Meet the Smile Makers

Dr. Asha K. Karan, has been practising dentistry for more than 30 years. She graduated from the National University of Singapore, and has been continually updating her skills and knowledge in dentistry. She holds a Diploma in General Dental Practice from the Royal College of Surgeons, UK; and received the Graduate Diploma in Dental Implantology (Singapore). She is one of the early adopters in Singapore of the CAD-CAM technology of Invisalign, receiving her certification in 2006

She set up Smile Makers to change people’s attitude to dental care and educate them on the wonderful ways that modern dentistry can improve their lives. Her strong belief in health education led her to be President of the Singapore Dental Health Foundation – an organisation dedicated to public education and health promotion. She led this organization for 13 years.

She continues to contribute to the dental profession in Singapore.  She is an active member of the Aesthetic Dentistry Society of Singapore, the College of General Dental Surgeons and the NUS Graduate Dental Implantology Alumni. Indeed her many contributions earned her a place in the Singapore Dental Association’s Roll of Honour.

An experienced public speaker, Dr. Asha is known for her entertaining and authoritative style. She has delivered health education talks to community and corporate organisations.

When asked what she found most satisfying about her work, Dr. Asha replied, “The smiles my patients give me.”

Find out more about Dr. Asha’s interview with Ezyhealth – Singapore’s medical health magazine, to know more about her practice and passion for dentistry and her patients. 

Dr Samintharaj Kumar graduated in Dentistry (BDS) from Singapore in 2001 and Medicine (MBBS) from London in 2006. During his dental undergraduate period, he was the 1st South-East Asian recipient for the David B. Scott Research Fellowship Award (International Association for Dental Research). He spent his final year elective of his medical degree in the Craniofacial Unit at The Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, Canada. During medical school he received several prizes for excellence in academic merit including the Drummond and Frank Scott Prize for overall performance in preclinical medicine, received awards from the British Association of Plastic Surgeons, British Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, The Royal College of Physicians and The Wellcome Trust.

Dr Kumar’s postgraduate training in England includes rotations in: Anaesthesia/Intensive Care, Infectious Diseases, ENT, Vascular Surgery, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics, General Surgery, Accident & Emergency, Maxillofacial Surgery and Plastic Surgery in Singapore.

He has also extensive training in Non-Surgical Aesthetic Rejuvenation since 2004. His training has been acquired through courses with specialists in the non-surgical industry and has successfully providing such treatments since 2004. Additionally he was also a member of the teaching faculty of the Millimetre Perfect Aesthetic Training courses and subsequently directed the Virtualign Aesthetic Training Courses since 2005. Dr Kumar is hence uniquely positioned in terms of having a very thorough understanding of Anti-Aging Medicine, Facial Rejuvenation and its large overlap with Dentistry.

Dr Kumar provides the full clinical spectrum of Dental Implantology, Cosmetic Dentistry and Oral Rehabilitation. He has worked with various Dental Implant systems since 2004 including Nobel Biocare, Dentium, Zeramex, Osstem, Straumann and BioHorizons. He sees patients requiring complex dental rehabilitation or full mouth reconstruction. He accepts referrals for Dental Implant Placement, Sinus Lift Surgery, Complex Bone Augmentation, Periodontal / Gum Plastic Surgery, Zygomatic Dental Implants/ Tubero Pterygoid Implants, IMDO Surgery, Distraction Osteogenesis, Jaw Surgery which he also performs under intravenous sedation at Nuffield Dental Clinics. In 2009 he trained under Dr Paulo Malo in Lisbon following which he has been performing All on 4 / Teeth in a Day Implant surgeries and All on 4 bridge restorations both in England and in Singapore. Dr Kumar was also trained in the PinHole Surgical Technique by Dr John Chao. Dr Kumar was awarded a Fellowship to the International Congress of Oral Implantologists. He is also a member of the Association of Dental Implantology, UK, Academy of Osseointegration and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry amongst others. He now lectures nationally and regionally for topics in Implant Dentistry. Dr Kumar has a keen interest in Tooth Straightening with Invisalign, Damon Braces and Pitts21 Braces. He has a special interest in MyoBrace and how teeth crowding can be corrected using myofunctional techniques in young children.

Dr Kumar previously lectured on the International Qualifying Examination Course at the Eastman and has taught on the Dentist on the Ward courses in Lincoln and Birmingham. He has published papers in internationally peer reviewed journals. He was an internal examiner for the Overseas Registration Examination (ORE) and previously a mentor for the Society of the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry (SAAD). Postgraduate Examinations that he passed through formal examination include the MFDS RCS, Royal College of Surgeons in England, MFD RCSI, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, MRCS Royal College of Surgeons of England and the MBA, Sir John Cass Business School, London. In 2019 he was conferred as a Fellow to the International College of Dentists.

His services include seeing nervous patients, same day implants, dental implants, denture stabilisation, zygomatic implants, tubero-pterygoid implants, platelet rich plasma, Teeth in a Day, Sinus lift Surgery, Bone grafts, Bone Ring Technique, IMDO, Distraction Osteogenesis, Digital Smile Design, CEREC – CAD/ CAM Dentistry, CHAO Pinhole SurgeryTM, Lip Repositioning Surgery, Anti-wrinkle treatment. Sculptra and Chemical peels for rejuvenation of the face, TMJ pain, MyoBrace, Tongue Tie, Lip Tie, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sleep Dentistry and anti-snoring treatment, Invisalign and Damon Braces. In addition he sees patients for wisdom teeth and difficult extractions. Due to his experience and previous training, Dr Kumar is particularly able to understand dental patients with complex medical conditions and able to advise specifically on their management within the dental environment.

Dr Kumar uses a Leica Microscope to increase the accuracy of the procedures he performs. In addition, he routinely uses a 3Shape 3D Dental Digital Scanner and iTero scanner for precision dental impressions which are crucial for Digital Smile Design & Treatment Planning.

He is particularly able to put nervous patients at ease and has a reputation for restoring confidence in them. He is a general dental practitioner. but owing to his hospital training and surgical background he frequently handles complex cases which have a large surgical focus and aesthetic demand.

Dr Kumar is available for consultation at all Nuffield Dental Clinics, The Dental Implant Centre & Smile Makers Dental Clinic. Treatment for nervous patients can be carried out under Intravenous Sedation at these clinics or under General Anaesthesia at Novena Medical Centre.

ACADEMIC AWARDS
Dentistry
2000 David B. Scott Research Fellowship Award, International Association for Dental Research
Medicine
2002 Certificate of Merit (1st-year Preclinical) Top 10% of the cohort
2002 The Drummond and Frank Scott Prize for overall performance (1st place out of 332 students)
2002 Friends of the Wellcome Trust award
2003 Certificate of Merit in Medical Sciences)
2004 Surgery/ Anaesthetics (Distinction)
2004 General Medicine (Distinction)
2004 Care of the Older Person/ Orthopaedics & Rheumatology(Distinction)
2004 General Medicine/ Oncology (Distinction)
2006 Faculty Tutor Commendation: Surgical Special Study Module in Day Surgery

PRIZES/ SCHOLARSHIPS 
2004 The British Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons Student Bursary
2005 The British Association of Plastic Surgeons Medical Student Elective Bursary
2005 The Royal College of Physicians, Oscar Reginald Lewis Wilson Bequest & the Edmund Atkinson Memorial Fund
2005 Wellcome Trust Medical Student Elective Award
2005 Amulree Prize
2005 British Medical and Dental Students’ Trust Award
2005 Vandervell Foundation Award
2007 The Royal College of Physicians, Oscar Reginald Lewis Wilson Scholarship Prize,
2009 Singapore National Research Foundation/ National Medical Research Council Overseas Scholarship
2009 British Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons Endowments Grant
2009-2013 University College London Studentship, Institute of Child Health PhD
2011 Sir John Cass Business School Entrepreneurship Scholarship
2013 Deans Travel Fund, Institute of Child Health, University College London

Membership of Professional Societies

• British Medical Association
• Associate Member, Asia Pacific Craniofacial Association
• Member, American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine
• Member, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine
• Royal Society of Medicine
• Singapore Dental Association
• American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
• British Dental Association
• British Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons
• Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry
• Association of Dental Implantology, UK
• European Association of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery
• Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland
• Academy of Osseointegration

Dr. Board graduated in 2002 from the UK’s top-ranked university, King’s College School of Dentistry, London. She went on to work in general dental practice in London, UK and in Geneva, Switzerland, where she opened her own clinic, before moving to Singapore in 2015.

Dr. Board has a special interest in biological dentistry and has studied nutritional and environmental medicine. Dr. Board prefers a minimally invasive, holistic approach to cosmetic and general dentistry, always using the safest techniques for her patients. She is qualified in Invisalign, Cerec, Lumineers, safe mercury amalgam removal and Botox.

Dr Board speaks English, French and Arabic.

Dr. Board is a member of:

• SDA (Singapore dental Association)
• ACNEM (Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine)
• IAOMT (International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology)
• AAAM (American Academy of Aesthetic Medicine)

Dr Ireen Ali graduated from Newcastle University, U.K. in 2012. Following this, she completed her Vocational Training years as a General Dentist at Wales Deanery and as a trainee in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Nottingham University Hospital, U.K. She has a keen interest in Dental Implants, Oral Surgery and Aesthetic Dentistry.

Dr Ali provides a full range of dental skills including:

– Wisdom tooth / root removal
– Simple Extractions
– Dental Implants
– Root Canal Surgery (Endodontics)
– Dentures inc. Flexible Dentures and Metal Dentures
– Crowns
– Bridges
– Veneers
– Tooth Brightening/Bleaching
– Invisalign (Go)
– Tooth coloured fillings
– Root Surface Debridement (Deep Cleaning)
– Children’s Dentistry

Dr Ireen Ali completed Implant training with the prestigious ‘Dentale’, based in Bristol, U.K. She accepts patient referrals for implant placement as well as restoration and is currently working towards a Diploma in Implant Dentistry.

Dr Ali is particularly competent at dental surgeries such as wisdom tooth and root removal surgeries, making this treatment more comfortable for patients. Working in an Oral and Maxillofacial Department across two hospitals, one of which being a Major Trauma Centre which accepted a great variety of cases including head and neck cancer, intensive care patients with head and neck trauma and jaw joint replacements, to name but a few, has honed Dr Ali’s competency in caring for her patients in a holistic sense; taking into account her patients’ overall well being as well as dental complaints. She has performed countless wisdom tooth and ‘difficult tooth’ extractions in this setting with training from well-esteemed consultants.
Dr Ireen Ali enjoys providing dental makeovers and has won an award for this in the U.K.; she has a talent for Aesthetic Dentistry, providing inspiring results with minimally invasive and cost effective techniques such full arch tooth build ups in composite tooth coloured material. Depending on a patient’s needs, she is also proficient in treatments such as crowns, bridges, whitening, Invisalign and veneers to improve a patient’s smile.

As well as this, her work with Removable Dentures is of a high standard, receiving referrals from colleagues to problem solve tricky cases in the past, with many patients walking away being able to eat and smile with confidence again.

Children’s dentistry is another area in which Dr Ali excels, her gentle approach to nervous patients and engaging techniques helps kids understand, accept and enjoy dentistry. She has been involved in research into how best to treat children’s teeth with the ‘Fiction Trial’ led by universities in the U.K. Her strong paediatric background helps her younger patients to encourage positive dental habits lifelong, keeping them out of pain and improving their chances of a well-aligned adult dentition.

Previously having worked in a ‘prevention focused practice’, after her training years, which is a part of a pioneering government scheme in the U.K., Dr Ali firmly believes preventing dental disease is always better than the cure and spends time educating patients, young and old, on how best to look after their smiles. She volunteers at a local orphanage to help give back to the community, believing oral health is attainable through education and some care.

Dr Ali is committed to evidence-based techniques, keeping up to date with current developments by being a member of journals such as ‘Dental Update’, international seminars and courses, amongst other forms of continued professional development (CPD).

Jean Tan, has been part of the Smile Makers team for 21 years. She is a graduate from the pioneer class of Dental Surgery Assistants trained jointly by the National Dental Centre of Singapore and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. This mother of three has a remarkable willingness to learn – matched by an equal pleasure in sharing her knowledge. Her ready smile and enthusiasm to share what she knows make her popular with patients. Her fluency in Chinese dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew and Hainanese, makes her adept at developing rapport with a wide range of people. What she finds most rewarding about being part of the Smile Makers team is meeting people and making them smile.

Janice Kang, joined the Smile Makers team 16 years ago, after having worked in medical clinics. The training she has received at Smile Makers has benefited her in terms of her own health and self-confidence. She is now a strong believer of regular care and takes pride in sharing her knowledge with others. Janice is a person who likes keeping her working environment organised and tidy. So she feels right at home in the clean, orderly environment of Smile Makers. The patient-centred philosophy of the practice has made her realise that she is more than just a dental assistant – she is a Smile Maker
She is fluent in Mandarin, Hokkien, and conversational Cantonese.