Xian's Dental Experiences

Warning: this is a long, long, long entry.
Xian has a sweet tooth.

She loves biscuits, snacks, sweets, ice-cream, sugar-coated donuts and anything chocolaty. In fact, I’m beginning to suspect she's got an in-built chocolate radar detector! Once I secretly popped in a Ferraro Rocher when she wasn’t looking. I gobbled it up quickly and even licked my lips to ensure that I didn’t leave any trace of it behind. When talking to her she suddenly eyed me suspiciously and asked:

“Mummy, are you eating chocolate?”
“No?!! Who said so?”
“I can smell chocolate! Mummy can you give me one? Can I eat?”

*Sigh*

She’s acquired her penchant for chocos from me.

That’s a bad thing, especially for young kids. Xian brings home little snacks and goodie bags from school frequently. (They’re either from teachers or classmates who’ve celebrated their birthdays). We’ve banned her from eating tidbits without our supervision but the wily little foxette tries to sneak them into her school bag or pockets sometimes. She’d hide upstairs in the bedroom and quietly devour the sweet treats. MIL only discovered the deed when she saw the empty wrappers in the bin.

Naturally all the snacking has caused cavities in her set of not-so-pearly-white milk teeth.

And I noticed, too late of course, that her teeth were decaying. MIL suspected it first when she noted that Xian was taking longer than ever to eat her meals. She also refused to consume meat that required chewing. In fact for the last few months, Xian was surviving on porridge cooked for her younger sister. (We’d prepare larger portions to feed them both).

So about a month back we decided it was time for Xian to visit the dentist. Hub brought Xian to the dentist at Kovan estate opposite our new home and MIL and Wen tagged along. I was stuck in a full-day workshop – on a Saturday – and the hub called to break the news that Xian’s cavity-ridden molars needed lots of work.

The dentist “tsked-tsked” the hub (and me), chided us for the condition of Xian’s teeth and accused the negligent parents for not brushing her teeth properly. (I knew she was trying to “educate” us, but the manner in which she did wasn’t exactly very tactful – according to the hub).

Anyway, Xian allowed the dentist to work on a small filling but the dentist didn’t want Xian to be traumatised by the drill-and-fill experience on the first visit. Unlike adults, children have very short attention span/little patience to sit down and allow strangers to pry and poke into their tiny mouths. We were advised to make appointments for the following sessions to get the rest of her molars cleaned and filled. There were about 10 cavities in total. YES. 10. *Faint*

The following week I accompanied Xian to the dentist for her 2nd appointment. Xian was in cheerful spirits and bravely told me that she wanted to “do all four teeth”. (I would be happy if she’d allow the dentist to complete two.) I hadn’t been to the clinic before as it was hub who took Xian there the first time. I was rather put-off by the sad-looking, run-down, dingy place – it was clean, but squalid and I didn’t have a good impression of it. I made a mental note that I’d probably not want to have my teeth checked in such a dreary environment. But I could be wrong, so I just brushed away the negative vibes.

My sixth sense proved right. I was outside with Wen in the waiting area while MIL followed Xian in. Halfway through there was a commotion in the consultation room and I entered to see what was going on. Xian was lying on her side, on the dentist chair, facing away from the dentist (who looked extremely frustrated). MIL was cajoling and persuading Xian to open her mouth so that the dentist could finish up. The dentist had already completed the drilling but needed to fill up the holes. Hub stepped into the room as well and we all tried to give her some encouragement to have her teeth filled. I even enlisted Wen’s help to clap along as I started singing. It was nightmare but Xian finally relented and allowed the dentist to do her job though it remained clear that she’d NEVER go back there to have her other teeth done. The dentist advised us to look for a child-specialist as she wasn’t confident of fixing the remaining teeth. She suggested someone from Mt. Elizabeth hospital (which meant that I’d have to pay through my nose and cough blood) who had – wait for this – done HER (the dentist) own son’s teeth!

The other alternative was to knock Xian out with G.A. and do up all the cavities at once. But hub and I both refused to consider that option as Xian’s way too young. I immediately sent out text messages to friends (with young kids), asking them to recommend a dentist who’s good with children. Finally, Juliana (mum to 3 kids) called and suggested we try her son Mikey’s dentist who also happened to be their family friend. She was full of praise for the dentist and related Mikey’s wonderful experience.

I was sceptical of course. I’d never heard of an enjoyable dental experience. (An enjoyable dental experience? Now that’s a crazy oxymoron!) Only snag was that the dental clinic was all the way in North (Woodlands) and we are east-enders. But like all panicky mums, distance and price were the last things on my mind. I just wanted to solve Xian’s dental woes quickly and with as little pain (for her) as possible.

A cheerful voice answered my call to the dental clinic. I explained to the nurse Xian’s traumatic experience and stressed that we needed a dentist who can work magic with children. A tall order indeed. I was reassured when she said “Don’t worry! We’re very used to treating children. Dr Seah’s very good with kids.”

It was worth a shot, so I made an appointment on the earliest possible date, on a Wednesday at 11.30am, even if it meant I had to take leave.

On the appointed day, Xian went off to Kindergarten as usual but the hub and I picked her up earlier to drive her to Woodlands. Juliana had advised that I give Xian some Panadol as a painkiller so that she wouldn’t be so affected. After a loooooooong drive, we reached the clinic. It was welcoming sight - spacious, clean, bright and carpeted. The TV was on and the place smelled fresh, not clinical. We were greeted with a warm friendly smile. While waiting, Xian ran up and down the long reception area while I filled up the forms. My hopes were high.

The dentist, Dr Jon Paul Seah, beamed and squatted when he spoke to Xian (so she didn’t have to look up at him). He spoke in chirpy tones and Xian warmed up to him instantly, and she even broke into giggling fits. No doubt about it – he was working his magic. He then ushered her to the next room to take an x-ray of her mouth so that he could see her full set of teeth. Xian had to wear a long heavy coat (that weighed like a tonne) and Dr Seah told her it was a superhero cape. “Do you want to be Superman?” he asked. That really won her over cos my daughter loves being a superhero, Spiderman being her favourite.

The x-ray was a real eye-opener as not only did it reveal the trouble spots, it showed us Xian’s permanent teeth growing from the bottom. All her adult teeth have already formed – and they’re HUGE! Dr Seah didn’t admonish us about Xian’s decayed teeth and even disclosed that he’s got 3 kids of his own and related that it’s common for young kids these days to have decaying teeth owing to the availability and assortment of sweets. He went on to explain that with better nutrition, the teeth size are getting larger. Conversely, all the processed foods we consume means we don’t work our jaws too much so the mouths are smaller. Large teeth in small mouths would of course result in uneven teeth? He winked and said “Looks like we’ve got a future braces case in our hands.” Bad news for us. More money to spend.

Before he started looking into her mouth, he explained what he was going to do and said “Uncle’s going to see how many worms you have in your mouth and get rid of them!” Xian got to wear cool shades while he set to work. There was even an iMac screen mounted so that Xian could watch TV while the doc pried open her mouth. The hub and I looked at each other nervously when the drilling started.

Xian was supremely distracted by the video and was watching so intensely that Dr Seah completed two fillings within 15 minutes and she didn’t even flinch!

It was simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Xian seemed reluctant to climb down the dentist’s chair. As a reward, she was given a box of “goodies” (inedible) to choose from – stickers, kiddie sunglasses, hair clips. She selected a Spiderman sticker and a pair of colourful shades. Xian definitely had a super experience at Dr. Seah's clinic.

We went back again on Tuesday night. Sum was held up in a meeting so I called for a cab to zip us there – it cost me $20.60. I brought Wen along this time so that she’d be accustomed to the environment and wouldn’t develop a phobia when it was her turn to check her teeth. I was a little worried as in my rush, I’d forgotten to given Xian the Panadol. I was quite frazzled while in the consultation room as hub wasn’t around and I had a restless Wen to deal with while worrying about Xian. Dr Seah must have sensed it because at one point he looked at me, smiled and said “Don’t worry Mummy. She’ll be fine!”

I needn’t have to fear of course. Dr Seah had promised Xian that she could watch the Disney movie Cars and naturally she remembered and asked for it. He good naturedly obliged and, of course, that must have worked as well – this time 3 fillings were completed! He explained “We gotta be really fast and quick because they just don’t have the patience to sit down so long. In fact, she was getting tired already.” That’s why we are going back one more time to treat the final two cavities next Sunday on 11 February 2007, just before Chinese New Year.

This trigger-happy mumsy snapped several pictures of Xian in the dentist chair and the sporty Dr Seah even got her to pose for the camera and joked that nobody takes pictures for his kids when he’s treating them. And for being such a co-operative patient, Xian was rewarded with two hair clips and a Barbie sticker on her second trip. Wen was also quite anxious to get her fair share of the action and climbed onto the seat once Xian got up.

So far, Xian’s dental visits to Dr Seah’s clinic have made me poorer by $325. (And I haven’t even counted the previous session at the other place) and I probably need to pay another $90 for the next visit. I’m sure it would have cost me much more if I’d heeded the first dentist’s advice and taken Xian to the specialist at Mt. Elizabeth Hospital.

More importantly, Xian’s actually looking forward to her visits there, which means that she’s gotten over her dental phobia! I've learnt my lesson and will take Wen for her first dental check once she's about 2 years old. And for anyone who needs a patient, professional and excellent dentist, here’s the address of the wonderful dental clinic:

Sunshine Smile Dental Implant Centre "Smile For Life"
Dr Jon Paul Seah
Blk 408 Woodlands St 41
#01-09 Singapore 730408
General Enquiries: 63654398

Fax: 63652503

Smile. Indeed. :D