Know before you sit.
A neighbourhood dental clinic on Seng Poh Road, Tiong Bahru. Every first visit runs the same 45 minutes, and every price is agreed before anything is done.
Your first visit, minute by minute.
Most people are not afraid of the dentist. They are afraid of not knowing what comes next. So here is the whole 45 minutes, in order, with what you will feel at each point. It is the same every time.
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Front desk.
The receptionist takes your NRIC and your CHAS card if you have one, and gives you a one-page form: medical history, allergies, what brought you in.
You will feel: nothing yet. A seat in the front room, water if you want it, three minutes of writing.
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Your dentist comes to get you.
Not a nurse. The dentist who will treat you walks you to the room and introduces the therapist working with them.
You will feel: the chair stays upright. Nobody touches your mouth yet.
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Six minutes of talking.
You say what hurts, what worries you, what you have had done before and what you do not want today. We write it down and read it back.
You will feel: still sitting up. If you are anxious, this is where you say so, and we agree a hand signal.
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The look.
Mirror and probe over every tooth, and a gum measurement at six points on each one, read out as numbers so you hear exactly what we see.
You will feel: light pressure, a little scratchiness at the gumline, no drilling. About seven minutes.
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Two bitewing X-rays, if they are due.
Only if you have not had any in the last two years. A small digital sensor sits inside your cheek for about four seconds a side.
You will feel: the sensor is the uncomfortable part, not the dose. Two bitewings is roughly a day and a half of ordinary background radiation.
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Scale and polish.
Fifteen minutes with the ultrasonic scaler, then a polish with a rubber cup and mint paste.
You will feel: a fine buzzing, cold water, a taste of mint. Lift a hand and we stop, every time.
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The screen.
Your photos and X-rays on the monitor: what is fine, what to watch, and anything that needs work, with a price written next to it.
You will feel: no pressure. Nothing beyond today is booked unless you say the word.
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Front desk again.
The bill is the figure you saw at minute 38, with CHAS or MediSave deducted at the counter. You book a six-month recall, or you do not.
You will feel: done by 0:45, usually with a toothbrush recommendation and nothing else to think about.
You see the price before you decide.
A first visit is S$98 to S$140 all in: the consultation, the check, X-rays if they are due, and the scale and polish. CHAS, MediSave and Baby Bonus are accepted at the counter. Anything we suggest beyond that is quoted on the screen at minute 38, and nothing is started unless you say so.
- First visit, everything aboveS$98 – 140 · 45 min
- Scale and polish, returning patientS$80 – 110 · 25 min
- Same-day pain appointmentS$120 – 180 · 30 minMessage before 10:00 and we see you that day. After that, the next morning.
Three people. You will meet all of them.
Two dentists and one oral health therapist, and that is the whole clinical team. The person who sees you on your first visit is the person who sees you on your tenth. Celeste still does her own scale and polish for the patients she has had since the first week, which the other two think is slightly mad.
- Dr Celeste LimDentist, principal. Here since 2016.
- Dr Ravin PillaiDentist. Children, root canals, the nervous.
- Nur AisyahOral health therapist. Cleans, fluoride, sealants.
Seng Poh Road, since 2016.
71 Seng Poh Road, #01-28, on the ground floor of the 1950s block opposite the market. Nine minutes on foot from Tiong Bahru MRT, Exit B. Two treatment rooms, one X-ray room, a front room with six chairs and a kettle.
- Monday to Friday9:00 – 18:30
- Saturday9:00 – 13:30
- Sunday and public holidaysClosed
