Dr Geraldine Lee

Hi there, It really depends on the extent of the underbite and the current position of the two front teeth. Mild underbites can be corrected by: 1) moving the lower teeth backwards (space is required) 2) moving the upper front teeth forwards (which creates spaces/gaps), OR 3) a combination of both. Yes, it is possible to keep all your teeth aligned and for the upper front teeth to be pushed forward to be positioned over the lower front teeth.

Hi, Yes you can most certainly wear retainers after a crown lengthening surgery, as long as the retainer does not impinge on the affected gums and area. Your orthodontist will be able to adjust your retainers easily for you. On the other hand, it would be advisable to wait for at least 6-8 weeks after any gum surgery, before moving the teeth with braces. In general, we prefer to move the teeth first before performing gingivectomy or other such procedures, especially for the front teeth.

Hi, Thank you for your enquiry. As an orthodontist, I work closely with oral maxillofacial surgeons for patients requiring jaw surgeries. They handle the surgery and movement of the jaw, and we take care of the teeth alignment and the bite. These go hand in hand, rarely one without the other. The aim of corrective jaw surgery or orthognathic surgery is to produce the desired profile change and improve the bite for the patient. Sometimes, patients may have specific requests with regards to the surgical movements of the jaws.

Hi, Jaw surgery or orthognathic surgery is ideally performed when growth of the jaws have completed and no further changes to the jaws are expected. This age varies between males and females as well, as girls would reach puberty earlier than boys, hence they would be able to undergo jaw surgery at a younger age. There is also a variation between patients, with regards to the age at which puberty is reached and when growth has stabilised. Your orthodontist or oral maxillofacial surgeon will be able to assess whether jaw growth has completed and if one is ready for orthognathic surgery.

Hi there, ClearPath is one of the aligner brands available in the market for orthodontic treatment. In general, aligner systems have their advantages and disadvantages compared to fixed braces to straighten your teeth.

Hi, I would strongly recommend braces or clear aligners to close that gap to give you the best possible and most aesthetic result. There are two main methods to close a gap in the front: 1) Place a tooth coloured filling on the sides of the neighbouring teeth to fill up the gap - that would increase the size of the tooth. If you have narrow or smaller front teeth to start with, that could be a good option. If you have normal sized teeth, then placing a filling would make the teeth look too broad and unaesthetic.

Hi there, Angular cheilitis can be caused by many factors, which can be classified into these broad groups depending on their origin: 1) Infection - bacterial or fungal 2) Irritation - dentures, braces, or situations causing a pooling of saliva at the corners of the mouth, smoking 3) Nutritional deficiencies - Lacking of certain vitamins or minerals 4) Systemic disorders - such as diabetes or in situations with low immunity It really depends on what the cause is. If it is only present on one side, it would more likely be due to irritation.

Hi there,In general, if the wisdom tooth is growing out properly as there is sufficient space in the jaw to accomodate it, and it is biting on the opposing wisdom tooth which has also grown out well, there is no need to remove it. Many people have impacted lower wisdom teeth (wisdom teeth that don't have enough space to erupt or emerge) and the upper wisdom teeth grow out straight. In these situations, the upper wisdom teeth then become non-functional - they are not biting on any teeth and pose no benefit to keep them.

Hi! As with all goods and services, there is always a variation in pricing between brands of any product. Zenyum is a Singapore based company has been operational in Singapore since September 2018, so it is a relatively new player to the market. To help you understand better, here is a summary about the Zenyum process:1) Customers fill out our survey to express their interest in Zenyum. They then send in pictures of their teeth to get pre-assessed by their council of dental experts. 2) Once approved, they have an initial consultation session at their partner clinic.

Zenyum is a Singapore based company that has been operational in Singapore since September 2018, whereas Invisalign was the first aligner company to be established in Singapore many years back and is the most established aligner company in the market. For other clear aligners systems or braces in general, orthodontic treatment starts with a physical consultation with an orthodontist or dentist of your choosing, and they will advise you on what system is suitable for you and the ideal treatment plan for your case after a clinical examination with the assistance of X-rays and other records.

Hi there, The need to replace a second molar depends on the bite and the neighbouring teeth. Basically, if there are teeth around it then replacement would be ideal to to prevent the movement of the neighbouring teeth. Teeth tend to drift into a space if it is present. If the opposing second molar in the other jaw is present, the lack of an opposing second molar would result in an overgrowth of the that tooth as it has no partner to bite on. This will not happen slowly, it happens over the next couple of years.

Hi there,Thank you for your enquiry, sorry to hear that you are having a toothache. Based on your X-ray, you have 4 wisdom teeth, the 2 on the upper have erupted in a straight position, while the 2 on the bottom have insufficient space and have grown at a slanted angle otherwise known as impacted. It appears to me that the bottom right wisdom tooth also has a fairly large cavity which may be the cause of your dull pain.

Hi there, It depends on some factors: 1) Size of your teeth compared with one another If your teeth are proportionately sized in comparison to each other, I would advise braces or aligners to close the gaps. The lateral incisors (the teeth beside the front 2 teeth) are commonly undersized and conical shaped compared to the other teeth, building them up with some composite or bonding would help to close the spaces and enhance the aesthetics of your smile.

Hi there,Thank you for your enquiry. In general, if one wisdom tooth has been removed, we do advise removal of the opposing wisdom tooth as it then becomes non-functional and does not serve a useful purpose. When teeth are not biting on one another, they will keep growing and erupting more. This may eventually cause problems, if it overgrows too much. Not to worry, this is not urgent, as overgrowth of a tooth takes a long time to happen. You may choose to adopt a wait-and see approach, and remove the upper wisdom teeth when it starts to give you problems. Hope this helps, all the best.

Hi there, Thank you for your enquiry. I'm sorry to hear that your wisdom tooth is giving you much discomfort and agony. Being the last tooth in the mouth to erupt, the wisdom teeth often has insufficient space to erupt straight and hence erupts only partially with a flap of gum surrounding the partially erupted tooth. This partially erupted tooth and gum makes it very difficult for one to keep the area clean, this results in food and bacteria harbouring in gums surrounding the wisdom tooth.