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| The smilefocus dentists are from Australia, the U.K., U.S.A. and Singapore, and all of them have trained and worked overseas, before bringing their expertise to Singapore.
We think all our dentists are fantastic, and in order to help you know us a bit better, we asked them why they chose to become dentists, and to describe an interesting case. Their responses are included with a brief overview of their expertise. |
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Dr Ong Yean Sze
B.D.S. (Wales)
MSc Paedodontics (London)
F.A.M. (Singapore)
Dr. Ong Yean Sze graduated from the University of Wales, U.K before completing her Masters Degree in Children's Dentistry (Paediatric Dentistry) with Distinction at the Eastman Dental Institute, London. She was also the winner of the 3M postgraduate prize for clinical and academic excellence. Dr Ong gained valuable experience in hospital dentistry and in general practice while in the UK. After 12 years she returned home to Singapore with her family and joined the National Dental Centre. She also operated at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital. Now fulltime at Smilefocus, Dr Ong is a visiting consultant at the Cleft and Craniofacial Department at KKWCH.
Dr Ong has been appointed as a member of the Dental Specialist Assessment Committee (in Paediatric Dentistry). Her focus is on the prevention, early detection and treatment of caries in early childhood. She is particularly skilled in treating apprehensive patients and trauma patients including rebuilding of the mouth.
Why a dentist?
Children are very special, very vulnerable. They need us to look after them properly. I've always found working with kids to be very rewarding, and working with kids with special needs to be especially rewarding. I help children develop healthy, life long habits in dental hygiene, and help them learn to not be afraid of the dentist. Both are just so important.
An interesting case I recently saw a 10 year old boy who had slipped on wet tiles and broken two of his new upper front teeth. One tooth had the nerve tissue exposed, while the dentine layer was exposed on the other. Fortunately his quick thinking mother had retrieved the larger fragment and kept it moist. X-rays revealed that both these new teeth still had immature roots.
The exposed nerve was protected with a medicament to help the tooth regenerate a barrier to protect the remaining nerve. The saved fragment fitted this tooth like a piece from a jigsaw puzzle and was reattached to the tooth using dental bonding agent. The other tooth was restored with tooth coloured composite resin. The result was that you couldn't tell these teeth were once broken! Both the boy and his mother were very pleased indeed.
Although teeth that have been traumatised are reported to be erratic in their nerve responses, hopefully he will now be able to keep his upper permanent front teeth for a long time.
In addition the child was referred to our Orthodontist for treatment of his occlusion (buck teeth), to reduce the risk of future injury. A sportsguard will certainly be recommended if he plans to keep playing sports!
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Dr Leroy McCully
B.D.S (Singapore), M.Sc Endodontics (London, UK)
Dr Leroy McCully graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1994. He then spent two years working for the Singapore Government in the Singapore General Hospital and Republic of Singapore Air Force. In 1997 Dr McCully obtained his postgraduate degree in Endodontics (Root Canal Treatment) from the University of London. At the same time he was awarded the prestigious British Endodontic Society Research Grant for his study on root canal microbiology. Dr McCully currently lectures both locally and internationally.
Why a dentist?
People often wonder why I chose to specialize in Root Canal Treatment as this is the one treatment that unfortunately has a very poor reputation. But again, because of the advances in equipment, particularly with the endodontic microscope, I am able to make such a difference to patients, that every day is rewarding.
An interesting case
Funnily enough, they are all interesting, because a typical root canal patient is usually in pain, often tired, hungry and most often of all, unhappy. Add to this cocktail the horror stories about root canal treatment and you end up with a very fearful and reluctant patient. Happily, equipment, materials and techniques have improved tremendously to a level where patients experience little or no discomfort. With the specialized microscope I have I can pinpoint the problem exactly and effect treatment with minimal invasion. In fact, I would say that most of the time my patients are either enjoying movies or comedies on the TV (they might even be laughing, strange as that sounds) or they have fallen asleep.
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Dr VicPearly Wong
B.D.S. (Singapore) M.D.S. (Orthodontics) F.R.A.C.D.S. (Australia)
M Orth R.C.S. (Edinburgh) F.A.M.S. (Singapore)
Dr VicPearly Wong is a very accomplished Orthodontist with a firm grasp of modern treatment options for children and adults, including Invisalign (Invisible Braces), and DAMON. She is trained in surgical correction for, and management of, cleft palate. A member of UNIFEM, Dr Wong participates in mission trips to treat cleft palate children in developing countries such as Myanmar. Dr Vic Wong is the current President of the Association of Orthodontists, Singapore.
Why a dentist?
As an undergraduate I noticed that the happiest professors in dental school were the orthodontic professors. I decided that they must love their work, or there must be something intoxicatingly happy about orthodontics. Now I'm an orthodontist, I realize the answer is both.
An interesting case
I had a young patient who came with his mum to see me regarding his small lower jaw and protruding upper front teeth. He said everyone in school made fun of his teeth, calling him “Bugs Bunny” and it didn't help that he was really small in size as well. I started him on a growth appliance for his lower jaw. It was a removable appliance and I remember him coming in one day to tell me that he had misplaced it. He wanted me to make him another one as his grandma was really upset that he had lost it and hadn’t stopped scolding him. Naturally I made him another and this time he chained his appliance to his pants, literally, with a silver chain. After few years of treatment, I watched him blossom into a tall, handsome young man who is now a school team water polo player. And yes, no one calls him “Bugs Bunny” anymore. The satisfaction? Immeasurable.
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