A day in Jun Ai's eyes

Today, at last, after 12 hours,after 4 PATIENT DTL sessions of trying to bend wires, I FINALLY managed to bend the Y-clasp. It isn't perfect but I am satisfied that at least I am not such a loser after all.

One down... 3 more to go.. hopefully in less than 36 hours!

Today, the first lady told me that at the rate I am going, I will never see any patients. Maybe, she is right? But, then again, I really don't mind being slow, BECAUSE I know deep down, I CAN DO IT. And I won't touch a patient till I AM SURE MY PATIENT WOULD GET OUT THE CHAIR WITH A SMILE!

Today, I got lectured by Prof Toh, scold here scold there. And I got stuck at my Zinc oxide eugenol temporary dressing for 2 hours at the rubber dam and squiveland band stage. But as the session drew to the end, I managed to finish my dressing with the help of Joshua and Paige. Prof Toh tidied up my work abit and then she said, "Good effort".

I was speechless.Seriously. I just kept QUIET!
Really appreaciate the motivation.

Lesson for today: to be EXTRA EXTRA Neat, to place back instruments at the RIGHT position after using no matter HOW slow I am.

Being organized is important.

And ya, you just read a normal day in my dental life.

Huge struggle. I never knew anything could be this hard.

Trigger D- Hematology

A 10-year-old boy’s dental appointment was cancelled because he was diagnosed by his family physician as having leukemia and had to be seen by a paediatric haematologist.
1. What is leukemia?
2. What is the difference between leukemia and lymphoma?
3. What are the major types of leukemias? Briefly describe the clinical manifestations.
4. What investigations are done for the diagnosis of leukemia?

"I am not to be blamed!" says Third molar

If you had braces when you were younger, LIKE I DID, and if you have lower anterior crowding LIKE I DO now (sad),

it is not due to your erupting third molars or commonly known as wisdom teeth!

Then, who is the nasty culprit?

1. Growth of your maxilla ceases earlier than growth of your mandible. Because of overbite, your lower anterior teeth cannot move forward to the extend of the lower jaw growth but tilt lingually to a smaller circumference which results in crowding.

2. The maturation of soft tissues during teenage period may increase the pressure from lips, causing crowding.

3. More forward drift takes place in the lower dentition than the upper which increases crowding.

Ref: MOSBY'S ORTHODONTIC REVIEW by Jeryl D. English

I am yet to know what's the correct time to have braces on since "late or secondary crowding" happens in the late teens and early 20's. But for now, I wished my orthodontist had INSISTED that I make new retainers as years goes by and wear them to keep my perfectly aligned teeth THEN.

Now, I have to wait for my friends/ someone nice to align my teeth for me again (at a cheap price)!

Fluoride

Dear Guest,

Hope this answers your question (guest: just wondering is it true that high levels of fluoride makes teeth brittle?)

High levels of fluoride can cause Dental Fluorosis which in the moderate form, >50% of the enamel surface is opaque white. The rare, severe form manifests as pitted and brittle enamel. Even in its severe form, enamel fluorosis is considered a cosmetic effect, not an adverse functional effect.

However, the risk for enamel fluorosis are limited to children aged <8 years because enamel is no longer susceptible once its preeruptive maturation is complete

Also,how HIGH is HIGH for flouride to cause toxicity? Please view table.




It has been shown that excessive fluoride in drinking water (>2.0 parts per million/2mgF/liter)has lead to dental fluorosis. However, In MALAYSIA, the water level of fluoridation is monitored at 0.4 ppm-0.6ppm.

How does fluoride work to control dental caries?
Fluoride inhibits the demineralization of sound enamel and enhances the remineralization (i.e., recovery) of demineralized enamel. Fluoride along with calcium and phosphate (from de-mineralized enamel) establish an improved enamel crystal structure which is more acid resistant. Fluoride also inhibits dental caries by lowering the activity of cariogenic bacteria.

At the end of the day, as usual, anything in EXCESSIVE amounts or in INADEQUATE amounts is detrimental. A healthy balance is always required.

References:
1. http://www.ada.org/public/topics/fluoride/facts/fluoridation_facts.pdf
2. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5014a1.htm
3. Essentials of Dental Caries by Edwina A.M. Kidd (Oxford publications)

Generousity a sign of prosperity?

I get annoyed when people think I am "Rich" especially when I offer to pay for meals and stuff. Money doesn;t come easy and my parents really work VERY hard to fund my education and all that, with hours of 10am-10pm job, 6 days a week!

I enjoy showing hospitality to people and appreaciation because AI LOVES people. If you really look at my lifestlye, and my parents's... we only spend when necessary. For example, though my parents own a computer shop, do you know I used to have JARING dialup till .. like.. just recently? Also, though I would like to go for conferences like MYM HK but because I calculated how EXPENSIVE it is to just go to a country for 3 days... it ain't worth it.

Anyway..

life still goes on.

Working hard

I realized that this year I truly lost my focus, both on God and academically.

I did not work hard enough. I get my 7 hours of sleep daily, and at times even up to 9 hours!

I am really glad that God has thrown many stones at me to wake me up of my daze. Friends like Shafina, Su Anne, Kei Li, Sabrina, Paige and even Chan really inspired me to work harder.

I hope this post won't be a "cakap-cakap" only.

I HAD ENOUGH OF COMPLACENCY AND MEDICRIOTY! ITS TIME FOR EXCELLENCY WITH GOD'S HELP!

Pseudodog

This is really random but I saw a cat tailing a boy everywhere he went yesterday! When the guy ran across the road, the cat ran after him, and happily walked along with him. Its either the cat fell in love with the boy or it thinks its a dog.
I much prefer the latter suggestion.

Pseudo-DOG