The SPA experience for Your Mouth

Start school le

2007-06-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Hey i gonna start school le on 2 July 2007.
Really thks TKRP for accompanying me this short break.
Pls understand i really need to start focusing on my studies le.
You all know me.
Would appreciate a short greeting and then.
It's not going to be easy.
But it's my dream/
My Mission.

the remaining 3 year marathon.
Run it with me.

True friendship would withstand time and hardships.

I love You all.

Soka Medical Group meeting on 29/06/07

2007-06-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

1) A nurse who went on a course on Holistic treatment: alternative treatment for cancer and other diseases shared her experiences briefly and commented on the effectiveness of the course and sought the opinion of the members present of the possibility of arranging and paying the speaker to come to SMG to give lessons.

I was late b’cos I rushed down from tampines to collect the goodie bags for milk run and caught hence caught only briefly what she said – “ Meditation is good and even patients of cancer stage four told her that it works and that they felt pain subsided only after 4 days of treatment. …… Vit B group are good supplements ……. Medicine itself alone doesn’t heal if without more of the communication between the patient and care-giver ….. She went back her workplace and taught her patients of these alternative treatments and apparently they worked. ”

2) A ITE nursing course graduate, chia, was humble in sharing that he got 2 lee kuan yew awards- one for technology and the other for model student. He shared that he wanted to do nursing as he wanted to go to help out in 3rd world countries since young. He didn’t manage to get into poly however but instead go to ITE. in his 2 yrs of study, he only watched 5 movies in total, and he go for soka meetings and after that would rush back home to study. He was very focused and disciplined as he knew what he wanted to do. He studied hard and though he didn’t aim for the awards, the got them. He’ll either get a no-bond lee kuan yew scholarship to study nursing at poly or Tan Tock Seng hospital has offered to pay for his fees also with bonuses every year. Hence he said studying hard can get you good results but opportunities on happen with good fortune. He certainly showed a great example in showing that great faith and Buddhist practice and hard work (it once again reminded me that in Buddhism, you don’t pray and wait for things to happen without great effort) will make one go far.

In addition, soka is always where I start to really make frens from poly, ITEs, and learnt my humility and that “xing xiong bu wen chu sheng” ie the original background of someone outstanding is not really important. And that ITE, poly students are also execellent people and we have so much to learn from them.

3) A speech therapist who(very beautiful lady J ) graduated from Australia shared briefly on her profession and I can sense her pride in what she is doing though she didn’t state explicitly. She dealt with people with swallowing problems and she said that patients sometimes claimed, “Eating and swallowing is very important. You might as well shoot me if I can’t do them.” Yes! Indeed, at that moment, I thought that it’s so true and that dentistry deals with mastication etc too. And like I’ve always believed improving their eating etc is a great way we contribute to their quality of life!
She shared that Asian culture is still pretty much medical professional orientated instead of patient-oriented system where the decision of treatment is much decided by the patients themselves. Hmmm, A note to reflect on.

4) A TCM practitioner going overseas to study PHD this weekend.
It is so wonderful to know that people from different areas of health care are all going for the same goal of HUMANISTIC HEALTHCARE. I yearn to see more pharmacists here but it’s very rare to see pharmacist NUS soka Student division students here though I kept updating them of the meetings. I wonder why they dun want to attend. Too busy with SD side?

5) Chia is now working intern at one of the hospital and he raised a question. At the workplace, one of the equipments (sorry the name was a jargon to me) has those alarm function. Yet usually when It went off, “old bird” nurses would dismiss it and merely switch the alarm off or even alter the settings of threshold of the alarm without consulting the doctors. He, as a greenhorn, once observed that something was wrong with a patient when the alarm went off again and yet once again the nurses dismissed it. He saved that patient who was sent to ICU. His question to the nurses at today’s meeting was what he should do as a greenhorn as he don’t want to offend the other old bird nurses yet he also don’t want to become one who would mechanistically turn off the alarm without checking. especially as a Buddhist practitioner who advocates humanistic healthcare, he felt it’s not right to do so.

The senior nurses at the meeting shared that he should chant and do what he think is right instead of fearing that he would offend the other nurses and shared their experiences. It’s human life we are dealing here!

(It lead me again to think how sometimes in dentistry we are forced to catch up with the class especially when sometimes I’m the slowest of the 42 classmates but yet I don’t want to merely rush things through. It’s a balance….)

Indeed SMG meetings are where we juniors learn from the seniors’ experiences and I’m always glad to learn from other healthcare professionals about their work. I study dentistry and take pride in it but I still see myself mainly as a healthcare professional part of the bigger inter-related health care system so I see the need to update myself of the information of other counterparts.

Yup I think It’s worth it to skip today’s yoga lesson then for this meeting. Ha.

Was thinking maybe I can share next meeting on what I’m going to learn at the adhesive dentistry course. Afterall I paid so much for it might as well let more ppl learn….

Constance said they all requested more medical support help at NDP and urged us to sign up.

How?

2007-06-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

i regretted not telling her about NamMyoHoRengeKyo.
I know it'll cure all diseases.
He didn't get to know the Mystic Law.
He died.

But how do i tell her?

TKRP

2007-06-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

loved the moments we shared!
cooking
laughing.
sharing mon, tue, wed, lin xin ru, angela...
lol..

TKRP (L)

2007-06-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

I typed my journal and kept it in a safe place BUT ＴＨＩＳ entry is NOTｂｙ　ｍｅ　ｂｕｔ　ｂｙ　ｅｍａｎ　ｒｏｈｅ．．．．
TKRP 18 jun'07 or earlier cos of the basketball....

He said in http://emanrohe.blogspot.com/,
＂On the first day, we checked into B_ _ _ _ _ Resort. It was a little lok kok, but good enuff for us to stay in.First day:Tricked him, kena tricked by him and her and her sis. Sang karaoke. Ate 9 dollar chicken rice which they most likely counted wrongly. Sat his gan die's car to resort, gan die happens to be my school teacher, thot he was a little famaliar, but din asked in the end. Thanks gan die!! Checkedinto resort, played Bridge which i could never guess who is my partner until it was so super obvious, talked abt monday tuesday, first, second, Qm very personal sharing. Glad to have u guys as frens :-) Rained, could not go out to cycle or roller blade. Talked, shared in the bed. complain abt bed, Dinner, late, walked a long way, shared food, noodles, cherry stalk, hot stingray. took cab out, became a father, bought bbq stuff, stole cherry stalk, tried for a long time to tie the knot, he could, me 2. bought many things, carlsberg Hieneken, yay bbq! Went back, merz cab. Marinade, chop stuff, thanks for your garlic and stuff, girls talk upstairs, dunno abt what. played pool, went to beach, sat on poncho, cooked, ate in paper cups, chips, shared, 10 percent, instant noodles, luncheon meat, stories which end abruptly, ant bluff, he also bluffing. went back, bathe, they slept, snored, we talked abt the Great Path, ah 5.30 already, sleep.Day 2:wake up, she was gone, he was gone, monday, impt, mcdonalds, subject registration. She was awake, so nice of her, help us wash all the stuff and boil water too. Dunno what else she did. Thanks anyway!! and give me blanket too! thanks!!Argh, wake up, manual alarm clock, qi lai le qi lai le qi lai le! qi lai le qi lai le qi lai le! go breakfast, dabao(stole) breakfast, eat eat eat, eat eat eat. Why he thin thin hungry all the time? Yay, roller blading time. crammed store, forgot ic, she went back to get. thanks!! though i voluntereed to go back, but i could never make it on my blades. bladed, yay! he fell and fell and fell, but got up and got up and got up! Yay jiayou!! Never give up, she 1 person took care of all of us. I dun care, blade far far away myself, sorry, but i wanted to improve my blading skills, played arm wrestling, pink knee guards.blade back, haha, she fell but only told us at night, but she fell in poise, din shi tai, so she said, whatever. up slope, down slope, i fell, i suspect roller blading is not so much of skill but on confidence, no confidence, fall, confident, anything goes. like i go down slope, too fast, then i scared, then fall. return blades, fall fall fall, get up get up get up. return blades. go swimming. play water, dive here dive there, suntan, play play play. collect bbq pit, changed to small one, kind ppl let us change, thanks guys!! thank you too for helping us save some money!! It's a real bargain!! Money to buy a space for frens :-) Frens, frens, my dear frens, love you so:-) bbq, start fire, nice queer pit with few ppl, happily, squatting down to eat. Genius!! Bow to Genius!! play games, where is this? finish food, ah full, chicken chop, sambal stingray. marshmallow biscuit. Small pit, few ppl but warm bbq nite. went cycling, yoohoo! speed around, repair bicycle, they already reach bowling alley, closed, bye to her, she has to go home, next day gotto work, u ok alone by yourself? yeah. Thanks a lot!! for all your help and sharing the cost of the bbq and also helping to stay over though u are working!!! Cycle back, play pool, rain sleep. wanna see sun rise.3rd Day:woke up early, dididididididid, noisy alarm watch. 6 am, call her up to see sunrise, dark, after rain, sit on stool, look out of door, cannot see anything, rain, shld have no sunrise, go back to sleep. wake up. nothing to do, start to pack stuff, Breakfast time again. Manual alarm clock. This time double side with blanket. qilaileqilaileqilaile, qilaileqilaileqilaile! hahaha, they all look seh seh haha! go extend bicycle renting time, eat mcdonald student breakfast, din know that existed. went back, pack up, return bike, check out. Take pictures by the pool, Sorry!!!! he's on the phone again, monday tuesday, everyday. take pictures. cab, go to her house. lie on floor, nice cool shiok. hehe funny ask money pic. Oh! so she is Qm icic. Bake cookies, make ice cream. Friday! time time time, got to go, heavy bag, sleepy head, going for meeting, and then meeting.Had a great time with 3 of my good frens! Nice chalet, few ppl but we were close, and could share more, could do more. Best of my chalets!! One I enjoyed the most! Was away from Singapore, away from the stresses, away from everything. With good frens, having the time of my life. Thanks guys!!! May we always be this close or even better!!!!＂

2007-04-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Learning from others is Fun

2007-04-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

I enjoy learning from others:

Swimming from JX;

the coffee shop assistant who take drink orders: i'm always fascinated by how they remembered the numerous orders they took and sending it to the right person. Respect respect...

and today, i talked to Uncle Lim, my neighbour.
We happened to go to Jurong East tgt.
So on the journey, we chat heartily.
He is wise man.
In fact, he started me talking.
I'm so glad he knows so much about dentistry.
it's like meeting your 知音。
he knows that dental health is closely related to systemic health. (for that he even shared a story of how one of his fren who had severe gum diseases had swollen arm infection that can kill. woah. )
he knows dentures in our clinic are sent to lab technicians hence they are ex.
he knows we work with lab technicians. ha.

He knows alot
and yet this retiree who retired 8 years ago
arrived in Singapore in 1950s from Penang
with only his Cambridge cert.(now O-level equivalent)
He stayed with his company for 45 years.
One and only company.

He swims everyday-
1.2km in 1/2 hr.
Ouch, i'm ashamed.

He is english educated
and sometimes i wonder
is it that english educated ppl are indeed more willing to learn
more creative? more open to new ideas. and less rigid?
I dunno.
I'm a chi-na boy and proud of it.
but hope chi-na boys can learn from them.

Thks Uncle Lim.
:)

My Questions about dentures........

2007-04-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

source: http://www.ada.org/public/topics/dentures_faq.asp

"How long should I wear my dentures?
Your dentist will provide instructions about how long dentures should be kept in place. During the first few days, you may be advised to wear them most of the time, including while you sleep. After the initial adjustment period, you may be instructed to remove the dentures before going to bed. This allows gum tissues to rest and promotes oral health. Generally, it is not desirable that the tissues be constantly covered by denture material."

I went to find out about dentures after visiting grandma and hearing to another auntie neighbour mentioning about wearing dentures all day long... so ic....

Granny dentistry

2007-04-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

The first patient I wanna treat is My Ah Ma actually.
I went to visit her at Jurong East today.
Argh tell u,
It sucks not being able to help her
when i know she had problems with her dentures.
I looked up clinics around her area
But it's hard to bring her down
esp when i live so far and she is not as mobile as before.
and when sch starts,
it's impossible to do on weekends. (8am-5pm)
Hmm mayb fri?
But she always claimed she don't to go.
It's quite ex.
The last pair she made,
she didn't go and collect in time.
and was thrown away.
---------------------------------------
Argh.
Now you know why i don't wanna
Be a Doctor.
I know when I'm young
Doctors not are 神。。。
It's worse to look at your loved ones,
and not being able to treat.
---------------------------------------
study hard.
study hard.
study hard.

Ikeda Sensei's : "For What Purpose Do You Cultivate Wisdom?"

The Redang-KL Trip

2007-04-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Love has blossomed (afterall it's a tempation island),
Friendship has Deepened.

"My buddies and i,
We sat at the front of the boat
when we returned from snorkelling.
The bumpy ride was wonderful,
with each bump, we screamed in joy like kids
and enjoyed the sea breeze carassessing our faces and bodies.
It was the first-class seats no $ could buy.

Lazing on the beach chairs,
We shared our life stories,
In the evening sea breezes,
To Realise how similar they were.

It rained.
At the KL sunway lagoon,
It was disappointing for some.
To me, I didn't really care.
I cared more for the Moment.
It was more memorable with a rain
where all of us cuddled under the shelter.
We scolded the staffs for a refund.
I was asked to act fierce with my famous chao bin.
Argh i didn't get to act much though.
My fren's scolding did the job.
We got half-refund.
It was fun.These are the moments money can't never buy.When You lost something in Life,
You would Probably treasure little things more."

~Ruixiang

No more Whiiiiiiining....

2007-04-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

With lesser time,
I learnt how to cherish time, loved ones more.
And there's really no time to be angry
but only time to love everyone...

No more Whiiiining,
No one will understand anyway.
No one wants a -ve dentist.

Be strong!
Spread the happiness...

Nam Myo-Ho-Renge-Kyo.

My Committments

2007-04-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

Other than mon-fri 8-5 schedule(lessons only) and the after lesson study,
I've quite alot of involvement in Gakkai activities.
Maybe not as active as other fellow members/leaders,
but it's making the best value in the limited time i've that's impt.
Once, i tot i don't have much CCA in life compared to others.
Then i realised i was wrong-
Gakkai activities gave me a lot of training...
Currently my activities in Gakkai alone:
1) District Assistant District
2) Student Division Member
3) SOKA medical Group member !
4) Young Lion Logistics (Hmm but now i don't really help out there cos i got SMG le...)

Gee,
Now i learnt to prioritize and not go for every meetings
but to go for the most value-adding one.
Some ppl may not understand why are we so busy In Gakkai,
but we must GROW to show them why.

Cheers.

My long-awaited hol

2007-04-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

This hol should be the longest hol of dentistry which the studying is minimal. It's only 5 wks long. (By the time i start sch on 7 May, my frens you all probably just started your 3-mth long hol.)

18 of our classmates went on a trip to Redang and KL from 14th April night to 20th April morning. The organiser of this trip was named KE. Now we're called KE high school students.
I really enjoyed the hol.

Love has blossomed (afterall it's a tempation island),
Friendship has Deepened.

Allow me to explain. Love- scandals are very common in dentistry as probably we're too bored. and seriously there's a lot of in-breeding anyway.

Friendship has deepened as i really had a dialogue with my best buddy while lazing on the beach chairs in the evening. We shared about Buddhism and about how similar our family background is. I was truly amazed by the mystic law of life. It brings people of the same karma together. NOw we know why we are often nice to others in ways other may misunderstood. Arg we're just nice. Ppl are just not used to it. ha.
Anyway now looking about how our friendship started-- we met each other and shared about our interests during the first OG outing. Then after that i had troubles and shared with him before he started confiding in me too, and we became good frens. I have so much to learn from him.

I had a lot of "first time"s during this trip- first time watching horror movie with so many ppl which turn out to be a comedy for many; snorkelling in a clear sea; taking a banana boat ride; taking viking's rides till i almost vomitted. and taking that roller coaster ride... ah....

My buddies and i sat at the front of the boat when we returned from snorkelling. And the bumpy ride was wonderful, we screamed in joy with each bump and enjoyed the sea breeze carassessing our faces and bodies. It was the first-class seats no $ would buy. At the KL sunway lagoon, it rained just after about 4/5 rides, and it was disappointing for some. To me, I didn't really care. I cared more for the Moment. It was more memorable with a rain where all of us cuddled under the shelter. Then later my friend scolded the staffs there to ask for a refund. I was asked to act fierce with my famous chao bin. Argh i didn't get to act much though. My fren's scolding did the job. We get half-refund. That's reasonably good liao. It was fun.

These are the moments money can't never buy.
When You lost something in Life, You would Probably treasure little things more.

COOKING TEETH

2007-04-21T04:17:00.000-07:00

Looks delicious?

YUCKS.

I hate to cook this, but i've to.

This is one of the digusting things a dental student have to bear.

I have to go around dental clinics to beg for extracted teeth.

Then now is the time to boil to kill all the germs.

they stinks mind you.

And not forgetting how dirty they are.

Some even have bloody(literally) flesh dangling onto it.

Well, maybe it's easier to boil it than to sort out the teeth after that.

I like to cook.

But not teeth.

Yew.

My Love

2007-04-21T04:12:00.000-07:00

Don't worry My Dear Frens,

I've not lost the passion for cooking.....

I created this based on my idea of shepherd's pie. I told you i seldom like to use recipe book.

My Performance

2007-04-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsbPkm0i84k
my Nus rag dance
I'm the cowboy at the front arounf 3min50s.
Hmmm i'm still finding the Tri-fac dance where i danced mix of salsa and hip-hop.

how to brush?how to floss?

2007-04-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

It's all here!
this site is very good tutorial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGmcAwMYEZ8

notice at 3min 33 s, the index finger position is good for flossing the posterior teeth.
Note: slight bleeding may occur for a few days if you haven't floss for sometime before that. This is due to dirty gums. Flossing will reverse it. If it persists however, do see a dentist.

Infection of the gums are like infections of the body elsewhere... Why do we have the notion that it's less serious and important?
Is it cos it's not as obvious as the lesion on your arm?
Pay respect to your mouth, not just with food, but with a daily spa and 1/2 a yr dentist's touch.
Cheers.

My Line

2007-04-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

In DENTISTRY, we've a line system where a senior would take care of a junior. Medicine have such system too called the counsellor-counsellee system.

Currently i only have the contacts up to our 8th generation. ie. 4 doctors, 4 students.
I heard our line was supposed to be a line of only gals but somehow along the way, the rule was broken and guys was taken in. Well, guys or gals, i think our line criteria should be only nice, kind people should be taken in...

My line doctors are very nice people. so happy to meet up with them. This is the 2nd time our line had a line dinner. And I'm proud to say i started the 'tradition' for our line though this tradition is very common for other lines. I organised the 1st and only 2 meetings so far since there seems to be none such meet-ups before that. They have no airs at all and very encouraging. It feels easy talking to them as you know they don't have hidden agenda, it's not always the case when you talk to some others... hee...

In the end, the doctors would usually pick up the tab but seriously, I don't mind even if we go-dutch. It's the wonderful time that we spend together that counts.

I certainly look forward to next line- dinner. But next time, i think it'll be my junior who shall organise. HEe!!!

(who 'll be my junior? well, i really love my seniors- they "forced" me to take in a female junior next year and must be a pretty one.ha. Well, maybe i should revert the only-gals rule back to the line. Muahaha.)

Specialities In Dentistry

2007-04-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Dentistry, although somehow a medical specialization by itself, has further specializations.
Nainly, Endodontics(root canal treatment), Prosthodontics(dentures, crowns, bridges etc), Orthodontics(braces), Periodontics(gums), Pedodontics(children dentistry!), Oral Surgery etc.

After getting the BDS (bachelor of dental surgery), NUS dental graduates who has worked for at least 2 years, can go for specialist training either in Singapore or overseas for another about 3 years.

We'll talk about oral sugery today.
Dentists are also called dental surgeons in Singapore and some countries, but don't mix it up with Oral Surgeons who are better qualified specialists than general dentists to do surgeries of the dental and facial structures including the jaw bones. eg wisdom teeth extraction, jaw bone/facial recovery after trauma etc...

It's probably one of the more Bloody, "medical-like" dentistry specialization.

Well, i happened to go for an attachment at one of the very beautiful dental clinic at orchard. Dr, W, The Dentist there was a very friendly chap, he is a Oral Surgeon and once taught at FOD years ago. My senior CC, my junior,NZ, observed him during his Operations.

The 1st Op we observed was a GA op, i think it's also called a "sleeping operation", ie the patient is under general anaesthesia and is unconscious. The patient has some teeth extractions and 4 dental implants. There's a anasthetist by the side assisting Dr W. I'm utterly impressed by the skilful surgeon. He can joke when he work, and at times teaching me new knowledge that I can relate to after studying so much...ha. But it really shows that he can work under stress. He's calm and cool. Yup, i think be it a medical physician or dentist, it's crucial to be calm at all times. Gee, this is one thing i've to learn. CONFIDENCE.

It's interesting to see Dr. W busy with his work while his anaesthetist sits nearby and read his magazine. Well, guess, during the Op, The job of the anasthetist is more of like in Stand-By mode. Gee i heard it's $400/hour.

It's lunchtime! I went for lunch with cc and nz. However, Dr. W is still at work. He only has time to eat the take-away around 2 plus and he don't have time to chew. He swallows. His dental assistants said, "It'll be much better if he has a zip down his throat"; someone else chipped in, "he should go on drip instead and he doesn't need to eat at all". Well, Dr, W himself said, dentistry is a profession able to earn enough for a comfortable life-style but to be a filthy-rich man, it's not really possible as dentistry will forever be limited by the number of hands he has. In other words, a dentist's earning is limited by the amount of work he can do by his 2 hands.

Dr. W's wife was a lawyer and now she helps him with the adminstrative and probably finance work. Argh, how nice it is to work your loved one, to share the same goals....

The 4 dental assistants i met there are also very friendly ppl.

I stayed for another Op this time round a LA Op before leaving. I'd stayed longer if i have not scheduled to meet my line seniors and doctors for dinner...

Why I whine?

2007-04-11T01:37:00.000-07:00

It's hard for ppl not in dentistry to understand why all of us in dental school whine.
I once tot maybe others are having similar stress too but looking at the number of couples in dental sch and high breakups with non-dental bf/gf, it does suggest ppl outside are unable to understand the stress we undergo. No amt of explanation will be sufficient till you experienced it. It's not just academic hectic lifestyle but the emotional feeling of being isolated from other peers from other faculties, not being able to lead a normal social life that is paining.

all the stress we whine about and encountered in sch are are true But they are just part of the process to make us handle stress better cos we'll be handling real LIVING patients independently next time. and i'm not discouraging ppl not to take up dentistry instead i encourage ppl WITH PASSION to take up. Don't come to dentistry just because of money or other reasons. It'll be painful.

I wouldn't say passion makes things easier for me in dentistry(in fact maybe just the exact opposite) but i would say it prevent me from giving up!

Strive on, Ruixiang.! :) .

The Websites i Like,

2007-04-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

http://cyberdentist.blogspot.com/

(very infomative site)

https://www.drbunn.com/philos.htm

Beauty.

2007-04-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

Look at the Western media, and you will find almost all of them have nice smiles. I believe they have higher awareness than Asians.

Well, I'm not hoping that everyone here will have the perfect white set of teeth (anyway, natural teeth are slightly yellow not totally white) but i'm always sad to see people with badly stained teeth, badly corroded teeth, receding gums, or toothless, yet they are doing nothing about it.

It's disappointing to see gals with pretty faces open their mouths to reveal teeth in very poor conditions. They must have spent a bomb on all the make-up, facial but seldom/never see a dentist.
What a waste.

I like to emphasize that i'm not saying that everyone should have the perfect set of teeth (even i don't have that myself), but at least it's functionally good and healthy.

"I once looked at Gals in their eyes. Now i looked lower. At their teeth. (what you thinking of?....hee...)"

Priorities.

2007-04-11T00:21:00.000-07:00

Different people have different priorities.

So I think it's common that many complain about the dental fees,
Won't go for regular checkups,
Yet won't bat an eyelid when buying that branded car/handbag,
get an expensive haircut...
Some may complain and refuse to pay
but walk out the clinic smoking, drinking and driving the BMW.

Youngsters nowadays especially complain of the lack of money
when they are already bringing in thousands per mth.
The problem lies in the way they overspent.
Credit cards are for these people.
I won't pity them.

There're people who have really no money even for normal meals,
who can't pay their bills despite working hard,
have many children to feed,
These are the ones we should help.

Charity?

2007-04-11T00:08:00.000-07:00

My best fren JX and i discussed about future possible ways
we could offer free dental treatments to the needy.

However, we realised that for dentistry, because of its nature of work,
with high usage of disposables, instruments, equipments and high costs of material and workmanship (like dentures for eg), it'll be not be very easy.
It's very hands-on and time-consuming and hence not like other medical consultation for flu and cold etc, the limited time means only limited patients can be treated.

The location will be a challenge too.

How we sieve out those really needy from those who can afford, it's a problem too. (will talk about priorities in later posts).

Risking negative feelings from fellow dentists may also be a problem as we maybe undermining their market.

We thought that maybe we can arrange a dental bus (like those in sec schools) to go elderly homes. However, it's not cheap also and of course there are other problems like high operating costs and materials costs for dentures etc... We may need big sponsors or donations but it maybe difficult as most people still won't put dental treatment as priority( so sad :( ).

I personally think however, I like to keep volunteering and work separate: ie not give free treatment during my working hours at my clinics as I know many ppl who don't need it will abuse it. I hate it.

Well, it's still early anyway so we'll see how it goes...

First, to get the degree without hitches first... ha...

The Quality Of Life.

2007-04-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

Medical Physicians and Nurses Deal Directly with LIfe and Death.
kudos to them.

Most General Dentists don't deal with life and death so directly but personally,
I believe in providing QUALITY OF LIFE to my patients in the future.(I'll start seeing patients next year anyway.)

We use our teeth, mouth for eating, talking, singing, etc.
Losing teeth, having pain in the mouth/teeth can be so traumatic.
We tend to take our teeth for granted when we eat our favourite food.
Ask the ah ma who lost all their teeth and not able to chew and savour the food
they once enjoyed.
In fact even loss of a single tooth can cause so much inconvenience.
The chronic pain caused by oral-related problems can be seconded only to labour pain and kidney stones pain.

Moreover, the loss of a front teeth, receding gums, badly stained teeth,
badly aligned teeth, all can make someone lose their confidence.

I yearn to improve my patients the quality of life
and nothing is more satisfying than the "Thank You" from
a patient who after the treatment, looked in the mirror and
Gives a wonderful beautiful SMILE.

Cheers.

2007-04-10T23:34:00.000-07:00

我哭了。
看电影“老师，对不起”时，我感动的哭了。
虽然故事情节煽情，而或许有些人会说老套，
但我知道现实真的有又如电影里那种不惜自身健康
为教育事业而工作的人。
我父亲也是其中一位如此让我自豪的一位老师。

对他们而言，或许
“文章的好坏，不在于其长短，而是精不精彩。
而人生也不在于长短，而在于有没有价值。”

不论伟大的医生，护士，建筑师，
甚至是新一代的老师，
都是由伟大的老师们所调教出来的。

人类灵魂的建筑师，
我打从心底里的尊敬您。

My Year One Sem One Timetable

2007-04-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

Some of My Dear Frens often asked about my Timetable, and how's my life in sch like, so here's a glimpse of my year one 1st year timetable. My seniors all said year one slackest. Ha.
And my sem are different from you guys, i have my exams in late mar. My hols is from April to may 6. My special term starts from 7may to 7Jun. I told you i'm forced to be anti-social. So let me whine. I missed you ppl!!

if dentistry is tiring, it's not just the amt we have to mug but the lack of time to do so. look at my 8-5 daily schedule and you won't be surprised why i have study at night what i learnt in the day despite my weariness of the day. my weekends are spent studying and catching up what i missed out during the wk. there's barely anytime to breathe. having said that, i'm grateful that i grew cos despite my timetable, i manage to balance my time more for frens, soka activities. Well, guess i really cherish time with frens and family more now i've lack of it. professors often tell us-- "If you manage to survive dental sch, there's nothing else in life you can't tackle..." :) .

Isn't Dentistry simple? It's just about 32 teeth mah.

2007-04-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, if dentistry is just about studying 32 teeth, all my classmates would rejoice (because we won't have to mug like crazy).

1) Contrary to what many believe, Like medical students, we DO have to take basic medical subjects, though the scope is different.
2) We study the medicine and science behind what we do, apart from the hands-on techniques learnt in the lab/clinic.
3) We specialise also in the head/oral region and of course, the teeth
4) Look into the mirror and you would find each of your teeth looks different and have different groove patterns. They meant nothing to you, but yes we have to know the different general patterns for the individual different 32 teeth(plus 20 milk teeth), we have to know the teeth align with one another(occulsion), we study how the teeth/gums/other structures look like under the microscope, ................ the list goes on, and you've just heard about the tip of the iceberg of what we have to know.
Just think about why my studying hours are so long and my longest hol is only 5 wks throughout the 4 years.

So we're not merely carpenters working in your mouth, we have to understand the SCIENCE behind what we do too!

IN A NUTSHELL, DENTISTRY IS A PERFECT BLEND OF SCIENCE AND ART!
(that's also why i love it...ha...)

Sensei's Guidance (read to me by My student!)

2007-04-09T08:09:00.000-07:00

Daily life itself is a challenge, whether gain or lose is all decided by your own. Don't be lead astray by other's words or the environment. Be steadfast to your thoughts, because when you have done something good, it accumulates in your life.- Daisaku Ikeda.

Don't let Dentists Earn so mUch?

2007-04-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

If you really think dentist earn alot and are Bloodsuckers? Here's are some suggestions to minimise their income.

1) Maintain good oral hygiene- brushing teeth at least 2X daily, Flossing once daily.
2) See a dentist at least twice a year- so they can only charge you for the scaling and polishing maybe minimal filling. It's so much cheaper in the long run...(see previous post "$$$ Part One." )

Ha jokes aside, a good dentist yearns to see you healthy and happy with healthy set of gums and teeth...

Pain Part Two

2007-04-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

ARE DENTISTS SADISTS?

More often than not, A patient let his/her teeth rot till it reaches the nerve then will pain occurs. Decay of the hardest structure in the body-Enamel of Teeth- takes time. So usually by the time patients see the dentist with pain, it meant they let their teeth decay for some time.

So Dentists are to help the patient alleviate the pain he/she himself/herself has allowed to occur. Dentists are here to help. They don't create the pain directly. So be kinder to them next time you see them and don't blame them if it pains. Well, a good dentist try to minimize the pain as much as possible, but they aren't supermen. Still if it really pains, and you seriously think it's his/her fault, then maybe you can choose another one. Remember YOU'VE A CHOICE, MY DEAR!CHOOSE THE BEST!

TOTALLY no sweets?

2007-04-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Well, good news is you can still eat sweets and drink sweet drinks BUT the frequency of eating is more important than the amount you take in each time. meaning? it's better to gulp down the coke within a short period of time than to sip it than leave it for sometime and sip again.

Reason? in a form of analogy: The teeth gets corroded by the acid (soft drinks have PH of about 2.6) and usually get remineralized aka "repaired" by the saliva "repairman". It takes time to "repair" though, and if you keep drinking the coke, you are destroying the repair work each time he's about to finish. Like building a sandcastle, each time you are about to finish the top, the wave wash away your foundation so you can never reach the top to stick the flag.

well nevertheless it's still better for children to eat less sweets as their milk teeth are easier to corrode than adults'.

BLOODY Gums?

2007-04-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

Q: "I bleed occasionally when i brush my teeth. "
A: If you are not brushing excessively hard and your gums bleed, you may be suffering from gingivitis. Brushing and flossing it would "clean" the "dirty gums" which will bleed. This is normal, continue till it no longer bleeds. If however, the prolonged gingivitis worsens to a more serious form--periodontitis, do see a dentist. And the dentist can help to remove the hard tar tar on your teeth. Don't scold the dentist if you spit out bloody water after he cleans your teeth/gums. He's helping you.

MY SILLY ANALOGY: When Swordman A got poisoned, highly skilled Swordman B used his qi to force out the former's toxic blood and heal him... Woala!

P.S. BUT DON'T BRUSH EXCESSIVELY HARD TILL YOU HURT YOUR GUMS AND IT BLEEDS TOO!

PAIN!

2007-04-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't have use this word actually.
"Dental Visit are Sooo Painful, Scary!";"Dentists are sadists."
Well, if you have said that before, don't worry you are not alone. It's a common feeling throughout the world, thks to the media who glorifies this more, and the poor oral hygiene by patients, and finallly dental practicioners themselves.

It's A Vicious Cylcle. In schools, some dentists or dental Nurses are notorious for scolding the children for not brushing their teeth. Thanks to that, Ppl grow fearful of dental treatment and never see one after graduation from schools only until their teeth rot and give pain.

So pain is often associated with dental treatments. Actually this dental treatment phobia and discomfort can be minimised with regular checkups(see previous post). And so dental treatments have always been a pleasant experience for me as i always feel it being cleaned! DENTAL SPA! :) .
But if for those ppl who have since grown fearful of treatments you can actually be conscious of your discomfort and arrest it now. Stop the vicious cycle. Talk to your dentist about it. And before that choose one that is patient and nice. Get recommendations from your friends who have been to one.

You have a choice, My Dear.

For those with siblings/children, it's important to incalcate good dental hygiene since young and stop using words like pain and add on to their fear. In fact, going to the dentist CAN be a fun experience for kids. Habits Die Hard. Trust me, i'm a good eg. I love dental visits as my mom always create a positive experience for me and my dentists/nurses are good or at least "neutral" ppl. And for flossing frankly i didn't start till i learnt that it's important while applying for dentistry and it's still quite an effort to maintain- unlike brushing teeth started in childhood followed me as naturally as sleeping daily is a must. Not brushing teeth 2 times a day just feel not right.
So let us stop the vicious cycle and let the kids enjoy dental visits. :) .
Give them nothing but the best!

$$$ Part Two--Why grumble when you pay hundred for your hair dresser?

2007-04-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

YOUR TEETH and oral strutures is one of the body parts you use very regularly- you need it for eating, talking, singing, kissing, biting for defence, and other who-knows-what-you-did purposes.Hee. For eating alone you use it at least 3 times a day for 365 years for as long as you had lived. Maybe it justify the money you spend on "maintanence" 2 times a year?

My rationale for going for regular checkups:
It's cheaper. For normal scaling and polishing, you spend about $50-60 each time that amount to 120 plus per year (MINIMUM lest if you got other complications or small decay) for your whole year of usage. If you refuse to go for regular checkup, (and don't on top of that, brush/floss your teeth regularly), and wait till pain has occured, i', sorry to say that there's bound to be bad decay done to your teeth(it take times for these decay to form!). SO filling is done, 50 PER filling?
For worse cases, you have to do Root canal treatment or dentures ie more complicated procedures that you have to pay more- hundreds to thousand. In worst scenario, you extract you precious teeth and to replace the empty ugly gap, you make a denture or do implant. An implant in s'pore costs about 3000 bucks PER TOOTH, even if not done by a specialist.

Back to the case where you go for regular checkup,and hence only 120 per year FOR YOUR WHOLE SET OF TEETH, that 3000 bucks PER TOOTH ONLY is enough to last you for 2 years plus. (and usually decay don't affect only one tooth only)
With regular maintainence, you probably be painless or problem free or at least less problems for the rest of your life--it's like your car, better maintained car gives less problems and last longer. In this sense, you enjoy your trip to the dentist more too!
Please give your TEETH or gums the appropriate treatment they need!
Give them the royal bath treatment. Let them enjoy the ultimate spa experience after days of hard labour. Give them same treatment you give to your hair/face if not more.

You are willing to pay hundreds for a haircut. You cut your hair every 1 or 2 months. I hope you can go for just a "dental SPA" once a year at least.

Your Priorities, Your Choice.

Think about the time, effort we went through to get this degree. Year One Timetable: 8am-5pm.Lunchtime 1-2pm. Mon-Fri. Rest of time, at least for me are spent on studying what I've learnt in lessons. Imagine how many we have to cover if the lessons are so long and so little time to self study if the lessons are - so long-. Maybe i shouldn't complain, Cos My Year 3 fren claimed to sleep only 3 hours daily. I'm trying to manage my time better so for normal days i can meet up with frens. but somethinga can't be changed. eg our Exam schedule and hence hol is different with those with other frens! We become anti-social with displeasure. “我这大半辈子都在读书，都忘记怎么谈恋爱了！” Oh our longest hol is only 5 wks.
We have to learn medical subjects, all about the teeth, gums and related structures.... all these because dentistry is not just what you see/thought is about manual work. We're also physicians making diagnosis like your medical doctor (Well, medical physicians make longer life-time scacrifices, of different form so respect them too) did for your other parts of body. In addition, we are called Dental Surgeons because we cut up things eg your teeth very commonly as treatment.

So if you're willing to pay your hair stylists hundreds, you can really considering not complaining of the price when you come to us. Note however, different dentists charge very differently, some can charge 2-3x more than others. but it's the same with restarants- some charges more though they provide similar food but perhaps because of the different atmosphere provided, different skill level/experience of dentists(doesn't meant ALL who charges more are better though), or simply the brand name or exclusivity especially celebrities love.
SO DO CHOOSE YOUR DENTIST WISELY. YOU HAVE A CHOICE! CHOOSE ONLY THE BEST FOR YOURSELF! AND THE BEST MAY NOT BE THE EXPENSIVE ONES!

$$$ Part One.

2007-03-31T23:35:00.000-07:00

"Wow, Dentists Earn Alot!" are the words 90% ppl said, upon hearing i'm In dentistry even if for the 1st time they meet me. I've dentistry friends who got sick of explaining. Well, for dentists in the end open clinics they can indeed earn up to 1o-20k or more per mth, but do hear what i have to say...

"I pay dentist for 40-50 bucks min per visit for checkup and scaling and polising."; "More complicated treatments like dentures are worst claiming hundreds to thousands of dollars" Well, it seems dentists are blood-suckers!

Ha, i hope to present a different perspective here.

Statement ONE: "I pay dentist for 40-50 bucks min per visit JUST for checkup and scaling and polising."
Yup, indeed, a look at it and even i would think it's expensive before i knew how things work. the reason for these cost are:
1. High Investment Cost Of Dental Course
2. High Usage of Disposables, Machanineries, and Need for steriliztion.
3. High Rent
4. Payment for Outsource of work, assistant.
5. Others e.g. Stress

1. Our tuition fees for the whole course of 4 years amt to about s$64,000 plus(3 x normal Uni Coures like engineering, science...). And that is provided we mangaed to pass everything and graduate on time. (because Govt supposedly subsidized the heavenly amt of $250k even after excluding the amt of $64k we students pay, hence we are bonded for 4 years). So for "not-rich ppl" like me, we took a bank loan and probably pay it off when we work. So trust me, I'm -ve asset when i graduated for a few years. and if you do your calculations, you probably will clear off your debt much faster than i do and start becoming +ve asset faster than i do (even if i MAY have higher starting pay.) Well for those who can already afford the fees, they of course can start earning profit once they start work in their bond.

Well, i won't deny dentist have a relatively stable job and comfortable-paid job but if you are thinking of being coming a millionaire, i suggest you go business & banking and finance. (compare the tuition fees, and returns?)
According to April 1 '07 ST, the highest paid are the bankers, accountants, MNC, lawyers and engineers. None is mentioned about dentists or doctors. and i've heard of people graduating from banking and finance with starting pay of US$5k. Seriously, dentists can earn a comfortable salary/income ultimately but are you willing to endure years of abnormal life, sacrificing things in your life? (see later post on how abnormal it can get...) I'd say if i merely want to be a billionaire, i would have chosen other career paths.

Having said that, who are the richest dentists? Those who start up big business of high-end dental clinics/chains or even non-related stuffs (see?, it's back to "businessman make money").

2. Dentistry is a very hands-on profession, We use a lot of tools and instruments.Hence, from merely checking your mouth and teeth with a mini mirror, to elaborate surgery, dental surgeons have to put on the fresh basic masks, gloves for each patient;and use the cups, the napkins, the sterilizing solutions, blah... After the treatment, all these are either thrown or some tools are sterilized(autoclaved). These are all to safeguard both the dentist and patient. All these need money to maintain. Even the money for the electricity(for tools and so the magic chair you sit on can move up and down ha),the water for cooling tools, rinsing your mouth counts.

3. High Rent of Clinic space- FYI, medicial and dental clinics are charged differently (correct me if i'm wrong) with other like provision shops. think it amt to 6-10k/mth? i'm not very sure about the amt(i don't have very good memory) but i know it's HIGH.

4. If you are wondering why we charges hundreds for a denture 假牙 done, it's because after we take the mould of your mouth we sent it to our wonderful technicians who skilfully craft out the denture for you so when it comes back to the clinic we adjust the denture to make the perfect fit for you! well, so we have to pay these technicians rite?! Now you know we don't suck the money all up man- i wish hee... Oh and also, we have to pay our dental assistants who help us to make the dental experience a pleasant one for you!

5. Others. If you think dentistry is simple, think again. If it's so, we won't spend 4 years of NO-LIFE years, to mug all the medicial subjects, and practice the techniques. All these are so that we don't rupture your nerves, blood vessels around the tooth/gum when we cut them. Dentists deals with HUMAN, LIVE PATIENTS. Any mistake and we risk doing harm to one. Dentistry also involves a lot of concentration- think how small is your teeth?- sometimes i think we are like those artists doing art on a mini artefact like those mini calligraphy. Well, quite close except most of the time, we have to use indirect vision. Er... I hope you know it's more difficult to work with a mirror?

IN A NUTSHELL, IT'S SADDENING THAT SOME PPL DO COME INTO DENTISTRY FOR THE MONEY BUT THERE'S NO FREE LUNCH AND WE WORK HARD TO GET WHAT WE DERSERVE. I SERIOUSLY HOPE THERE'LL BE MORE DENTISTS WHO COME INTO THE PROFESSION WITH PASSION, CARE FOR PATIENTS; AND ALSO A MORE UNDERSTANDING PUBLIC. SO IF YOU WANT $$$ ALONE, CHOOSE SOMETHING EASIER LAH.

The Holistic Treatment for You.

2007-03-31T23:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, Contrary to alof of belief, Dental health does NOT only pertain to your the well-being of your 32(+/-) tiny diamond gems i.e. teeth. The supporting structures like the gums, the whole oral caivty health, we are concerned about it.

In fact, even some medical physicians don't know the close correlations of oral health to (systemic) body health like diabetes, heart diseases, and even Premature birth!

So when you see a dentist, he should check your whole oral cavity, including tongue etc, for any abnormalites. Oral cancers are of growing concern nowadays. So you pay your dentist for things he did (or should do) but didn't tell you. I mean dentists can't possibly list down all the things that he did. (In fact, sometimes, apparently doing nothing to your teeth is good, but many thought they are short-changed. this will be discussed on in later entries.) Moreover, telling patients, "Hi Dear Mrs Lim, i'm checking your mouth for cancer." don't sound very assuring, ya?

I believe a humanistic dentist would care and empathize for your feeling as a whole not just for your physical well-being but also to the emotional aspect adding a sense of human personal touch. Well, of course dentists need your cooperation in doing that!

The first post

2006-12-29T00:56:00.000-08:00

Hi Dear Friends,

I have long wanted to create this blog that will probably bring in my views about dentistry, some answers to the myths going about (harming ppl!), and of cos whine about my course so yup ya guys can know what i have been going through and why though as much as i die to meet you ppl, it has been difficult and will get more difficult. so i seek your understanding cos i really put in a lot of effort in meeting you guys. Love you all!

Ha. well i've been busy and now finally got a month hol(my longest-to-be hol in dentistry.) to try on this blog. Hope it goes well. Hope to be able to share on dental issues and raise awareness about dental health.

DISCLAIMER: THIS BLOG ONLY REFLECTS MY PERSONAL VIEWS AND FOR THOSE DENTAL INFO, I'M WRITING TO THE BEST OF WHAT I KNOW (I'M ONLY A YEAR ONE STUDENT.). SO PARDON ME IF THERE'S SOME ERROR. DO CORRECT ME IF IT'S WRONG.