MISS CAROLINE NGUYEN

• A university-trained dental professional
• Has dual qualification in Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy
• Dental Hygienist + Dental Therapist = Oral Health Therapist
• Has clinical in-chair responsibilities but also very heavily invested in personalised oral health education and promotion to encourage home care maintenance

Dental Hygiene scope of practice for patients of all ages:

• Clinical assessment of teeth, soft tissues and periodontium (supporting structures of the teeth)
• Take radiographs and interpret readings
• Diagnose gum disease and plan treatment
• Administer local anaesthetic
• Routine scaling and/or root planning with both hand instruments and ultrasonics
• Prophylactic polishes
• Fluoride applications
• Referrals to dentist / specialist /hospitals for further management if necessary
• Managing with medical emergencies if they occur
• Offer oral health instructions and dietary advice
• Participate in oral health promotion and education
• Reviews and monitoring

Dental Therapy scope of practice for patients <18 years old:

• Clinical assessment of teeth, soft tissues and periodontium (supporting structures of the teeth)
• Take radiographs and interpret readings
• Diagnose carious lesions, pulp and jaw infections, some soft tissue lesions and plan treatment
• Apply fissure protections and sealants
• Apply Duraphat (concentrated Flouride)
• Administer local anaesthetic
• Do both GIC and composite resin restorations (on both adults and children of all ages)
• Perform pulpotomies and place stainless steel crowns
• Managing dental trauma and medical emergencies
• Routine scaling and/or root planning (if necessary) with both hand instruments and ultrasonics
• Prophylactic polishes
• Offer oral health instructions and dietary advice
• Participate in oral health promotion and education
• Reviews and monitoring

Orthodontic Responsiblities:
Assists the Principal dentist with orthodontic procedures including:

• Pre and post- op data collection including photography, impression taking and pour up
• Overall oral health maintenance during the course of orthodontics involving:
• Very thorough scale and cleans
• Personalised oral hygiene instructions to help the patient develop and maintain good healthy habits during a time where tooth decay and gum disease is at higher risk
• Separator, arch wire and modules placement
• Removing of brackets, orthodontic cements and all other orthodontic appliances
• Post-orthodontic home care instructions and maintenance for retainers

Teeth whitening Responsibilities:

• Discussions on what teeth whitening is, its process, usage method, possible side effects, care and shade maintenance
• Taking before and after shades
• Taking impressions for bleaching trays
• Reviews and monitoring

• Dentist and Oral Health Therapist work together as team to help patients achieve optimal oral health
• Dentists are trained professional competent in all facets of dentistry for all ages. They can perform advance surgical procedures and treatment plan for all aspect of dental needs for a patient
• OHT’s are trained professional specialising in periodontal health (gums and supporting structures of teeth) for patients of all ages. They specialise in the treatment and management of children both clinically and psychologically to ensure a happy, fun and trauma-free experience
• While an OHT also has clinical duties similar to that of a dentist, they have heavier focus on prevention of oral diseases and maintenance of good oral health

• Your appointment with an OHT can sometimes be longer than a standard dental appointment.
  • This allows for more thorough checks and in-depth discussions about your oral health conditions
• OHTs approaches a patient’s oral health holistically
  • Oral health and disease is multi-factorial
  • We take into consideration lifestyle factors that may affect the status of the oral cavity including
    • diet
    • smoking and alcohol
    • medication
    • hormonal changes
    • habits, behaviours and attitudes relating to oral health
    • family medical and dental histories etc
• We provide extremely thorough cleans and advanced root planning if necessary as this is something we specialise in and feel very passionate about. We do our absolute best to ensure that the cleaning is as comfortable and gentle as possible for you.
• OHT’s are very focused on prevention and maintenance. We are heavily invested in personalised oral health discussion with patients in order to help patients understand their oral health and what they can do to improve/maintain it.
• Will spend at least 5-15 minutes alone discussing the many facets of oral health including your current signs and symptoms, what they mean, causes of any present oral diseases, consequences of neglected symptoms, how to manage /prevent them, personalised home care instructions etc
• Provide personalised specialty oral health tools to help you restore /maintain your oral to peak health
• OHTs will share lots of valuable tips and tricks that can help make home care as effortless as possible. This will make it easier for you build and maintain healthy oral care habits
• As we have unique and specialised training when it comes to children, we are fantastic with children of all ages and treatment. We have lots of tricks not only to put your anxious child at ease the moment they walk through our doors but to leave an ever-lasting positive impression of dental visits.
  • This is important as positive experiences at an early age = more dental visits = lower risk of decay and gum disease = good oral health = good overall health
  • We make it a priority that appointments will be stress-free, tears- free and trauma free for both parents and children
  • It is our philosophy to ensure every parent and every child has an easy, fun and comfortable experience every time
• Oral Health Therapists are extremely passionate about oral health. We love a good chat so feel free to ask any and every question you have as we are more than happy to answer them!

• Our Oral Health Therapist Caroline will greet you warmly as she invites you into her surgery room
• Caroline will conduct a thorough history analysis and perform a comprehensive check-up of all teeth and soft tissues. Sometimes, the principal dentist will pop in to address any issues Caroline has detected
• If deemed necessary and with your consent, you may have x-rays taken
• Any findings and/or treatment (if required) will be discussed thoroughly with you and she is more happy to answer any questions you may have
• A thorough scale and polish to ensure those teeth shine bright and gums stay healthy!
• Fluoride treatments will be applied (if applicable) to ensure teeth stay strong and protected
• Complementary in-depth, personalised oral health and dietary advices will also be offered. Questions are very welcomed at any time
• If required and time permitting, fillings can be done on the same day or rebooked for another appointment