Making Life Easier

As a mom, I subscribe to the theory of KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Having 2 kids, I don't want to keep repeating myself on everything. So I've boiled it down to the base essentials of numbers and lists.
Bedtime routine ever since they were little was: bath, brush, floss, rinse, pjs.  That was condensed down to "Time to go to bed. Do your 5 things." It just makes life easier to remember and prevents me from repeating myself too much. Now mind you, I still have to repeat myself many times when it comes down to having a clean and tidy room now that they are teenagers but I try to keep the repeating down to a minimum.

The ADA (American Dental Association) has come up with 6 easy to remember tips on how to prevent cavities. And just in time, I have an article I need to give to Hannah, my assistant, to translate into Japanese for me.  She has an alert on her iPhone as a reminder.
She asked me in the morning, "Dr Lee.... you need to write an article for me".
"OK, Hannah, I'll give it to you by the end of today."
Later on in the afternoon...."Dr Lee.... remember the article."
"OK, Hannah, I promise you I'll get one out to you before I leave. I know exactly what I'm going to be writing about."
As I hand the newest article for her, with the deepest bow, "Arigato, Hannah, what ever would I do without you!"

For your reading pleasure as always:

Dear Diary… Nothing’s Hurting So I Don’t Need to Come See You

Dear Diary…

Last week, a patient whom I haven’t seen for a few years came back in. We had been calling her every few months as a reminder to have her cleaning and exam. She always returned our phone calls but says she was busy so I was surprised to see her on my schedule.  Sure enough, something was hurting.

A new report from the ADA (American Dental Association) recently states that 91% of Americans from ages 20-64 have had cavities at least once in their lives.  27% of people over the age of 20 have untreated cavities in their mouths that they may not be aware of.  Many Americans that do not plan on visiting the dental office in the next year say that cost and the belief that they do not need dental care to be the main reasons. In other words, “I’d rather spend my money somewhere else than on my health” and “Nothing’s hurting so I don’t need to come see you.”

As a dentist, we are not just here to “fix things”; the other job that I also take seriously is education and prevention.  In my opinion, education and prevention needs to be emphasized as the final answer to decreasing dental disease. 

Education is teaching people the need for them to keep their teeth healthy as they age. What causes gum disease?  What causes tooth decay? Prevention is equally important. What can be done to prevent tooth decay in the first place?  Fluoride added in drinking water, sealants for children, teaching adults to take care of their families’ teeth and gums. 

The ADA has come up with 6 easy ways to prevent cavities. 

-          Beware of dry mouth. Dry mouth is the side effect of many medications and it can cause cavities. Talk to your dentist or hygienist about ways to prevent dry mouth.

-          Brush 2x/day with a fluoride toothpaste.

-          Floss at least 1x/ day.

-          Drink water with fluoride. Limit bottled water, sports drinks, sodas, juices, etc…

-          Eat more fruits and vegetables.

-          Visit the dentist regularly for checkups.

My patient had a cavity that I was able to fix that same day.  It was an educational lesson for her that the cost of prevention is less than the cost of that filling and time spent away from work.  When she left, she made her next appointment for a checkup and a cleaning and she wrote down the 6 tips from the ADA. She told me she would tape it on her bathroom mirror at home and tape to her computer at work so she could be reminded when she was at home and at work. The perfect example of education and prevention!  

Stealth Dentistry

After I treat a patient, I always show them a mirror so they can see what things look like.
If it's something in the front teeth, they always remark with a smile, "Wow, I can't even see what you did!"
"Smile with confidence!", I say, "The more you smile, the better advertisement for us!"
If it's something in the back, they still always remark with their mouth wide open, "Wow, I can't even see what you did!"
"Stealth dentistry! That's why we do here. No one needs to know what's going on with your teeth", I say. "If people can tell, that's not good. Everything needs to blend in."

This blog post is about a different type of stealth dentistry. It should actually be called "Competitive Dentistry". Having 2 kids less than a year apart, my 2 sometimes get as competitive as this set of brother and sister do.  Ain't nothin' like a little sibling competition!

As always, for your reading pleasure!

Shhhh…. Secret Dentistry

My last patient yesterday was a 12 year old little girl. She and her brother have been coming to my office since they were 7 and 8 years old. They are always in competition with each other. Who gets better grades in school? Who plays better tennis? Who runs faster? Who plays better piano? 

Two years ago, their whole family came in and I had to tell their father that Brother had a cavity, Sister was smiling and saying, “Ha, ha! My teeth are better than yours!”

Today, I found a cavity on Sister’s tooth. “Oh no! I’ve never had a cavity before! Are you sure?” she asked me.

“Yes, I’m sure. “ I showed her an enlarged picture of the tooth with my camera on my computer screen. Having the cavity look so large on my computer made it unmistakable.

“Don’t tell Brother I have a cavity! He will laugh at me!” she made me promise.

“Yes, I don’t talk about your teeth in front of your brother,” I promised her.

With the white fillings, they look so natural that no one can tell what was done.  After I finished filling her tooth, I moved her seat up and handed her the mirror.

“Wow! I can’t even see what you did!” she said surprised.

I told Sister, “No one will know you have a filling on that tooth except for the 3 people in this room. Me, my assistant and you!”

“Good!” she said and made me promise again not to tell Brother.

I promised one more time.

As she was leaving, I said, “I made a mistake, there WILL be one person in your family who will know you had this filling.”

“Who?” Sister asked, worried.

“Your dad. Because he will be the one paying for your filling!”

“That’s OK, as long it’s not my brother!” she said with a smile and left my room with her ponytail bouncing along.