Dental Asia November/December 2023

TRENDS
A growing regional
demand for aesthetic
dentistry
Seeing a rise in the popularity
of dental aesthetics, CEO
and co-founder Dr Shaun
Thompson shares his strategy
for expatdental’s growth, and
how it plans to bring its Smile
Transformation programme
first to Bali, Indonesia, and
beyond.
Based in Singapore, expatdental was started in
2013 with a focus on providing dental care for
globally-mobile individuals and their families.
The multi-lingual, international team of expat
dentists, dental specialists, and dental surgeons
offers a range of treatments from general
consultations to dental implants, where it
leverages its globally-minded approach to keep
pace with changes in an evolving Asian market.
“Singapore is like the Monaco of Asia. We
are seeing a tremendous consolidation from
neighbouring Asian nations, so servicing that
demographic, is a big growth sector for us,” said
CEO and co-founder of expatdental,
Dr Shaun Thompson.
Catering to demographic changes such as a
growing number of expatriates from Mandarinspeaking
countries over the last decade, gives
the practice an edge where expatdental has
grown its team and capabilities to reflect a
diversity in expertise, experience, and language
competencies. “This gives us an advantage in
addressing this future face of the business
and this growing demographic sector,” said
Dr Thompson.
A growing trend that expatdental is eager to
capitalise on by catering to demand in emerging
locations across South East Asia is its aesthetic
dentistry programme that digitally designs and
delivers new smiles — Smile Transformation.
“Smile Transformation is my passion project. It
changes the way a person walks into a room,
smiles, and interacts. It is a powerful and highimpact
journey that empowers people to create
more opportunities in life,” said Dr Thompson.
The Smile Transformation programme is a
customisable treatment plan spanning across
veneers to aligners, following a six-step digital
process which allows patients to try on their
new smile in the clinic before committing to a
design.
Patients can wear their ‘new smile’ home for a
night to show their friends and family, removing
uncertainty from the process and before the
realisation of their new permanent smiles.
Based on the digital visualisation of their
desired smile, the clinic can create a short-term,
temporary prosthetic that fits over patient’s
natural teeth, enabling them to give their
prototype smiles a ‘trial run’.
The Smile Transformation process uses the
clinic’s in-house intraoral 3D scanners, 3D
printers, cone beam computed tomography
(CBCT) and generative AI for smile design and
treatment planning.
The goal is not only to achieve a smile that
enhances a person’s appearance, but their
overall oral health as well. Dr Thompson noted
that as people increasingly embrace a more
holistic approach to health, aesthetic dentistry
is becoming a popular treatment.
“One of the outcomes of the COVID-19
pandemic has been a reassessment of
priorities — some of these being a bigger
focus on wellness and health in general,” said
Dr Thompson. Obtaining a better smile is one
of the ways in which people are investing in
themselves to boost their self-confidence and
improve their overall oral health.
Other factors can also be attributed to the
growth of dental aesthetics, such as better
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