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ORAL CARE
297
July14
8Ways
to Say
Monkey Business Images | Dreamstime.com
Y
our smile says a lot about you. Until not so
many years ago, it was easy to pick out British
actors in a movie: so many of them had dull
and crooked teeth. At the other end of the
scale, the brilliance of a Hollywood smile – so bright,
so white, so even that it hardly looks real – marked you
out as unmistakeably North American.
Some are simply born with good teeth, courtesy of
good genes. I’ve met people in their 40s who barely
floss, yet don’t have a filling in their head – and neither
do their children. Others, like me, have a mouth full of
horrible amalgam by the age of 10, and are due for a
total dental overhaul before their 30th birthday.
You’re fortunate if your medical insurance covers
dental work: ours won’t pay a cent. Be that as it may
– a strong set of teeth that functions properly is a vital
part of good health, and if you neglect them you will
end up paying one way or another. For one thing, poor
digestion, compromised nutrition and gum disease
pave the way for just about every life-threatening
condition you can think of.
Aesthetics count, too. Having an attractive smile –
whether God-given or courtesy of a highly skilled dental
professional – is important for self-confidence. On the
other hand, the fear of revealing crooked, discoloured
or even missing teeth can be enough to make one too
embarrassed to smile… and what a pity that would be.
Cheese!
Luckily for us, says VERNE MAREE, 21st-
century technology allows us tomaintain a full
set of beautiful gnashers right through into old
age. And Singapore offers the whole gamut of
dental professionals, fromdental hygienists to
periodontists and oral maxillo-facial surgeons.