My New Smile at Bangkok Smiles Dental Part 1

Hope you've read my post on why I came to Bangkok in search of Cosmetic Dentistry services to improve my smile, because here's a continuation! Oh and also read on for special discounts/privileges from Bangkok Smile Dental for my readers!

On the day that I arrived, Bangkok Smile Dental was so kind to send a driver to pick me up at my hotel and then dropped me off at Bangkok Smile Dental at the Asoke Branch (very near Terminal 21 – the new shopping mall!). This is a service that they provide if you let them know in advance via email prior to arrival and if you are staying at the Sukhumvit downtown area.

This really helped a lot as I had a 2pm appointment on the very first day that I arrived in Bangkok. Bangkok traffic is CRAZY!

Once I got there, I stepped in and was kinda surprised to see so many Caucasians in the waiting area and the whole waiting area in front of the reception desk was full too!

Strangely, I felt a little more at home being surrounded by so many tourists.

I was asked to fill up a form about myself on this mega impressive dental booking system and was led to the waiting area for my turn. There were refreshments for those waiting.

It wasn’t long before I was introduced to the Dental Specialist Dr Piyamas. She too could speak very good English! I love her very much la!!

She took a look at my teeth and said that it looks healthy… I proceeded to tell her that the upper teeth are unevenly shaped and most of the teeth are already at it’s best because I did whatever I could to make it better with prior white fillings which are weak and fall off once every 1-2 years.

She was super efficient. She took a look and proceeded to use only 5 mins to put on some temp cement mock veneers and showed me how Porcelain Veneers can help to improve my smile. And she did it in just 5 mins!

You notice that my 6 front top row teeth desperately need to be reshaped and evened out. What you see now in the before picture are already the best my teeth can look with the help of a lot of white fillings already. These fillings fall off once every 1-2 years which is really sad and costly to maintain!

She did a quick mock on only my front 4 teeth. When I finish my Porcelain Veneers, it's going to be even more awesome. This was just a very rough mock up and I was already happy with my “new” smile. I can't waitttt!!

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There were pros and cons to consider and she wanted me to consider carefully as Porcelain Veneers is an invasive and non-reversible procedure.

Pros:

• Immediate remedy to a beautiful smile
• Less invasive than crowning (Veneers generally don't require the extensive shaping prior to the procedure that crowns do, yet offer a stronger, more aesthetic alternative)
• Veneers can last up to 10 years or more with good dental hygiene
• Porcelain veneers are stain resistant
• Gum tissue tolerates porcelain well
• They provide a natural tooth appearance

Cons:

• I will have to be wary of never biting hard food with my front teeth
• I will have to wear a mouth guard every night to prolong the life of my veneers and to also protect against my teeth grinding
• This process is irreversible. The dentist will shave off 1mm off the surface of your natural tooth in order to put on the new veneers. Once the veneers wears off, you’ll have to get new ones on again
• Veneers are usually not repairable should they chip or crack.

Read all about Veneers here.

Dr Piyamas was really nice and she really made me feel comfortable. She never pressured me about going ahead to do it. She asked me to consider the pros and cons carefully and to take my time to consider.

I was led to another doctor, Dr Ming, who spoke perfect English. She went through the costs of the procedures I wanted and worked out the subsequent appointments for me. She was efficient, friendly and very helpful.

So here’s what I was going to be doing at Bangkok Smile Dental:

1)   Scaling
2)   Laser Whitening
3)   Filling (had a broken one)
4)   Porcelain Veneers on the Upper Teeth X 6
5)   1 pc of Soft Mouth Guard

Total Cost: S$3,400

They managed to slot me in for Scaling and Laser Whitening on this same day too! Yay!

I didn’t know how overdue I was for scaling. Teeth felt totally clean after 15 mins of scaling. The dentist who did it for me was very nice and gave me a blanket to keep me warm cos the aircon was a bit cold. She also advised that I use more fluoride in my toothpaste to protect my tooth.

I have never done Whitening in my life. I never had an issue with the colour of my teeth but since I’m already here and it was recommended by Dr Piyamas, I decided to do this as well.

I took a pain killer prior to this cos the dentist said it might be a bit sensitive during whitening. I took the pill happily. LOL. I also remember my colleague who did this before said it would be very sensitive. The whole procedure took one hour. Honestly it must be very tiring for the Dentist. She has to hold the UV shine device on my teeth for so long and have to keep track of time too!

The RESULTS!!

My teeth were a shade of white lighter than before! The sample tooth that the Dentist is holding up was the colour of my teeth BEFORE the whitening. Yay!

I love how white it is now! And here I was thinking I don't need whitening when just a quick 1 hour of whitening will make my teeth look so good.

Do note that after Laser Whitening, your teeth will be sensitive and will take about 1-2 days to recover. I was lucky to feel ok overnight. They do prescribe painkillers for you to take if it gets too sensitive to bear. I didn't have to eat any. The sensitive feeling came on strongly that night before I slept but once I slept and woke up the next morning, I was all brand new again.

Things I couldn't eat were like coloured foods (tom yum, curry, etc.) and coloured drinks (coffee, syrup, coke, etc.) and no smoking too (not that I smoke. ) for 48 hours after the whitening procedure. After 48 hours, I went out and got my Espresso Frappe. Haha!

Next post coming up soon will be about my Porcelain Veneers! Stay tuned k!

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try my best to answer them below!

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Bangkok Smile Dental discount for my readers!

Please mention "Ju Ann/Blogger" to enjoy the offer.

Terms & Conditions: The patient must book the appointment throughtheir email: contact@bangkoksmiledental.com or call center +66 2 664 2711 prior to their visit. You must mention "Ju Ann/Blogger" to enjoy the offer. The discount can be applied for one person and one time only. These discounts can be used at Bantgkok Smile Dental Clinic, Ploenchit branch, Bangkok Smile Dental Clinic Sukhumvit 21 branch and Silom Smile Dental Clinic, Saladang Soi 2 only. These discounts cannot redeem into cash and cannot be used with other promotions or dental service/treatment. Valid only from now till 31/12/2013.

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Bangkok Smile Dental has 3 clinics in Bangkok here. I went to the Asoke Branch (super near Terminal 21!!) for my dental work.
Email them: contact@bangkoksmiledental.com
Call Center: +662 664 2711
Bangkok Smile Dental is also on Facebook.