Sharing CIS Expertise. CIS Open Minds Programme Goes Local

CIS Open Minds Coordinator, Christa Craats, is taking art appreciation to a new level at schools across Singapore. How? By mentoring representatives from not-for-profit organisation Art Outreach, on how to effectively design art programmes in local schools.

Ms. Craats’ partnership with Art Outreach began six years ago when officials from the organisation joined her on CIS Open Minds trips (innovative learning experiences where the classroom is moved into a variety of real-world settings) to the MRT North-East and Circle Lines. Officials were inspired by the way she used ‘visible thinking’ practices to help students appreciate the amazing art they saw during these trips.

Visible thinking practices teach students how to solve problems. It involves asking them questions that prompt them to think, inquire and find answers for themselves. Ms. Craats’ mentoring approach is based on theses practices. For many local schools implementing them will be a revolutionary shift in the way they teach art. This is mainly because their curriculum tends to cover a lot of content, with little room or time for inquiry.

Ms. Craats collaboration with Art Outreach has also been instrumental in building new partnerships within the community. In the near future, students from CIS’ Tanjong Katong campus and Tanjong Katong Primary School, will be coming together for joint art inquiry sessions. Not only will this help students from both schools learn about different ways to appreciate art, it will also give them the opportunity to make new friends from the local community.

What to do if teeth shift after braces

Q: I had metal braces when I was a teenager but I have not been wearing my retainers for many years. I am in my 30s now and I realise that my teeth has shifted. What should I do?

A: After any orthodontic treatment is completed, we always remind our patients that wearing retainers is a lifelong commitment. Teeth shift, and the retainers will help to hold teeth in their corrected positions after treatment. It is common for teeth to shift out of their newly aligned positions and relapse to their original positions if retainers are not worn.

Nonetheless, do not worry. With the help of a dentist trained in orthodontics, there are three ways to tackle this issue.

#1: Prevent the shift from worsening

If the shift is not drastic and is acceptable to you, visit a dentist to make new retainers so that your teeth can remain at their current alignment. This would prevent the problem from worsening.

#2: Realign the shift with fixed appliances

If you do not like the current alignment of your teeth, you may consider getting braces again to correct it. In the case that you find traditional metal braces too “eye-catching”, other fixed appliances to consider would be ceramic braces, self-ligating braces and lingual braces.

Ceramic braces are tooth-coloured. Although not completely invisible, they look more subtle and are less noticeable compared to metal braces. Similar to metal braces, they are affixed to the teeth and wires are used to connect the brackets.

Self-ligating braces do not use metal or wire ties, making them an aesthetically more pleasant alternative to metal braces. They are designed with a tiny gate to hold on to the archwires gently. Hence, treatment is more comfortable than metal braces. Adjustment appointment times are shortened and the duration of the treatment may also be reduced in certain cases.

Lingual braces are perhaps the truly “invisible” fixed appliance as they are attached to the internal surfaces of the teeth. With this, you can straighten your teeth without the braces showing. Similar to metal braces, teeth are shifted by customised brackets which gently apply pressure to the teeth.

#3: Realign the shift with removable appliances

If you prefer an appliance that is removable, I would recommend Invisalign®. Invisalign straightens teeth with a series of custom-made, clear and virtually-invisible aligners. As the aligners are removable, one can eat and drink freely and brush and floss normally, resulting in better oral hygiene. Since there are no wires and brackets, there would be less irritation of the soft oral tissues. The intervals between appointments with your dentist for adjustments are longer too.

Compared to fixed appliances, Invisalign would be the most subtle way of straightening teeth. I have a patient who shared that her family and colleagues did not notice she was wearing aligners until she told them several days later.

This time, no matter which option you decide on, remember to wear your retainers on a full-time basis for the first three to six months (after treatment). Eventually, you would be able to reduce that to only during night time. There is also the option of having fixed retainers. Your dentist would be the best person to advice on the actual retention plan that suits you most.

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Dr May Ling Eide is a Dental Surgeon with Postgraduate training in Orthodontics with Specialist Dental Group®. She received her specialist training in orthodontics from the University of London, United Kingdom and is registered as an Orthodontist on the Specialist List of the General Dental Council in the United Kingdom. Dr Eide is accredited to provide treatment with Invisalign® and IncognitoTM lingual braces. 
For more information, visit www.specialistdentalgroup.com.
Phone: +65 6733 7883

  
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Specialist Dental Group ® is a corporate sponsor of the Canadian Association of Singapore (CAS). CAS members enjoy a special rate for dental services.

Next stop – Phuket

Tucked away in a quiet corner of this idyllic island, Cape Panwa has long been recognized as the most precious jewel in Phuket’s crown. Overlooking a secluded bay of pure white sands lapped by the turquoise Andaman Sea and boasting some of the region’s most exhilarating diving, the flawless scenery around Amatara Resort a& Wellness is just breathtaking.

The resort features 105 rooms and suites, each with its own private balcony and sea view. The lush resort also offers the finest gourmet cuisines in the resort’s six food and beverage outlets.

With the 2000-sqm Amatara Spa overlooking the endless seascape, and open to the ocean breezes, the resort is the first and only luxury destination resort spa in Phuket. The Amatara experience is one of total wellness and includes five all-inclusive programmes. The newly extended spa facilities include the world’s first Thai Hamam, a combination of Thai and Turkish Hamam treatments, with a Salt Relaxation Room for asthma and allergies, and Rhassoul Clay treatments for improving the health and vitality of the body and skin.

For those who wish to venture out of the resort, Phuket offers plenty of activities and cultural attractions. Limestone cliffs and clear emerald water make Phang Nga Bay and its near-neighbour James Bond Island – where 'The Man with the Golden Gun' was filmed – a must-see for all visitors to Phuket. There are about 30 Buddhist temples to visit; each with its own quirks. Wat Chalong, with its gilt statues of two revered monks, Wat Phra Thong with its half-buried Buddha statue and Wat Phra Nang Sang; complete with 3,000 year old Buddha heads are among the most spectacular. Eight of the finest golf courses in Thailand can also be found on the island and cater for all skills and abilities.

Inflate our Grades

By John Nnamchi
 
McGill, The University of Toronto (U of T) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) are named as the top institutions in Canada that actively contend against the rest of the world’s best colleges. Within the country, the competition between the big three is always tough: 2016 QS university rankings put McGill, U of T and UBC in 24th, 34thand 50th respectively worldwide, but these numbers fluctuate yearly. Now, logically speaking if we are ranked equally amongst some Ivy League schools of the United States such as Duke (29th) and Columbia (22nd), one should assume a similar makeup of students achieving grades of equal caliber. Surprisingly, this assumption could not be further from the truth.

While most of the US ivy leagues boast GPA averages of about 3.3 (on a 4.00 scale), McGill maintains a mere 2.8, well below what is expected. While some may immediately call up the quality level of students as an obvious reason, countless others have performed extensive research to argue that the “problem” is in fact with McGill, not students. In general, it is said “McGill University has aggressively pursued a dual policy of zero grade inflation and rigorous academic standards” which translates to tough grading and little flexibility. These claims do indeed have some validity: while McGill’s average GPA has stagnated at roughly 2.8 for the past decades, The Economist reported the Ivy league school averages as having increased from 2.3 to 3.4 since 1955. This tendency for students achieving higher grades for work that would have received lower grades in the past forms the basis of grade inflation.

So are the top American schools actually enrolling increasingly smarter undergraduates, or are they taking desperate measures to maintain the most academically competitive student bodies in hopes of achieving higher popularity? Either way, even if students on exchange confirm the comparatively difficult academic standards at McGill, it is in our best interest to do as well as we can regardless. I am reminded every day of the talented students that attend this university, and undeniably, people here have so much more to offer, than just their GPAs.