Erica Hwin, Author at Dental Head Start

TIP #125 – Childhood Bruxism: A Case Study with Dr Shereen Lim

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023Leave a Comment

As dentists, we are one of the very first people to be looking inside a child’s mouth and picking up on potential signs that may be reflective of the way that they are sleeping, breathing, eating, growing, and thriving overall. I know oftentimes I have young parents bringing in their children and asking me how their child developing and if there is anything they can do differently.

Fortunately, this is Dr Shereen Lim’s area of expertise and over a series of episodes we will be discussing everything to look for from childhood bruxism, to sleeping patterns, bad habits tongue ties, diet and feeding, and jaw development. In this first part, we’ll be diving into a case study of a little girl that I saw just the other day with severe bruxism, and how we would go about managing her situation.

TIP #93 – What Did I Sign Up For? with Harry Nicolaidis

July 14, 2022July 13, 2022Leave a Comment

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Congratulations – you’ve just landed yourself a job offer! But now, as you sit down to have a look at the contract you’ve been given, you start to wonder, ‘What did I sign up for?’

It’s job hunting season, and whether you’re new to the game and looking for your first gig or if you already have a job under your belt but have questions about your contract, we’ve got you covered.

Ever wondered what the differences between employee-employer relationships, contractors or service and facilities arrangements (SFAs)? In this episode, we bring it back down to basics to cover all the things we should know when signing a contract.

FEATURE #72 – Perspectives of a Dental Student with Joanne Ling, Richard Zhu & Anushka Fernando

June 20, 2022July 11, 2022Leave a Comment

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At Dental Head Start, our goal has always been to keep our conversations real and relevant for students and new grads, and so what better way to do that than to hear directly from you guys! In this episode, we are joined by some fellow students from around Australia, who are completing their final year of dental school, to get their perspectives on what it’s like for the new generation of dentists.

From USYD to UQ to La Trobe, join us to hear about the differences between each university’s curriculum and culture, the different committees and extra-curricular activities Richard, Anushka & Joanne are involved with, and the pearls of wisdom they have for younger students. We dive into what the future looks like for everyone and the topics that as future graduates, we’d love to learn more about.

And if there’s anything you’d like to learn more about, or even if you just want to chat, don’t be a stranger! We’d love to hear from you.

Find us on Instagram or Facebook!
Dental Head Start @dentalheadstart
Erica Hwin @ericahwin.dmd
Cigdem Kipel @dr.cigdemkipel
Graeme Pearson @dr.graemepearson

TIP #92 – Working Out The Prosthetic Side of Implants with Rob Dulieu

June 16, 2022June 15, 2022Leave a Comment

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If you’ve ever flipped through a product catalog for prosthetic implant components, you’ll know that there is a LOT there. Literally hundreds of components, connections, abutments, screws, copings, healing caps, analogs, channels and more. And that’s just for one brand.

So when we come to restoring implants, what do we ask our lab for? How do we make decisions around implant prosthetics? What are the common mistakes people make here?

Rob Dulieu is a master ceramist and lab technician with extensive experience in all types of implant restorations – everything from single implant crowns to complex multi-unit cases.

He has guided many young dentists through this steep learning curve and shares with us his top tips for restoring implants and the decision making process around the prosthetic side of implants.

TIP #91 – The Non-Tooth-Related Toothache with Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen

June 9, 2022June 9, 2022Leave a Comment

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“If you cannot replicate the pain, don’t take the tooth out.”
The non-tooth-related toothache – the age old conundrum that seems to trouble all dentists. But what is it really in the hands of an oral medicine specialist?
In this episode, Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen breaks down orofacial pain – from its presentation and diagnosis to how it might be managed. We talk about what general dentists should expect when these patients present at their door, and how they should liaise with specialists.
This is a dense and fascinating discussion about the complexities of orofacial pain. And whilst it may be beyond the scope of general dentists to treat alone, I think it is crucial to appreciate what it is to understand where we stand in the holistic management and treatment of these patients.

TIP #90 – What Your Lab Technician is Really Thinking with Rob Dulieu

June 2, 2022May 29, 2022Leave a Comment

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What do lab technicians really wish for from their dentists? I asked Rob Duleiu, dental technician and master ceramist at RWD dental lab, to give it to us straight. And it’s about criticizing our preps.

In this podcast, Rob and I get into the top do’s and don’ts for dentists, but from the point of view of a ceramist or technician. He reveals some eye opening insights around what we can do as dentists to make life easier for our lab technicians, how to help them do better work for us and achieve a better outcome for our patients.

If you’ve ever blamed your lab for something less than ideal, listen to this episode. We talk preps, impressions, scanning, mode of communication, feedback, photography, videography and more. There’s so much in our control.

TIP #89 – Tax, What’s That? with Bhupesh Kaphle

May 30, 2022May 30, 2022Leave a Comment

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We learn a lot of things throughout our extensive education, but the one thing we don’t really cover before we graduate is what to do when we suddenly have a taxable income.

Thankfully, even though I have no idea, we have people like Bhupesh Kaphle – an accountant and tax & business advisory specialist – where this is his area of expertise. In this episode, we cover all the tax basics from the different types of taxes, your assessable income, allowable deductions, choosing a good accountant and the importance of recording your expenses.

For those in a similar boat to me, who also get overwhelmed by this topic, I hope this is a beneficial episode for you to tune into!

TIP #88 – Practising Safe and Defensive Dentistry with Dr James Tran

May 26, 2022May 22, 2022Leave a Comment

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How many times have you dreaded going in to work knowing you have a certain procedure in your books, or gone home thinking if what you did was the right thing. No doubt most of us have experienced this and would love to keep these days to a minimum.

In this episode, Graeme speaks with James about practising safe and defensive dentistry and what this means in your daily practice. Everyone is happy when you are having fun and doing the dentistry you enjoy doing. Predictability while you’re practising reduces your headaches so you can go to work more relaxed and go home without having to worry about the day’s work.

TIP #87 – Investing Early in Your Career with Dr Rohan Krishnan

May 19, 2022May 18, 2022Leave a Comment

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A career in dentistry affords many advantages, including an above-average earning capacity from the outset.

Since TIME has the greatest long-term impact on returns on investment, these early few years represent a window that shouldn’t be missed if we want to take full advantage of the opportunity to leverage our investments over time.

On this podcast featuring Dr Rohan Krishnan, we discuss the smart moves that young dentists can make early in their careers to unlock the lifestyle they aspire to.

TIP #86 – Red Flags in Medical History with Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen

May 12, 2022May 21, 2022Leave a Comment

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How many of us have our patients fill out a medical questionnaire whilst sitting in the waiting room? And is this sufficient enough to gather a full medical history?

In this episode, we are joined by Dr Amanda Phoon Nguyen, an oral medicine specialist, who breaks down the red flags in medical history for general dentists. We talk about things we might miss out on if we’re not being thorough enough and asking our patients specific probing questions. We talk about the significance of certain conditions, medications, supplements and recreational drugs that affect even just day-to-day general dentistry.

We discuss why it is crucial, not only for our overall duty of care to the patient, but to also save ourselves from some potential medicolegal issues. This is a jam packed episode full of little pointers that I had no idea about, and so I hope you’re all able to walk away with a few additional questions you might ask your patients tomorrow.