30 Questions answered

When is it necessary to see a specialist for wisdom tooth extraction in Singapore?

When it comes to wisdom teeth, there are always several things to consider such as 1. Angle of the tooth - Is it impacted? What is the extent of the impaction? 2. Proximity of the wisdom tooth to the nerve and sinus space - For cases where the wisdom tooth is intertwined with the inferior alveolar nerve (this applies to LOWER wisdom teeth only) then it may be advisable to do it with an oral maxillofacial surgeon. 3. Number of roots and anatomy of the tooth - when wisdom teeth have hooked/curved or multiple roots, it creates more resistance for the tooth to be removed.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

How do I know if my wound is healing after wisdom tooth extraction?

When wisdom teeth are taken out, minimal wound closure ie gums merging together to close the socket hole usually takes about 2 weeks. Signs and symptoms that the socket is not healing includes 1. Pain - dull ache that does not decrease or increases over the next few days 2. Bad taste / smell - usually a sign of a dry socket if this starts only 3 -5 days after the wisdom tooth has been taken out 3. Swelling / bruising - usually dissipates in 1 - 2 weeks but if it stagnates then it is best to consult with your dentist Tips to help with wisdom teeth healing include 1.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

Is it possible to correct bite problems without addressing jaw issues?

Yes it is definitely possible to address your dental needs! Orthodontic treatment whether via metal / ceramic braces or clear aligners such as Invisalign can help to straighten out your teeth, correct open and under bites. Braces and invisalign address the dental needs, however this does not change the shape of the jaw though in some cases people find a slight alteration in their face shape based on the idea that your teeth are the supporting structure for the outer surface ie your face and lips. However skeletal / jaw bone structure remains unchanged.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

Does teeth shaving and IPR change your face shape?

When it comes to correcting an overjet, sometimes IPR and teeth shaving is required in order to create spaces and push the teeth in. Think of your teeth as the hard underlying structure supporting your lips. So when it comes to changing face shape, correcting an overjet via IPR may change your side profile, your lips may look more relaxed, and less protruded since the supporting structure ie your teeth are being shifted in. Hope this helps and feel free to reach out!

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

How fast does teeth start to shift after completing orthodontic treatment?

In general your teeth should not be shifting that quickly. The speed of teeth shifting / relapsing back into old position depends largely on the angulation of the tooth roots and the final bite position of your teeth. Taking an xray helps to check this out. In short, it is unusual for teeth to shift in a week so dont worry too much about it unless you personally see significant shifting occuring. A suggestion would be to call your dental clinic to ask if you can get the retainer earlier though at times there may be an express service fee charge for expedited cases. Hope this helps!

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

Is wisdom tooth removal absolutely necessary if my jaw has started to hurt? (photo)

Thank you for the enquiry. It seems likely to me based on your description that there is pain due to the biting trauma from the upper tooth that is biting on the lower gum partially covering the lower left wisdom tooth. Dr Gerald has given a thorough description of what should be done and I agree with all that he has said. An alternative solution to relieve the pain would be to do something called crown lengthening. Crown lengthening is as follows: Basically its to uncover the gum over the tooth that is causing pain and this procedure is medisave claimable.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

Can Invisalign or braces help to fix a slanted jaw without the need for jaw surgery?

It is great that you are thinking about correcting your bite. With skeletal issues such as a slanted jaw, surgery is indeed required in order to achieve a good stable bite. However depending on the degree of skeletal discrepancy (slanted jaw) braces / invisalign are still options for you to consider in order to straighten out your teeth and give you a good smile. Straight and aligned teeth can be achieved but there are limitations so it depends on what your ideal smile is! My suggestion would be to consider all your options and if needed seek a second opinion.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

What consequences are there if I do not extract a wisdom tooth that is causing gum discomfort? (photo)

When it comes to wisdom teeth where there are episodes of discomfort and pain, I am in favour of extracting them and here's why: 1. Recurrent gum infection Based on your Xray, the lower wisdom teeth are quite upright. However due to the lack of space, they are still covered by the gum. What this means is that there will keep being off and on pain because when you bite and chew, the upper back molar would keep biting on the gum and after a while, cause gum inflammation also known as pericoronitis - ouch.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

How to improve my smile if I have missing teeth and longstanding gaps?

Thank you for the questionWearing a denture is definitely not an ideal long term solution because the longer the teeth are missing, the more your neighbouring teeth will drift and misalign. Bone density and quantity decreases as well. The gold standard would be to first straighten out your teeth then replace the missing teeth. Teeth can be straightened by: 1. Traditional braces or 2. Invisalign (clear aligners) Who can straighten your teeth? 1. General dentists certified in Invisalign / braces 2.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

How can I get rid of a white coating on my tongue? (photo)

The best way to get rid of a white coating is by either brushing your tongue or getting a tongue scraper to scrape it off gently! These can be found online or at your local pharmacies and look like this There are many variations so it may take some trial and error to figure out which works the best for you! It is normal to have a slight layer on your tongue due to the food and drinks digested throughout the day which produces that layer of biofilm.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

Will extraction be needed for Invisalign, and will a flat profile result after treatment? (photo)

Thank you for the detailed description and photographs! Your train of thought and queries shows that you have done some excellent homework! To address your main concern: Will extraction be needed for Invisalign? Mostly, not needed. I personally advocate non extraction treatment planning with Invisalign. Invisalign is known to function best as an arch expander which relieves crowding ie avoiding the need for extraction. Arch expansion does widen the space sideways as you said and in technical terms these spaces are known as 'buccal corridoors'.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

What are treatment options for a swollen, painful gum at my wisdom tooth area?

Sorry to hear that you are experiencing such discomfort at the moment! As you are 18 years old, this a prime age for wisdom teeth to be growing out ie erupting and they usually cause discomfort as they are the last ones to erupt so there is usually no space for them to come out straight. As a result, bacteria accumulates with the 'awkardly' angled (impacted) wisdom teeth and it sometimes causes something called pericoronitis. This is gum inflammation around the wisdom tooth.

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Answered By

Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

Can I get clear aligners treatment without removing my wisdom teeth?

There are no hard and fast rules as to whether extraction of wisdom teeth are mandatory. However, the nature of clear aligner treatment requires the best wrap around of the plastic to fit and move the teeth in a predictable fashion. Depending on the severity of your overjet AND the angle of the wisdom teeth, these wisdom teeth may need to be extracted. The priority is that there is no obstruction from the wisdom teeth.

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Answered By

Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

What are my options to fix a gummy smile, and how much does it cost? (photo)

Hello there! Congratulations on almost getting your braces off soon. Though your smile may not be exactly where you want it to be yet, I'm sure that there has been significant improvement. When it comes to gummy smiles, sometimes it is due to a short upper lip, or due to skeletal discrepancy called "Maxillary Excess" which means that the upper jaw is long. The options for correcting a gummy smile would be as follows 1. Botulinium Toxin A (Botox) to the upper lip.

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Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

Can braces fix my protruding teeth and improve my side profile? (photo)

I agree with Dr Enrica. When it comes to protruding teeth and facial side profiles, there are always 2 things to consider: 1. Soft tissues such as your lip thickness and length, as well as lip competency (ie whether your lips can close passively when your mouth is at rest, like if you're watching tv for example) 2. Hard tissues such as your teeth and jaw bone. What we want is for all the components to support and balance out each other harmoniously to give a nice side profile both facially and dentally.

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Answered By

Dr Beth Seow

Dentist

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39 Robinson Road Robinson Point #17 - 02 Singapore 068911

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* This profile has been last updated on October 26, 2020.