Dr Kenneth Tan

Hi there! I can truly empathize with this struggle, being a father of 2 toddlers. I normally do advise parents that inculcating the habit of brushing starts as early as when they are a newborn. Introducing them a towel or a gauze to clean the bony ridges daily even before the teeth erupts. This is to have them understand that it is a routine for us to clean our oral cavity. Now that your son is 3 and past that stage. It will involve much reasoning. Find out why he hates brushing. Also try to make teeth brushing fun.

Hi there, It really depends on how bad the decay is. If it is fairly superficial, the dentist can fix it and retard the decay activity thus salvaging the tooth without any impact on her adult tooth that will be replacing it in the future. However, if there is a very deep decay, resulting in an infection of the soft tissue and the underlying tissues of the baby tooth, there is a chance that the adult may be affected since it is lying in fairly close proximity. If this is so, removing the infection is ideally the best way to minimize any bad effects on its adult tooth.

Hi there! Chewies are meant for you to bite whenever the aligners are placed back on your teeth. This is to allow better seating of the aligners to your teeth thus moving them in a more predictable and effective fashion. Chewies benefit most Invisalign patients. Do talk to your dentist regarding it. Hope this helps.

Hi there! The only time one may consider not to fill a cavity is when the tooth is rendered poor or hopeless meaning that it's not worth saving. So with that rule, we should always try to arrest the decay activity of any cavities. Arresting the decay activity could be having fillings done or could even be as simple as close monitoring at home and with the dentist with an improvement of oral and dietary habits. That being said, adult teeth eruption occurs as early as 4. 5 years old to as late as 15 years old.

It does seems like veneers or crowns could be the better option for what you described above. Veneers (either porcelain or composite) would be able to give you a more uniform shade and appearance for your teeth. Like what Dr Soo mentioned as well, if the tooth is heavily filled in the past, porcelain crowns might be a better choice.

Hope this finds you well. The black triangles that you mention can be quite annoying isn't it. If it doesn't bother you all that much, sometimes leaving it alone and just improving your oral hygiene at that area should suffice as it tends to trap food occasionally. Sometimes to conceal the black triangles, we can do bonding on both affected teeth to close up the gaps. Alternatively, if the recession is fairly evident, some would consider gum grafting the affected area. It will be good to consider all the options after having a proper consultation and evaluation by your dentist.

Hi there! Hope this finds you well. A loose tooth generally wouldn't cause too much issues or distress to patients. And it should exfoliate spontaneously. However if your notice your child having difficulty in eating or maybe eating at a relatively slower pace than before, it might be affecting your child more that what he/she expresses and a simple solution is to extract it. It might too early to diagnose whether your child need braces. However regular visit to the dentists could shed some light in regards to that concern.

Hi there! Hope this reply finds you well. A white tongue generally shouldn't ring any alarm bells. However, its always best advised to monitor the white coating, especially if there are any episodes of pain that comes along with it. There are several conditions that could be linked to a white tongue. Leukoplakia - There could be sometimes white patches formation on the tongue, as well as on the inside of your cheeks. Excessive alcohol intake and smoking are linked to the formation of leukoplakia.

there are several ways to create spaces during your Invisalign treatment: 1) IPR (filing) 2) Buccal expansion (moving your back teeth outwards) 3) Proclination (moving your front teeth out) 4) Distalization (moving your back teeth backwards, usually into the space previously occupied by your wisdom tooth) Generally my practice is to create space through a combination of several techniques, which means that sometimes we can minimize the amount of filing needed.

Hi there! Most people are generally eligible to some forms of whitening. However, it is advisable for you to inform your practitioner about your teeth sensitivity prior whitening. Not that it will cause disastrous consequences, but it would make your teeth whitening procedure a little less unpleasant. Teeth sensitivity could be due to 1) Decay 2) Persistent gum inflammation 3) General teeth hypersensivity due to wear of enamel layer If teeth sensitive is really an issue prior whitening, I would get it addressed before the procedure.

Hi there! Hope this finds you well. In my usual practice, during the initial consult, I will take some measurements on the teeth that I will be correcting, specifically the width of the tooth. From that, I will derive the ideal length for that specific tooth if I were to follow the golden proportions. We have a fancy equation that we use for that. And with every diagnosis and treatment planning, we have to make sure that length is in congruent, or applicable to the specific individual through some planning in the mouth or with photos.

Sorry to hear that there is a fragment left behind at the extraction site. I do agree with Dr Gerald that it sometimes happens to even the best of us. While trying to extract a tooth, sometimes it makes more sense to leave a small little fragment behind, than to scour and cause more damage to the surroundings. Generally if the fragment is small and uninfected, problems shouldn’t arise from it. After a year (since your surgery was at March 2017), we have to weigh the pros and cons of removing the fragment especially if it’s firmly embedded and hard to access.

Hi! Generally teeth sealants aka pit and fissure sealants are not indicative for all patients. Why is that so? There are several factors that would predispose a patient to possibly needing them: 1. Patients who are at a high risk of developing decay. These are patients who likely are having poor oral hygiene or have a history of the ease of developing decay. For kids, the best indicator would be that if their deciduous/baby teeth are already showing signs of decay. 2.