Dental Aids 4

More Dental Aids?? Yayyyyy I think so!

Today, we’ll be tackling 3rd molars. It seems to me that Everybody’s been talking about 3rd molars, aka wisdom teeth. Half the dental related questions I get asked are about 3rd molars, the other half, how long before i get out of my braces; which is in 6 weeks btw =))

SO, peeps. What’s all the fuss about and Why do people bother extracting 3rd molars?

1. The presence of Pericoronitis – a gum infection around the wisdom tooth (yes, it hurts). About 25-30% of 3rd molars are extracted due to pericoronitis. Alternatives to extracting incl: debridement, antibiotics, or an operculectomy (removing that overlying flap of gum)

2. Prevention of dental disease – ie: caries (tooth decay) which accounts for ~15% of exos, or periodontitis due to the formation of deep pockets around the tooth and subsequent bacteria trapping and gum infection. This accounts for ~5% of extractions.

3. Orthodontic considerations – if it’s preventing/interfering with orthodontic treatment or subsequent orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery). Cuz it causes crowding? yes and no – while 3rd molars may contribute, crowding of teeth is multi-factorial.

4. Prevention of odontogenic cysts & tumours – ie: cysts and tumours of tooth related origins. The sac around the 3rd molar may give rice to dentigerous cysts, odontogenic tumours and malignancies. This accounts for 1-2% of extractions.

5. Root resorption of adjacent teeth – Extract that 3rd molar ASAP! and hope the 2nd molar repairs itself.

6. If you’re planning dentures – and the unerupted 3rd molar’s covered by less than 1-2mm of bone/gums.

7. Fracture prevention – the angle of the mandible is an area prone to fractures, especially if you’re into contact sports. Or if you’re a pathological douchebag.

So as you can see, there are many reasons for 3rd molar extractions, but is it right for you?

Well, i can’t really answer that, but here’s a list of questions to consider when deciding!

• Do you fit into the above list of problems?
• Is it hurting you?
• How long have you had it?
• Is cost an issue?
• and WHAT IS YOUR DENTIST’s ADVISE?

Because obviously you can’t google all your answers and there might be other issues like your age, life factors and the anatomy of your jaw to consider.

See this BAMF of a 3rd molar? What do u think, should we just extract it?

Dude! It has a freakin troll face all over it!

But the correct answer is: not necessarily.

#FirstWorldProblems

Finish writing new post only to be logged out when you click publish. Saved draft only contained half the stuff you typed.

GAH!!!

One of the many uses of bubble wrap

HAHAHA

That’s all I wanted to post.

Have a good day!

Of Chilli and Peppers

They say a smell can unleash a flood of memories, so intense and striking that they seem real.

That has never happened to me but music on the other hand.. it brings me back to distinct moments in my past. I remember when I first heard Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ “By the way”. I was in my dad’s car, a white Proton wira.

We were hurling down the North-South Highway at 100 ks per hr towards Singapore in the depths of night. Sitting in the middle, I was flanked by my grandfather and little brother who was peacefully asleep on my grandmother’s lap; my dad at the wheel as he always is, my mum beside him. It was a long dreary drive and 13yo me was tired and restless. But just as we neared Singapore, “By the way” played on the radio, I could see the custom booths lined ahead like match stick boxes, its light shining promising the end of a long night in the car. I was tired but somehow this song with its repeating chords, delirious beats at the bridge, the grungy voice of its lead caught my attention. I did not know the band nor the title of the song, but I liked it.

An Aurora – light shows of nature. No I did not see one but How beautiful is it??

Funny thing about music is no matter where you come from, you can be united by one sound. When I came down to Australia a few months later, I met a girl who loved Red Hot Chilli Peppers. We would lie on her bed listening to the album on repeat talking of life, family, friends, spilling teenage angst to RHCP’s album “By the Way”. She particularly liked “Cabron” as it reminded her of herself in ‘dodgy blue’ and a boy she then had a crush on. Meanwhile my favourite was “Tear”.

It’s a very somber song but I always imagined slow dancing to it. I didn’t know what the song was about (still don’t) but it sounded like a couple trying to work their way through a difficult period – bittersweet.

My other likes on the album were “Dosed”, “The Zephyr Song”, “Can’t Stop”, and “Universally Speaking”.

Since “By The Way”, RHCPs have produced 2 other albums, that is if you consider Greatest Hits as one. The other album and also their latest to date is “Stadium Arcadium” (2006). It was very critically acclaimed but personally, I found a little too boisterous for my liking. The RHCPs will be releasing their 10th album soon. Titled “I’m With You”, it is expected to be released August 30th, 2011. I’m quite excited but not really sure what to expect. I’m fairly certain it won’t be like “By The Way” though.

Anyhu, “By The Way” is one of my all time favourite albums, not just for the nostalgic effect but it’s a very melodically rich album. It’s funny cause I rave about it, and love it, but don’t actually own a copy. Haha should find myself one.

Lod noy ka… *smile*

It means “discount please”.. and then act cute

Wow this blogging thing takes way too much commitment! There’s too much to type and i get lazy, and then i procrastinate and tell myself tmr, but then we all know there’s Always a “tomorrow”. I rmb roadtripping to Sydney a while back. On the way, we stopped by a pub. Unfortunately, it was closed, but out at the front, hung the sign “free beer tomorrow”. Lol the cheek! If u don’t get it, think: wud u like to come back tomorrow for some free beer? hehe

Anyways Bangkok stories!

Something of significance from everyday I’ve missed writing about.

Today, I gave my presentation on me, myself and I. Lol k, not just that, cuz that wud be boring. but YAYYY got that over and done with, sigh of relief! I did this so incredibly last minute, but I thought it went really well. stuck a whole bunch of pictures in, stolen from fb, and everyone understands pictures. it’s a million words in the universal language! (yes, language has been sort of a problem for me down here, but i’m trying!) Lol ppl were jealous of us at melb uni by the end of the presentation cuz it totally looked like we never have to study.

I also took the BTS and a motorcycle taxi today, which is kinda a big deal for me! The BTS is like our Connex but a monorail system and seemingly more reliable. Hehe exhilarating stuff. They were all my firsts! but above all, I took VERY PUBLIC TRANSPORT by MYSELF in an ASIAN COUNTRY. Omggg I dont even do that in malaysia. I think i deserve a pat on the back for bravery

Wednesdayyy lemme think.. had main clinic and oral med, a deep and meaningful with a Thai professor who must’ve really liked me cuz he gave me his email address and wouldn’t let me go although there were only 10mins, and half the clinic was already empty! Lool. After uni, I was gonna go shopping with Pinkie and Faii, but i had to be home early cuz it was CNY eve, so we had ice cream instead. This place had the weirdest ice creams ever. Pumpkin almond? and there was even one with peas and corn in it. Imagine! a caserole salad like ice cream, yum? haha weirrrrdd.

Thursday, was an interesting day. Met Pete, a Paedo postgrad, who became my host at Baan Pakkred. A home for orphans and children with disability. There’s an adjoining community clinic which was where the other postgrads were headed to work. Not that I cud do anything but stand and watch! I’m just really lucky Pete was there to look after me or i wud’ve been so bored. Having said that, being there, it was the first time I saw a Papoose board in use. It’s a restraining board to strap kids in. It’s not legal in Australia, and poor kid, but i can see that it shouldn’t hurt and it helps the dentist by a mile since the kid’s essentially immobilised. The kid looked like a cocoon. It’s probably not used cuz of human rights and stuff here.

Then we had a tour of the facility and it’s kinda sad. These kids range in ages but they are so young to not have their parents! Pete tells me that many of these kids come from teenage mothers who perhaps don’t have the means to take care of the child, so they try for illegal abortions or just dump the kid after giving birth. Guys walk of scott free. So these kids get picked up by the Baan Pakred, or Pakred House. And every now and then, a lucky child would be adopted by a foreigner albeit Angelina Jolie style. But they are soooo cute and sweet! Hehe shud’ve seen them at the playground. with their pink tshirts and fluro green aprons. Personally, i think the aprons were to keep track of them but they looked adorable in it! Then there were the children with disability, which was also kinda sad to see. Most of them have either cerebral palsy or down syndrome, but the staff there were all very loving towards all the kids, whether they were disabled or not. Which was nice to see, but the whole place seemed pretty understaffed. 12 to a 100 kids, and even less for children without disability. Having said that, the house was quite well kept, and there were so much play equipment! I wud’ve joined in if i cud! hehe

After Baan Pakred, got back to the hustle and bustle of city life, went shopping after uni with Pinkie and Bahng (i think that’s how u spell it! lool, it’s a girl’s name btw), and spent like heaps. Pinkie reckons i’m a shopaholic now, i have so many rings! (omggg 20Bht earrings are the bomb)

Hehe this should be more or less up to date. More next time! I’m schleeepy, waking up to prepare for the annual Chulalongkorn vs Thammasat university football game tmr! It’s tradition and i’m sooo lucky to be able to make it! hehe

Before i go, I’d like to wish everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year! Whether ur chinese or not, enjoy the 15 days of it!

Till next time!

Peng Ngai Bang??

It means “How are you” in Thai

Apparently I look Thai haha I’ve been mistaken for a local so many times! I walk with my student tour guide, who’s wearing the university uniform btw, and randoms come up to me asking for directions. I walk around snapping pictures and locals look at me like I’m crazy. Then they hear me talk LOL, embarassing.

Anyways, I started the day Really early. I must say, usually, I run on a fashionably late timeline, but today, I was 1 hr early. It felt so strange, the peace and calmness of not having to rush. Followed by the inescapable boredom of ONE HOUR. So I entertained myself by visiting the library. Omagawdddd So jealous!! They have a whole collection in English, then in Thai, of not just dental text books but oral health science subjects as well like physiology, neurology, buichem etc. Then there’s the massive collection of journals. It’s complete and it’s centralised within the numerous dental buildings, unlike the Biomed library.



9am eventually came around. I met up with Yoyo, a 4^th yr dental student who gave me a tour of the uni. We started out the Chula tour in a candy pink bus called “pop bus” (how cute does that sound??). These are university buses that bring students around because the uni’s so sprawled out. They were airconditioned and really comfy.

So off we went. She showed me the University’s main library, which is kinda like Bailleu but 3x taller, and white, the rugby field with the fathers of Chulalongkorn University overlooking it – King Rama the 6^th and 7^th – the bookshop, the Faculty of Political Sciences and Faculty of Arts buildings (briefly the Faculty of Engineering, but no special mentions cuz Yoyo reckons it’s ugly and looks like a factory Lol), the University Auditorium and finally, the university shopping centre where we had lunch. We then had to rush off cuz Yoyo had an interview for an exchange program to Iowa. Have I mentioned the exchange program ran by the dental faculty down here to u? Well, it’s only in its infancy, this yr being it’s 2^nd in the running. There are 7 cities on offer, including Sydney, Paris, Beijing, somewhere in Korea and Japan, and that’s all the places mentioned to me. The exchange spans 2 wks and students undertake it during their holidays, which in fact begins at the end of this month. I asked Yoyo why she chose Iowa, and she simply answered, because it’s the furthest from Thailand.

Mythical snake heads guarding the entrances to the Arts Faculty. Apparently, you won’t graduate if u take a picture with it!

Next on my schedule was Oral Med clinic. It was much newer looking than any other clinic I’ve seen so far. Apparently it was completed ~ 1 wk ago, but it was quiet. 1 patient cancelled last minute and emergency pts just werent coming. Yes, it operates very much like our PC clinic, but since it was on the brink of Chinese New Year, ppl don’t really wanna go to the dentist; so students just bum =P. Demos get pissy tho, so what students do is that they stand at the reception desk to show that they are “eager” and “ready” to see a patient. Lol!

There, I met a girl called Pinkie, or Gee (like Glee but minus the “L”), she looks a bit like CheWee haha but with long hair. She taught me a few more Thai phrases which I seemed to be hopeless at remembering, so she wrote it down for me in English. I can now ask for the toilet and discounts (Yess!), which was put to good use (sort of) when Gee took me shopping at Siam Square after uni, which I Have to say, OMG so many shoes and clothes and most are so cheap! *Faint*

I really needed to buy new shoes cuz the ones I was wearing were killing my feet, and That was when the limitations of having asian sized 40 feet hit me (size 38 or 39 in Australia). Most shops only stock up to 39, and those with bigger sizes usually sell out 40 with only 41 remaining. Sighh, I was a little disappointed. So many pretty shoes but my feet had to be like the ugly step sisters of cinderella. Better luck next time! We had to rush back cuz my day wasn’t up, I had a “special lecture” to attend, hosted by Prim. She invited a guest speaker, Dr. John Brownbill from Melb Uni. Hehe it felt a little bit like home even though I had never met him =P. He’s a Paedodontist, so lecture was on Time Management and the 3yo child.

Uni ended after Brownbill, but not my day. I met Mr. Jade. Haha Oh yea. He’s the awesome cabby who brought me home. He lives in Bangkok by himself, his wife and kids live further up north, his son is turning 27 next Thurs, he absolutely Adores the king (gave me a photo of the king to keep) and reckons his name in chinese is good because it’s the green stone, but bad in english because it means a tired horse LOL.

Sawatdeekaaaa

is for Hellooo!

Guess what? I’m in Thailand. More specifically, the main undergraduate dental clinic of Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. I’ve been assigned to observe / DA for a 5^th year dental student, and boy am I doing a great job at that lol. Her name is Nick, like the guys name cept she’s a girl. Right now, we’re in the Perio clinic. I just did a Plaque Index for her, she gave OHI to her patient, taught him to use Interdental brushes and is now scaling his teeth. Nice and cruisey for me haha so I’m gonna recount my day.

It started out at 9am when I left my aunt’s house with my cousin, Paopao. I was sposed to be at the uni at 10am but apparently traffic can be pretty bad in Thailand. It turned out that navigating ourselves within the faculty was more of a challenge than Bangkok traffic! Took us about half an hour of walking up and down and around before we located the Office for International Affairs. The person I was meeting up with, Supaporn Chongvisal aka Prim, wasn’t in yet so I sat there waiting. She had a little office,a lil smaller than the ones our coordinators have. There was a massive map of the world on the wall with the names of some universities in the asian region pinned on to it. Major cities around the world incl Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane also had a pin on them but I have no idea what it was for. Haha places they have contacts with maybe?

Prim eventually turned up and tbh, I was surprised because I was expecting “Supaporn” to be a guys name. But I guess I shudv already learnt not to be too surprised by now. Thai names are confusing, they don’t sound particularly feminine or masculine, but then again, maybe it’s just me with my foreign ears. My cousin’s name officially, is Karnthip. I’m with Nick right now and earlier on, I was introduced to Aor, pronunced Oar, which funnily, I didn’t even recognise as her name when she 1^st said it. I thought it was a polite slang word or something, just like the word “kaa”, which they say a LOT.

So at Prim’s office, we had a chat and she showed me my schedule. There were some changes and a lot of shuffling around, so it took a while with calls, admin work and lots of conversations which I Assume is about my schedule. She explained what each clinic involved and showed me on a map roughly where they would be, and trust me when I say that is not enough to keep u from getting lost. The building are Huge, and tall, and signs are all in Thai. Prim brought me on a mini tour but I was already disorientated within the first 10mins. So much for Orientation!

The International Affairs office is on the 10^th flr and we must have made our way down almost every single floor because I rmb walking down a lot of stairs! Haha when ur in high heels, u do Not forget the stairs. Your feet will remind u after , lol. When we finally got to G floor, I made a mental note of the Directory board (which was in English). That’s all I need to know, right? Haha



Dentistry is a 6 yr course here, there are 140 students per year level. ~400 postgrad students, and more than 400 staff working just within the dental faculty. Unlike Melb, there’s at least 5 separate buildings dedicated to the faculty: postgrads, undergrads, implants and aesthetics, an admin building, and a dedicated cafeteria prob the size of the 2 quadrants in our 2^nd flr ugrad clinic put together. They also have a museum which I’ll get to visit eventually and a dental library (!! wish we had this in melb!!).

The clinics I’ve briefly had a look at so far are very similar to ours, but imagine an asian version. Stone floors and cement walls with painted wooden partitions between the cubicles, ceiling fans and fluorescent white lights. The post grad clinics are smaller and quieter. I’m not sure if infection control is more vigorous there compared to the ugrad ones, but we had to change into some slippers before entering. I havent had a chance to look properly in the ORs yet as I wasn’t scrubbed up, but a quick poke my head in showed the corridors to be just like the post grad clinics. The undergraduate clinics however seemed to be bustling with activity. The first ugrad clinic I saw was the paeds, and it was so happily painted with animals. And not in the unco kiddy type of painting like in the RCH either! There were 2 designated rooms in there for OHI and teeth brushing information sessions. These are presented by students to parents as part of a course requirement.

They arent so different from our dental school but one thing that struck out for me was, it seemed a lot more organised. For example, every specialty will have their own designated floors/quadrants/chairs (approx 40), and correspondingly, a designated specialist demo. They don’t have GPs as demos here even for undergraduate students. It’s a 6 yr course, but students only start seeing patients 2^nd semester of their 4^th yr. They divide out their clinical experience into major and minor components. Major ones include Perio, Operative, Pros, and Occ, and Minor includes Paeds and Oral Surgery. I hope I’m accurate in my information! Haha I can only type as accurately as I rmb, and memories get blurred. But basically, for the 5^th yr student, Major clinics are a fixture, they alternate with Minor clinics which students do in rotations.

Undergrad student uniform

It was fun chatting to the students here. We bonded over dental school bitching haha. Even students here face the same issues as we do back in Melb. Each clinic is scheduled for 3 hrs during which they are expected to bring in 1 pt, or 2 if they’re fast. They face the same issues lining up for demo signatures and to check their work, the lack of DAs and having to chart themselves, running halfway across the floor to get materials, which is dispensed from a window much like in our preclinic, cept they have to sign for everything they take, doing their own wax ups all the way thru to 6^th yr, but in addition to all that though, they have to provide their own burs, clean it themselves and send it to steri with their student numbers attached. Their ultrasonic scalers are also incredibly inconvenient, it’s a separate machine unit students will have to sign for and attach to the chair.

Anyways, I’m really tired. It’s 12am now, yes I wasn’t typing this solidly. Sometime in between, I had a tour round the main clinic, came home, went to the local market, changed some cash, had dinner, went on fb, watched gossipgirl, lol yes my night was crazy, so I shud go to sleep soon =P. I have to wake up at 7.00am tmr! Even though uni officially starts at 9am for me and I live pretty close to the uni. 7am is the morning rush and traffic’s gonna be extra packed and fun to navigate! Haha I look forward to it. And breakfast, more porridge for me! Daymn, I havent even talked about my gastronomic adventures yet or how big this place, my aunts house is (a hide and seeker’s dream!), and I havnt included funny thailand traffic stories either. Okay, really, daymn! Maybe another time. For now Shower and Sleep calls!

Gnight!

Dental Aids 3

Hehe naw sho quooteeee!

Kiddies, don’t play with yo lollypops. It aint good for ya!

Dental Aids 2

Here’s a lil SND prompt to rmb by.

Before u proceed, may i remind u it’s SND. Whatever comes out of there’s not far from freaky albeit slightly disturbing if you are Not mentally prepared.

Take a moment.

Ok, may i introduce Autism

a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old.Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their synapses connect and organize; how this occurs is not well understood.It is one of three recognized disorders in the Autism Spectrum (ASDs)

Christmas Cheer!

Here’s a story i’d love to share

A cop was on his horse waiting to cross the street, when a little girl on her new shiny bike stopped beside him. “Nice bike,” the cop said. “Did Santa bring it to you?” “Yes sir,” the little girl said, “he sure did!” The cop looked the bike over and handed the girl a $5 ticket for a safety violation. The cop said, “give this to your dad, and next year, tell Santa to put a reflector light on the back of it!” The young girl looked up at the cop and said, “nice horse you’ve got there sir. Did Santa bring it to you?” Playing along with the girl, he chuckled and answered, “yes, he sure did!” The little girl looked up at the cop and said, “Next year tell Santa the dick goes underneath the horse, not on top.”

I got booked for J-walking 2 days ago. True story. Now you understand my sentiment