Alex's First Trip to the Dentist - Kwento and Tips for Parents

I've read in one of the baby magazines (that I've been hoarding) that a baby's first trip to the dentist should be when he or she is about 6 months old. Since lately ko lang nabasa yung article, 1 year nang late si Alex for his first appointment. :( Well, in my defense, when he was six months old, he only had one tooth, so I didn't feel any need to consult a dentist right away.

We were brushing his teeth semi-regularly naman ( a very frustrating practice kasi 1 - he doesn't like people touching his mouth, 2 - he wants to do the brushing himself), avoided giving him sweets, etc. so I felt fairly safe na it won't be too, too late. Kaso, he started developing yellow stains on his front teeth so I started looking for dentist candidates.

Before Christmas, we happened to visit Mall of Asia and luckily, I saw this clinic that seemed to be specializing in pediatric dentistry. We didn't go in yet kasi it was really not on our to-do list for the day and there were so many peeps inside. So, I just noted the address and decided to come back after the holidays.


Fast forward to today: We are back in MOA and inside Little Ones Dental Clinic. There was one patient already inside with the dentist so we had to wait for about 30 minutes (an eternity for Alex). Our kulit baby enjoyed walking around the small waiting room, interacting with the other patient's dad, and playing with the toys and boards that the clinic provided.

Playing with the Fishy

Watching TV (yup, super taas)

Waving at the people outside

When it was his turn to see pretty Dr. Kristel, I explained to the dentist that he doesn't like it when people touch his bibig, even his pedia, she told us that instead of the big blue chair, we had to transfer to the small chair and sit in a "knee-to-knee" position. This position allows Alex to sit on my lap with his head on the dentist's so he can look at me.

So many hands holding him down

It started out so well, Alex was even giggling when the dentist started scraping his front teeth but then he got scared and started crying.

Pa-smile smile pa kasi maganda yung dentist

Scrape scrape scrape... cry cry cry

Medyo may build up na ng dumi yung teeth ni Alex, as expected. Hindi talaga proper yung pag brush namin sa kanya. (Sorry, baby) Pero the good news is no holes, no cavities. Yey!

Wipey with Spiffy

Last na, flouride na lang...

Dr. Kristel also applied flouride on his teeth and advised us to buy tooth mousse. Kaya lang the mousse was really expensive, we opted to come back na lang to buy it. She did a good job in explaining every step of the procedure and also gave us helpful tips on how to take better care of Alex's pearly whites (na medyo yellowish pa rin, which is normal, says his pedia because he got it from me, genetic flaw... tsk).
We ended up paying a total of 2,090 pesos. Promised to come back and buy the mousse, which is supposed to prevent cavities. All in all, it was not as traumatic as I expected it to be. The staff were very nice. And the place was really clean (I think, I didn't look closely). We will see them again come July. :)

Post cry, still tasting the bubble gum-flavored muck on his teeth

Trying to scrape the gummy flouride off, holding on to his froggy prize

So after that loooong kwento, here are some tips that i've found to make your baby's first trip to the dentist as pain-free (figuratively, my dears) as possible:

1. Don't wait for the first cavity. As soon as the baby's teeth starts appearing through their gums, you ought to try looking for a good dentist.

2. If you can, try to bring the child to a dentist who specializes in treating kids. Iba talaga ang patience nila and they know how to handle kids. Alex bit Dr. Kristel several times, really hard, pero she didn't get mad (halos hindi nga nag react).

3. Make an appointment. This is to avoid having to wait for a looong time. Toddlers pa naman are really mainipin so it might help to call ahead and reserve a time slot. It will also ensure that you do get a slot pag madaming nakaisip na magpa check up on that day. VIP!

4. If the child is old enough to understand, it might help to do a bit of role-playing. Kunwari baby is the dentist and mommy is the patient. Let him or her brush and check your teeth. Just to set the mood and let the child know na dentists are not to be feared. Buy face masks and have them wear it in front of the mirror. Some kids kasi might freak out pag nakita nila yung dentist naka mask.

5. Make sure to tell the dentist about your child's medical conditions, medications being taken, allergies, etc.

6. Make sure to remain calm. I'm sure there are some adults who also have some degree of dentist-fear. Try not to let your child pick up on this vibe.

7. make sure to bring your child to the dentist every 6 months! In fact, we should all visit the dentist at least 2 times a year, dba? Naku, patay ako. Kelan pa ba last dentist visit ko?! Haaaay.

(Little Ones Dental Clinic at the SM Mall of Asia 2nd level South Parking Unit 226 Telephone No. +(632)5560391 -- This is not paid advertisement, mommies and daddies. We really loved the service they provided. Expensive, yes. Good, yes!)

What is a Teacher?

"What is a teacher? I'll tell you; it isn't someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows."

- Nabil Alaihi
in The With of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

The end of the Christmas break is here. I'm back in my "house of loneliness" preparing for my class this coming week. I just finished reading Paulo Coelho's "The Witch of Portobello," and the line above is reverberating in my brain. It made me reflect on my past seven months as a "teacher."

Am I a teacher?

For the past seven months, I have lectured, and cajoled, and bullied my students into trying to understand the concepts of Grammar and English composition. We played games, held contests, sang songs, written personal and business letters, drawn posters... we have done almost everything that we can humanly do inside a classroom to make the lessons more interesting, more understandable, more memorable.
Every day, since school started, I have spent at least 3 hours a night making visual aids, researching on how to present concepts better, writing exams, checking papers, etc.
I have constantly talked to my students AND their parents to try and find out how I can prepare them for their future... a future where they will no longer be shielded by their parents' money or presence. A strict, no-nonsense, cut-throat future that they are utterly, utterly unprepared for.
I shared my life stories, both the happy times and the numerous failures. I have told them what I did wrong and how they can avoid committing my mistakes. I have given them reminders, tips, shortcuts, even ways to copy and cheat without getting caught (hey! In this world, it's either you're matalino or matalinaw, right?)

Am I a teacher? Did I inspire anyone? I certainly hope so. Am I a good teacher? Ah, that, I still have to work on. I know that I can do better. There are avenues that I have not explored, methods that I have yet to maximize. Wells of patience that I still need to discover. I am not done, not by a long shot.