From Ear to Ear: Healthy Teeth Are Happy Teeth

One of my favorite books as a kid is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. This book (1972) by Judith Viorst is a humorous telling of a boy’s unfortunate experiences on a particular “bad day,” beginning with slipping on the skateboard on the way to the bathroom first thing in the morning to the cat wanting to sleep on his brother’s bed (and not his) at night. For me, of all Alexander’s misfortunes in the story, the worst is no doubt the visit to the dentist—not because going to the dentist is scary, but because, he says, “Dr. Fields found a cavity just in me.”

I had the same experience coming for the first time to the dentist after the pandemic kept our family out of our oral health check ups for more than two years. My impacted wisdom tooth developed a cavity in the little space that was hard to clean between the teeth. Like Alexander, I had to schedule another visit to fix it—thankfully, it wasn’t an urgent case yet!

Care for teeth

According to the National Survey on Oral Health (NSOH), “80 million Filipinos suffer from tooth decay, ranking the country among the highest globally for dental caries.” Having been part of that 80 million makes me feel sorry, because I always tell my little ones that we should care for our teeth as God gives us only two sets: the milk teeth and the permanent teeth. Joke’s on me for being the one with the cavity!

Seriously though, there’s no more pandemic to excuse one of skipping dental visits intentionally. While the article I linked above focuses on what the government plans to do about the nation’s dental health, I like to give a little list of my own that might be able to help on the individual (or rather family) scale.

1. Keep going to the dentist. Every 6 months is the rule. I find it so funny that after every dental visit we get asked if we’re busy on a certain day six months later, and every time the answer is the same: we don't know yet! But just remember the sixth month and then schedule it as soon as you can.

2. Follow the brushing advice. My dentist always tells me where my teeth are dirtier, and thus she gives me advice on what to focus on when I clean my teeth. She also tells me how to floss certain hard-to-reach areas. It helps a lot when a pro tells you what to do based on what she sees you have been doing to yourself in the last six months.

3. Lessen the sugary foods. The Philippine Statistics Authority revealed that “the average Filipino consumes over 13 tablespoons of sugar daily, nearly triple the recommended amount.” Be wary of sweets… or rather watch out for foods with added sugars. (I say this because there are sweet fruits and vegetables, and it would be a shame to cut them out!) Simply removing sugary drinks accomplishes much in making one’s dental health (and diet!) better. Reducing sweet indulgences like desserts to only special occasions, even better.

Finally, going to the dentist for a regular check up may seem like a big expense, but in reality, it saves you from a bigger expense: it minimizes the chances that you or one in your family may need a more invasive dental procedure. The teeth may seem to matter little because they are little—compared to the rest of the body—but good dental health leads to good health in general. And that bit should speak for itself.

"Going to the dentist for a regular check up may seem like a big expense, but in reality, it saves you from a bigger expense: it minimizes the chances that you or one in your family may need a more invasive dental procedure."