Ask the Dentist - Receding Gums

Q: I suspect I have receding gums, what should I do to prevent it from worsening?

A: Receding gums is a condition that exposes the roots of teeth and occurs in both young and old. Various causes include aggressive brushing, teeth grinding, crooked teeth, poorly done fillings, poor oral hygiene, gum disease or genetics. Exposed roots cause sensitivity, often perceived as pain.

Gum disease starts quietly without pain. It progresses slowly, over many years. It is best to have regular checks to ensure that gum disease does not progress to the advanced stage. By then, bone loss and exposed roots will be irreparable.

You could visit a Periodontist (gum specialist) to find out the root cause of receding gums and if treatment is required. In certain cases, gum grafting may still be possible to help cover the exposed roots.

In addition to treatment, adopt daily habits that do not aggravate gum recession:

Use a toothbrush with soft bristles – change yours every 3 to 4 months even when the bristles are not frayed.

• Brush gently and floss correctly.
• Reduce intake of acidic food and drinks – if you must consume them, then rinse your mouth with water from time to time to "wash" the acids away.
• If you grind your teeth at night, ask your dentist how this can be treated.

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Dr Helena Lee is a Dental Specialist in Periodontics with Specialist Dental Group®, Singapore. Dr Lee has a special interest in dental implants, gingival plastic surgery, and tissue grafting.

For more information, visit www.specialistdentalgroup.com or call (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.

STEAM Education: Empowering Students to Find Success in the 21st Century

STEAM at CIS stands for science, technology, entrepreneurship, arts and maths. This interdisciplinary teaching approach, which is taking the academic world by storm, encourages students to think about the connections between these five key disciplines through creative thinking, problem-solving, iteration and inquiry.

STEAM plays an integral part of our school curriculum and is integrated across the entire school. Our approach is student-led and hands-on. We focus on activities where students have the opportunity to make connections and solve real-life, authentic problems. This not only helps them to think critically and approach problems from multiple perspectives, but also keeps them motivated and excited to learn more.

During each STEAM project, our students are required to collaborate with their classmates, research, problem solve and think creatively and critically. One of the most rewarding parts of STEAM is observing students apply their knowledge and onvert their ideas into a reality, especially when they see their efforts lead to an actual product that has genuine value to real people. Witnessing them then actively share their discoveries, designs and techniques with their fellow peers is also great.

The strong interest and enthusiasm for our STEAM programme is spreading. Currently, we have students engaged in several different STEAM activities. For example, our youngest learners are developing early math skills through water measurement activities in our Outdoor Discovery Centre's mud kitchen, while older learners are applying science, technology, art and math knowledge in their creation of a special bench for our Kindergarten students to sit on when they take their shoes off.

To learn more about our STEAM programme and have a fun family day at our STEAM Fair on April 22, please sign up at www.cis.edu.sg/STEAMFAIR

Quick Getaway - Tempat Senang

 Article and photos by Kimberly Norman

Do you need a short relaxing break that doesn't cost a bomb? The answer just might be a spa day in Batam, Indonesia. Tempat Senang is a spa in Batam, Indonesia that is easily accessible as a day ferry trip from Singapore. It is a lovely Indonesian inspired spa with Indonesian/ Balinese décor. I tried it out a few weeks ago, and was pleasantly surprised.

Treatments

There are many different treatments to choose from including: several different massages (Indonesian massages, Balinese massage, bamboo massage, shiatsu massage, sports message), several different facials (algae, seaweed, snail!), foot reflexology, hair spa (hair conditioning treatments), scrubs and wraps. The spa therapists are very professional and the spa facilities are clean and modern.


Half-Day (3-hour) spa packages are available, where you can mix and match three different categories of spa treatments from their spa menu with up to one body massage treatment (e.g. 1 x massage + 1 x body scrub + 1 x hot compress).

There is also a Full-Day (6-hour) spa package available, where you can mix and match six different categories of spa treatments from their spa menu with up to two body massage treatments (e.g. 2 x massage + 1 x body scrub + 1 x facial + 1 x hot compress + 1 x hair spa). A spa lunch is included with the full-day session.

All their spa rooms are designed as couples/group rooms so you or your friends/significant other can enjoy your spa session together.

Hotel

The spa has a few specially appointed hotel rooms. There are also a few small pools around the spa compound for optimal relaxation. I didn't stay at the hotel but have friends that have and they enjoyed their stay.

 


Lunch

The spa has a lovely dining area and the full-day spa packages includes a delicious Indonesian lunch (you have a few choices depending on what's on offer that day) or you can also order from a menu which includes Western and spa food. Alcohol is also available for purchase. We brought a bottle of champagne to Batam and the spa chilled it for us for our return ferry ride back to Singapore!

Booking and Payment

Advanced booking is a must as it's a very popular place. Tempat Senang takes credit cards (with a fee) or cash including Singapore dollars and Indonesian Rupiah. The ferry ride is one hour from Singapore and it departs from Harbourfront Ferry Terminal. For the full day package, take the 8:20 am ferry and return on the 5:10 pm ferry (this will get you into Singapore at 7:10 pm). Ferries need to be booked separately: http://www.batamfast.com/home/index.ashx (Harbourfront to
Sekupang return). Please note that Canadians do not need a visa for Indonesia.

For more information please visit: https://tempatsenang.com/

Democracy at its Finest

Written by John Nnamchi, Canadian student at McGill University, graduating class of 2017

The Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) has once again lived up to its notorious image as a tumultuous organization full of controversy in both its election period and actions of those who were elected. While previous years involved the hacking of a candidate's Facebook account, the distribution of personal messages, ad the president's victory being invalidated, a this year's events tops the leaderboard of utter madness.

The tension began when Igor Sadikov – an Arts Representative to SSMU and member of the SSMU Board of Directors (BoD) – posted a tweet reading "punch a zionist today". Student outrage and condemnations of inciting violence aside, SSMU only agreed to impeach Sadikov after McGill Principle Suzanne Fortier formally demanded that SSMU release a public statement demanding Sadikov's resignation. The anger amongst the student body due to SSMU's inaction to impeach was only multiplied when one week later, SSMU's VP External David Aird was bombarded with allegations of sexual assault from a group multiple female students. This time SSMU took no delay in forcing Aird to resign, but this does not seem to appease the student body in any way. The situation gets worse. The smeared reputation of its innocent members due to the actions of an irresponsible few has caused intense psychological distress amongst its executives. SSMU's president Ben Ger later resigned from his position stating "deeply personal reasons" while another executive wishes to do the same but fears doing so would incriminate himself.

As if this was not enough, controversy plagues this year's election period too. When VP External candidate was asked by the McGill Daily on his thoughts about the set of events that transpired, he laughingly responded "don't get caught". As you can imagine, social media tore Noah apart, and he was shamefully forced to withdraw from the race. Within a mere span of three weeks, SSMU has triggered a massive hysteria among the student body in both controversy and large-scale uproar. While many saw hope in this new incoming election, a technicality in the voting system forced SSMU to recall all votes that were cast on day 1. It seems that 2017 is not a good year for SSMU whatsoever.