10 — Times, Tuesday, September 8, 2020
PUTTING A PERMANENT SMILE ON PEOPLE’S FACES For someone who fainted at the sight of blood as a dental assistant at 16 years old, Ugie has come a long way. Her reputation as one of the top clinical dental technicians in Auckland and other parts of New Zealand precedes her. It was her love of aesthetics that led Ugie Moodley to put a permanent smile on people’s faces. You know you are in great hands as you hear Ms Moodley talk passionately about stateof-the-art technology she uses to create a smile from prostheses the size of a little finger to that replacing all the teeth. “It is a blessing to be privy to all the new technology as it updates. Each course attended allows us to actually work with new materials and techniques, which makes being a clinical dental technician at this time very exciting and rewarding”
combinations that are now available that is hardly ever the same for each patient. If light metal frameworks have to be used you can be rest assured that they are nickel and beryllium free” she says. With more than 20 years of creating dentures it is no wonder Ugie has clients locally and around the world that sing her praises. Niche Denture Centre has its own onsite laboratory which means you don’t have to wait a week sometimes more for a repair or a reline. These can be taken care of onsite, helping you back into your smile almost immediately. Niche Denture Centre is situated conveniently on ground level with ample parking right outside the building and easy to access even for clients on wheelchairs.
Ugie Moodley Clinical Dental Technician PG Dip Clin. Tech. (Otago); B Tech Dent Tech (SA)
she says, keeping herself updated by regularly attending workshops and courses. Most partial dentures have anchors called clasps which are used to retain the denture in your mouth. These can sometimes show and ruin a beautiful smile. “Now we are equipped with technology to resolve this. There are so many
TESTIMONIALS CORNEL BRITZ SAYS “For years I suffered with bad decaying teeth, covering my mouth with my hand when talking or smiling. I gradually became withdrawn and self conscious. Since Ugie from Niche Dentures has fitted me with a beautiful set of dentures I cannot stop smiling and now have the confidence to step out into the world with a confident smile. Thank you Ugie for your specialised and friendly treatment. You changed my life!!”
Feedback
QUESTIONS OVER CLOTH MASKS
As a tutor of microbiology at Otago University, one of the first experiments we would have pre-med students do was cough through a tissue onto a petri dish. Then fold the tissue and cough again, finally fold it again and cough. The dishes would be incubated and students could then see the increasing efficacy of the layers of tissue. One layer of tissue is ineffective and even with four layers bacteria could get through. Viruses are about a thousand times smaller than bacteria. With this in mind I read with interest the NZH article “technology shows not all masks cut from the same cloth”. And I asked myself, as did the University of NSW researchers in a 2015 paper, “Cloth Masks: Dangerous to your health?” Is the advice being given in the article helpful? Cloth masks retain warm moisture, providing ideal conditions for both bacterial growth and viral survival. They do a poor job of filtering, worse than tissue paper. Respiratory infection risks are much higher in people who wear cloth masks than those who wear medical masks. Risk factors for Covid-19 include respiratory infections. NZ already has a problem with respiratory infections over-represented in Pacifica, Maori, and young people. If we have thousands of people wearing cloth masks, particularly these DIY masks, are we creating the conditions for a further increase in respiratory infections? The government should provide safe masks for the disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Dr Mike Schmidt, Sunny Hills
END OF LIFE CHOICE ACT
MAE SALVADOR SAYS “for me a smile is the prettiest thing a lady can wear. But I didn’t always feel that way. I had my previous set of dentures made overseas and I was embarrassed to smile. It was an awful feeling as they didn’t even work properly. When I returned to NZ I was referred to Ugie at Niche Denture Centre by my sister-in-law and now I can smile confidently. In fact I feel like smiling all the time. Thank you Ugie for my beautiful smile.”
Pro Tips
If the corners of your mouth are red and irritated, you may have a condition called Angular Cheilitis. This can be treated with a topical antifungal ointment but if the condition reappears it may be caused by At Niche Denture Centre the the reduced vertical dimension of your dentures. hot cure process is used to ensure 100% guaranteed Your dentures need to be checked on a regular quality dentures. basis, once or twice every 2 years. It is like WOF for your car only your dentures become a part of you and have to function far greater feats than your car.
Mr Langstone’s comments (Times, September 1) highlight the importance for voters to be properly informed on the detail of the End of Life Choice Act. Mr Langstone claims that the Act prevents “coercion and hasty decisions” and requires mental competence. The Act contradicts him, as the so-called safeguards are, in practice, only checklists! Section 11 requires that the medical practitioners “do their best” to ensure the person is free from pressure, by conferring with other medical practitioners known to the person and with members of the family approved by the person. The practitioner only needs to certify these on a form, with no evidence of actual compliance to enable genuine investigation after the person’s death. “Hasty decisions” are indeed contemplated, as section 19(3) provides for only a minimum of 48 hrs between prescriptionwriting and chosen time of death. Mental competence is only required at
Niche Denture Centre offers: ✔ All types of dentures including implant dentures ✔ Repairs while you wait ✔ Relines within 24 hours ✔ 100% guarantee on all new work done
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the time of request, but not at any time afterwards including when the lethal dose is administered. We are voting on an Act which is dangerous in its poorly drafted detail. A No vote in the referendum will enable real choices and compassion in the care of the most vulnerable.
Kevin and Mary McCormick Botany Downs
Sisters: from left to right, Val Lott, Julie Goggin and Dawn Dowling. Photo supplied
JULIE COULD ALWAYS SEE FUNNY SIDE Lockdown has caused many people to feel extremely upset from not being able to be with their loved ones when suffering poor health and, worse, not being able to attend the funeral of loved ones. We were not successful when applying for an exception for the family to attend their sister’s funeral in Palmerston North. Our sister Julie had a brilliant sense of humour. She always saw the funny side of everything. Julie had a love for music and had a beautiful singing voice. She also loved her marching days and she played netball with my twin sister Dawn and I, for Otahuhu College Old Girls, before moving to live in Howick. Julie’s love for bichon doggies inspired her to open her own “Dog Grooming at Tiffany’s” from her home in Golflands. Julie was a keen gardener and during her retirement she joined the Howick MahJong Club. Fellow Club Member Rosemary told me Julie was always cheerful, full of enthusiasm and had a lovely sense of humour. Another lady, Francis, told me she remembered Julie as a very friendly, cheerful and a willing member of the Mah-Jong club that met in the Croquet Clubrooms in Millhouse Drive. Four years ago, Julie and husband Ian retired in Papamoa for two years before moving to Levin to be closer to family in Wellington. Over the years, Julie was able to triumphantly fight her many health challenges. She always knew there was a way to get over everything. But earlier this year she decided herself, that she had had enough. Julie died peacefully, with her husband Ian at her side, in Palmerston North Hospital on Friday August 14.
Val Lott , Howick
PUBLIC MEETING
Many options available for individual treatment.
STRENGTHENING FAMILIES DEFENDING DEMOCRACY
Partial Dentures
Wednesday 16 September, 7.30pm Point View School Hall, 25 Kilkenny Drive, Dannemora
Elliot Ikilei, DEPUTY LEADER
16 Selwyn Rd, Howick | Ph 09 533 0036 Mob 021 171 3433 | nichedental@xtra.co.nz
Victoria O’Brien, FIREARMS SPOKESPERSON
www.nc.org.nz
www.nichedental.co.nz
YOUR NATION | YOUR VOICE
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