material science

SmartForce® Attachments

SmartForce attachments are small tooth-colored shapes that are attached to your teeth before or during your Invisalign treatment. They’re like handles, giving aligners something to gently push on. Invisalign® clear aligners fit smoothly and tightly around them, so they’re barely noticeable. Not everyone who uses Invisalign clear aligners will need SmartForce attachments.

• Tiny and barely noticeable.
• Make complex tooth movements possible without braces.
• Help your aligners apply the right amount of force in the right direction

iTero Element® scanner

See your smile in a whole new way. Your doctor can create a 3D image of your teeth in just minutes using an iTero scanner, a leading digital scanner from the makers of Invisalign® clear aligners.

3D

Get a high-resolution, interactive image of your teeth

Accuracy

Fewer redos and a better aligner fit than with goopy physical impressions

Precision

Takes 6,000 images per second

Comfort

No goop, no gagging

Invisalign Progress Assessment

Track your progress at every appointment

Invisalign Outcome Simulator

See your new smile before you even start

Living with Invisalign clear aligners

Invisalign clear aligners fit your life – they don’t interrupt it. And at every stage, you’ll be able to see your
progress and enjoy your smile as it transforms.

Don’t stop living your life

• Keep eating all your favorite foods.
• Stay active in all the sports and activities you love.
• You’ll experience fewer emergency visits, without the hassle of brackets and wires breaking.
• Your Invisalign clear aligners are virtually invisible, so people may not even notice you’re wearing them.

Wearing your aligners

• Wear your Invisalign clear aligners 20 to 22 hours a day for best results.
• Parents, you are able to opt in for blue compliance indicators on the aligners. This will assure you that your teen is wearing them enough.

Getting new sets of aligners

• You’ll wear each set of aligners for one to two weeks, as prescribed by your doctor. You’ll probably schedule check-ups every six to eight weeks to check your progress. Fewer doctor visits mean more time to enjoy life.
• When wearing each new set of aligners, you may feel a little extra pressure or discomfort for the first few days, which is totally normal.

Cleaning your aligners

• Rinse your aligners every night and brush them gently with your toothbrush to keep them fresh and clean.

Maintaining healthy teeth

Choosing Invisalign means you can maintain your teeth easily in comparison to traditonal braces.

Say goodbye to bad breath

• Just take your aligners out to eat and drink, then brush your teeth before putting them back in.

Wearing your aligners

• Choosing Invisalign means you can maintain your teeth easily in comparison to traditonal braces. You can brush and floss as per usual for good oral health.
• Removable aligners so you can clean it to maintain oral hygiene.

Wisdom tooth surgery is done when the wisdom is “stuck” behind the second molar or embedded in the bone.  The tooth is usually partially erupted or unerupted so conventional extraction is not possible.  In such cases, the dentist or the oral surgeon need to expose the tooth and elevate the tooth from its hidden position.

In cases where the wisdom tooth is partially erupted, it is a source of food trap and it is nearly impossible to clean that area.  Very often caries will develop either on the wisdom tooth or the second molar which it is “stuck” to.  The early sign would be foul smell coming from that area and toothache would follow in later stages.

In our clinic,  medisave could be used to pay for wisdom tooth surgery either partially or fully.  For more information kindly call us at 65540552.

“Wisdom tooth surgery is painful”

Before the procedure, the dentist or oral surgeon will anaesthetized the tooth and the surrounding area.  You are unlikely to feel any pain sensation when the area feels numb.  Thus wisdom tooth surgery is no more uncomfortable than conventional extraction.

However, after the procedure the area may have a slight swelling and it will subside in a few days.

“How long do I have to rest after the surgery”

Patients will usually be on medical leave for 3-7 days.  However, patients are able to carry on with their daily work after 1-2 days although we will advise them to abstain from physical activities.

Implant is used in dentistry to replace a missing teeth. The placement of implant involves 2 stages. The first stage involves placing a titanium implant into the jaw bone at the site of the missing teeth. The bone around the implant will integrate with it. The period takes between 8-12 weeks. When the implant has integrated with the jaw bone, the dentist will fabricate a crown over the implant to replace the missing teeth.

The advantage of implant is that it does not need the neighbouring teeth to support the false teeth. This makes cleaning of the teeth much easier. The support that the implant provides is equivalent to that of the natural teeth. Patient finds that chewing is so much more efficient than a denture or bridge. Most importantly an implant tooth does not decay. The implant that is embedded in the jaw bone is permanent and does not need to be removed if you need to change the crown that is attached to the implant.

Implant could also be used to support a denture to give more retention.

Cleaning the implant is also easy as it not connected to the neighbouring tooth so one could use a normal floss to clean in between the teeth.

“Is placing Implant a painful procedure”

During the surgical procedure, local anaesthesia will be applied to that area and the surgeon will place the implant into the bone.  The bone has very little nerve endings and as such pain is usually non-existent after adequate anaethesia.  Patient may feel sore in that area after the surgery but is not painful.

“Are all patients suitable for Implant?”

Most patients are suitable for implant provided that they do not have any medical conditions such as uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, smoker etc.  It is important to highlight any medical conditions to the dentist before embarking on implant treatment.

In cases where there is not enough bone in the area to hold the implant, a bone graft procedure could be carried out prior to the implant placement.