Something to smile about

SINGAPOREANS may have previously accepted their natural smiles in terms of crookedness, colour or shape of their teeth, but not any more - not with the greater in dental aesthetics over the last five to ten years.

"It's partly due to the marketing campaigns done by dental companies and also dentists," says Samintharaj Kumar of Nuffield Dental. "Patients now know what they want - they ask us to straighten their teeth with Invisalign, brighten their smile with Zoom Whitening, and even change the shape of their teeth with the use of Dental Veneers. Or ask for a full mouth rehabilitation using the Malo Clinic All on 4 Teeth in a Day protocol," he adds.

Bruce Lee of T32 Dental Centre says that patients now range in age from teenagers to seniors. While it's expected to see 15-25 year-olds consult dentists for the straightening of teeth and braces; adults who didn't have a chance to have braces when young also get their teeth straightened in their 20s and 30s. Those aged 40 and above might do teeth whitening; now, older patients in their 60s who lived with missing teeth before are coming in for implants so they have better dental functionality and also aesthetics," he elaborates.