His easy-going personality may have also played a part.
'I am a 'yes' man,' he says laughing. 'I can't say no to anyone.' He prides himself on being a people person, which has served him well as a boss and dentist.
'In the dental business, you are dealing with a group of highly intelligent people who also have very big egos,' he said, adding that some of his employees often ask for more than they need. 'But at least I've learnt to say no recently.'
By 2005, Q&M had blossomed to 30 clinics with 374 staff, including 76 dentists. It has quickly moved onto a more 'corporate' footing and this year, it appointed a board of directors to make the decisions for what has become a network of 35 clinics staffed by 411 employees, including 87 dentists.
Revenue last year rose 8.5 per cent to $26.4 million, with net profit of $4 million.
The clinics serve 250,000 patients, or close to 6 per cent of Singapore's population, says Dr Ng.
'We employ about 6 per cent of Singapore's 1,300 dentists, but serve about 12 per cent of Singaporean adults who visit the dentist at least once a year,' he said.
'Since 2006, we have had 9,000 new patients a month.
'I am the founder. This is my baby. I want to see it grow further. It is only one of a few dental groups in South-east Asia that is this size.'
He plans to expand to 60 clinics in Singapore at the most, but slowly.
'The Singapore market is already saturated. There are 600 dental clinics in Singapore for a population of, what, 4.6 million people? In Shanghai, there are also 600 dental clinics but for 23 million people - five times the population.
'The China market is going to be my focus for the next five to 10 years. There are Chinese who are willing to spend.'
He has begun discussing ideas with various private clinics in Chinese cities.
His ultimate goal? He looks around, then leans forward and says in a hushed tone: 'We want to go for an IPO (initial public offer).'
Perhaps to the relief of his competitors, he adds: 'But the market is very bad, perhaps in a few years we can talk about this. For now, it is premature.'
In his mind, every decision is clear. From the time he decided to live on his own at 13. Or when he chose to marry his girlfriend when he was 26.
Despite his success in the dental field, he is not sure he wants his children - three daughters aged 12, 11 and four and a two-year-old son - to succeed him.
'They could be dentists, but I would tell them not to be a 'dentalpreneur' like me. It's not easy,' he said.
'It's really about handling the people around you. I think playing team sports, my childhood independence, all made me a very tough person.'
He thinks his success will spur more private group practices to emerge here.
'This will be good for patients because they can get better treatment under a group rather than from just one solo practitioner,' he said.
'While I was working at the Institute of Dental Health, one night I took out the Yellow Pages and a map and I placed a pin to mark every dental clinic in Singapore.'
Today, his clinics would dominate that map.
'Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I would be where I am today,' he said.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on December 17, 2008.
