A New Chapter

Yesterday,  I took my 2 minions ( I mean,  children)  on a Costco run. Now that they are teens and old enough not to ride in the front of the giant Costco shopping cart (man, they were doubly heavy back in the day!) they are great for manual labor!  All I have to do now is gracefully glide behind the cart gesturing with my magic wand / index finger at whatever I need and it magically appears in the cart.  A huge package of toilet paper?... shwing!  A small pillow sized bag of broccoli?.... zing! A bushel of Fuji apples?.... ping! Easy!  

Actually, that's not how it happens at all.  In reality, the only thing on their teenage Costco radar is the sample carts! The only gesture I make as they hustle towards the beckoning aromas is a frantic wave of the fingers... Can you get one for me too???

We were on a mission yesterday. I have officially entered a new chapter in the book of "Life of Mother".  It is "Mother of College Student". This, I have found out quite quickly, is the sister of "Mother of a Newborn".  How so, you may ask?   THE AMOUNT OF  MONEY NEEDED!!!!  During both those chapters of my life, there have been a sudden spike in the amount of money draining from my bank account.

The first time, as a newborn, it was quite a shock, even though friends have warned me. "It's like an endless money pit!" Besides the usual diapers, formula, necessities; there is also the need for extras such as baby clothes (that are just SO CUTE!! ) and paraphernalia that in the end, just stayed in boxes.  Baby wipe warmer? Never used it. The thing that turns smelly  old diapers into sealed packaged sausages?  Never even took it out of the box.  Luckily, I was able to return it even after 4 months.  Thank goodness I was wise enough to start saving for their college funding right when they were born. I thought, "I was thrown for a loop this first time around. Next time, 18 years later, I'll be ready!!"

Those 529 plans are wonderful. Socking away a monthly amount really made sense. And if it's in-state, even better! Parents.... it's never too late to start! Every time it's their birthdays,  Christmas, Chinese New Year; people will always ask, "What do they like? What do they want?" My answer would always start with, "Well,.... they have everything they need already,... but they DO have a college fund that you can contribute to... only if you want to."  No one has ever taken on that choice except for my Dad who never knows what to get them but it's all added up nicely 18 years later. The magic of compounding interest is a topic I discuss with the teens every month when the 529 statements come in.

So our trip was all about getting a new laptop for college. Bits, Bytes, Ram, Core, Memory, Gigs.. Those are all foreign words to me. It was like when we were buying a minivan. Just give me the one with the easiest ride and the biggest engine and I'll be fine. This time, at Costco, at the computer counter, all these lights, buttons and screens!  What to do? Which one to pick? How to decide? Quick, find someone in a Costco red vest! Not surprisingly, I had a misconception of what a computer geek looked like. I always thought the computer geeks were a group of 20 or 30 year olds, and depending on if you're a hipster geek or a nerdy geek, the hair length would differ. Glasses?  Perhaps. Nowadays, there are geeky glasses that are non-prescription so one can never tell.

Mr Costco Red Vest Computer Guy was actually around the same age as me. How embarrassing that I'm not as technologically up to date. My husband asked me to get model numbers, specs and prices so that he can compare it to other stores. In my mind, Costco is pretty hard to beat. I don't have time for all this running around, comparing and researching all this stuff.   I gave Mr Red Vest Techie Guy  the tech requirements for the classes and he pointed to a computer. This is one that you would get your own children? Yes. Sold! Easy enough. Onto the walk-in freezer for milk! Where are those teens when you need them for muscle? Oh wait, is that a sample of salsa I see? Yoohoo... children! Make sure you get me one too!

My Dentist is Better Than Your Dentist!

One of the best things I like about being a dentist is catching up with my patients.  Most of them have been coming to see me for over 10 years.  I get to meet their friends, co-workers and family.  We chat about upcoming vacations, road trips, graduations, new motherhood, dads teaching their kids to ride a bike and grandchildren.  We love laughing at fun moments of our lives as we grow older together.

This most recent article I wrote for one of the Japanese newspapers highlights one of those particular fun moments I had with one of my patients.  Read and enjoy!

My Dentist Is Better Than Yours!

Today I saw Mr P today; he was one of my first patients when I started as a dentist. He asked how my kids were.  This patient had known me before I was a Mom.  He was surprised to hear that my kids are now 16 and 17 years old. Wow!  It really puts things in perspective of how long I’ve been a dentist.  He laughed and told me I still look the same.  I laughed also and told him likewise. We both know that we’re lying to each other!  20 years is 2 decades!  Gray hairs, wrinkles, it’s all OK and part of living a long happy life!

We both remembered that when I was initially working at an office on the west side, he had been coming as a patient for a few years when I asked him if his new wife wanted to be a patient at my office as well.  He said he had asked her but she didn’t want to leave her dentist.  “No, I would never leave my dentist.  My dentist is better than yours! She’s the BEST!”, his wife said.  “Oh no!”, my patient replied, “MY dentist is SO much better than YOURS! She’s the VERY best!  I’m NEVER leaving my dentist!” The newlyweds argued back and forth and finally agreed not to change dental office but to stay with their own “very best” dentist.

It wasn’t until a few years later when I changed offices and am now working with Dr F that we realized a very funny coincidence!  When I left the west side office, a lot of my patients had followed me to this new office and one of those was Mr P.  After his first appointment at this new office, he went home and together with his wife, realized that now both their “very best” dentists are together in the same office!  I told Dr F the coincidence and she said it made sense. She had also asked Mrs P if she would like to introduce her husband to the office and she said he had refused saying that he would NEVER leave his dentist for another one.  That was 8 years ago and now, Mr P, Mrs P and their 6-year-old daughter, Miss P, are all patients here and they tell everyone they come to the VERY BEST dental office!  

Chinese New Year SAVE!! Table for 2.... or more: Dong Po Pork 东坡肉

 Chinese New Year Fail..... Chinese New Year Save!



This is what happens when you're out of touch with your Chinese roots.

My Dad is staying with my brother this weekend  and my MIL is in Cali again.  We have Chinese New Year dinner plans for this coming Sunday so I thought I was all set. I don't have a Chinese calendar around so I had to look up when the actual New Year Day was.



OK , it's Saturday. A long ways off.



After teaching at NYU Dental School in the morning on Friday, I went to my private dental office to do some leftover paperwork. The oral surgeon's office had left me a message on the machine but when I called him back, no one was in the office. Strange, I thought, they're usually the busiest on Fridays. It didn't even occur to me that since they are Chinese, they were closed for Chinese New Year's Eve. On hind thought, everyone leaves early to celebrate with their families!



There was also  a social gathering at the school in the evening so I went with a co worker and had a bit of food and drinks. I called and told the kids they were on their own for dinner. By the time I got home, they had eaten already and I wasn't very hungry so I had a cookie and a pack of seaweed snacks and a handful of sunflower seeds. Hubby had eaten some salmon he found in the fridge and my son had eaten a pack of instant ramen with radish and shiitake mushrooms. Daughter had bought herself a fresh pineapple and cut it up to snack on.  We ate our mish-mosh dinner in front of the TV watching "House, MD" on Netflix.



It wasn't until later on in the evening when I was checking my email and checking FB that I saw everyone's Chinese New Year dishes!  OH DEAR!  That was supposed to be TONIGHT?! What a Chinese New Year Fail.



BUT, WAIT.... looking back at all the random things we ate, there is HOPE!  After all, seaweed is supposed to be an auspicious food.  So is the shiitake mushrooms..... and so is fish!!  Somehow, I hope the pineapple fits in too.



This morning, I felt bad as a Chinese Wife and Mom thinking that I failed to impart some culture into our already Americanized family. Ever since my Mom passed we haven't really been doing anything really deeply cultural. Dad doesn't seem too interested in it unless we are into it.



Sitting in bed, I had a flash of inspiration!  Actually, it was in the form of a post from Wendyinkk's blog , "Table for 2... or more".  She always has great easy recipies. I came across this yummy recipe for pork belly.  Table for 2.... or more: Dong Po Pork 东坡肉  Hopeful that our local Chinese supermarket was open, I ran out and got the pork belly. The rest of the ingredients were at home, surprisingly.



I would post a photo but hers came out so much prettier!  I did mine in the slow cooker and then transferred it to the steamer for the last step.  I also did 2 dozen of hard boiled eggs to soak in the rest of the flavor overnight in the slow cooker. I'll have something to bring over to my brother's for Chinese New Year's dinner. Yummy pork belly (Thanks Wendy!) AND yummy eggs!



After all, that's what Chinese New Year's is all about, spending time with family, friends (even if it's a long distance blogger friend), and EATING! This has NOT been a Chinese New Year Fail, it's totally a Chinese New Year SAVE!!!



Happy Chinese New Year, everyone! Wishing you all the best things for 2017 and beyond!

Click on the link above  for Wendy's recipe for the pork belly and other delish dishes!

Healthy Homemade Christmas Cookies

Tis the season for giving! With my family, it's also the season for homemade Christmas cookies.
Here is the latest article I wrote for Weekly Biz Japanese Newspaper. Read and enjoy!

Healthy Homemade Christmas Cookies

Every year for Christmas, there is the big problem of giving gifts. I want every gift to be thoughtfully picked out. My daughter tells me that that’s too much stress. Her idea of Christmas gifts is always healthy homemade Christmas cookies. She will package them in pretty boxes for each individual person. She will make hand painted tags also. I think next year I will “order” some of her cookies as gifts as well.

As the holidays are coming around, it’s important to stay with your healthy habits.  Too many people end up eating a lot of snacks and junk food.

“It’s because of the holidays! Christmas and New Year comes around only once a year! I’m allowed to have fun!” they tell me. OK. Junk food is allowed but only in moderation. And if you are out partying late into the night, please remember to brush your teeth and floss before falling into bed.

Last night, I saw my daughter starting to make her Christmas cookies. She had a blender and a big bowl out and mixed in carrots, apples, oatmeal, peanut butter and ripe bananas. They smelled really good coming out of the oven. While they were cooling on the kitchen counter and while she was not looking, I took one and started eating it. Not bad at all! A little bit on the crunchy side but quite tasty!

As I was brushing the crumbs off my mouth, my daughter turns to look at me and asks, “How did it taste, Mommy?” I told her with a proud smile, “Very good! Very healthy! Did you use a recipe? Who did you make these for?”  She smiled at me and said,” First of all, Mommy, you should have asked before you took a cookie. Second of all, it IS very healthy. I used all healthy natural ingredients. Third of all, I don’t have a recipe. I just threw everything together. But the most important answer to your question of who they are for…. They are for Auntie’s dogs. These are DOG cookies that you just ate.” OK, I should have asked her first. I will be sure to next time.

Hope your Christmas and New Year will be happy, healthy, full of friends and family  and after reading this, also with a big smile on your face! 

Kids grown up so fast!  This weekend, we did some shopping at Costco (My fav store!) and as I was getting a shopping cart, (those things are humongous!) with a double baby seat in the front (because I guess everyone who shops at Costco must have a large family with 2 little kids close in age? Works for me!)  I had some reminiscing moments of when they were a lot younger and we went shopping. I DO love those double seats in the front of the carts because it allows 2 little kids to sit side by side or one kid to sit in the middle. There's always leg holes for everyone.

When they were a little older, things got less roomier in the front seat. At times, there was bickering and sometimes, because they were almost the same size, things got physical between them.
This new article for the Japanese newspaper, New York Biz is a nod to those good ole times of warding off unwanted closeness. Read and enjoy!

Don’t Touch Me!

Over the weekend, I went shopping at Costco with my kids. As I took a shopping cart to go inside, I reminded them that once they were so small that both of them could fit in the double front seat of the cart. When they got older and bigger, sometimes they would complain and argue with each other. “Stay on your side of the cart! I feel your leg next to mine!”  “Mom! He’s touching me! Stop touching me!”   That would continue until I tell them I would separate them and one of them would have to sit in Grandma’s shopping cart. That usually stopped the fighting and I could shop in peace and quiet.

Having more than one toothbrush in your bathroom is a similar situation. Don’t let them touch each other. Having enough space between toothbrushes can prevent bacteria from spreading from one toothbrush to the other.

 Having the toothbrushes separated also allows them to dry properly between uses.  Always remember to shake your toothbrush as dry as possible before putting it away.  

If possible, don’t put a toothbrush cover over your toothbrush. It doesn’t allow it to dry properly.  Only use a toothbrush cover when you are travelling to keep it clean in your luggage.

 Make sure you’re also rinsing out all the toothpaste from the bristles.  A wet toothbrush makes it easier for bacteria to grow.

Now that my kids are older, they are friendlier towards each other.  I’m glad for that! Toothbrushes that grow up together on your bathroom counter can be brothers and sisters or friends but no hugging allowed! 

Teeth, Teens, Roosters and Owls

I have always expected my kids to have similar likes and dislikes and similar personalities.  Why not? Same parents, born in the same month, they looked exactly the same when they were born,... (The doctor handed Harrison to me and the first thing I thought was, "Hmmm, you look familiar. I've definitely met you before!")   After the first day, that's where it ended. Their personalities have veered off in different directions since then.

This month's article is here! Enjoy reading ! (BTW, birds don't have teeth. The closest they have to a tooth is something on their beak to help them break out of their egg shell as chicks. I think it's called an egg-tooth? )

Teens, Teeth, Roosters and Owls

Now that my 2 kids are teenagers, I realize that I have a rooster and I have an owl.   

Ever since they were babies, my daughter has preferred to stay up late at night. Putting her to bed has often ended in tears and arguments. As much as she did not like to go to sleep when she should, Mommy always wins so she is in bed with the door closed and the lights shut.  She also prefers to wake up later in the morning. Waking her up in the morning at a normal time is like waking up a dead person. Somehow, she never hears the alarm. It will ring and ring until it turns off by itself. It’s been like that for years. She is my owl.  

My son, on the other hand, has always been one to sleep early. Late in the evening, he will yawn, stretch, take a shower, clean up and brush his teeth, say good night to everyone and go to bed by himself. No arguing, no angry looks from Mommy, it’s that simple with him. In the morning, he will wake up usually before his alarm goes off, getting out of bed cheerfully, he will try to wake everyone else in the family as well. He is my rooster.

There was a research paper done in Sweden that studied teenagers and their rate of developing cavities as it relates to their lifestyle.  They have found that the risk of developing cavities was almost 4 times as high with teenagers who are owls as it was with roosters.  Owls brush their teeth infrequently, tending to skip breakfast and snack more often between meals. Roosters start their day earlier and end their day earlier so they have more time to stick with daily routines like proper brushing at night.

I know that lifestyles can be changed.  When school starts again in September, my rooster child will be ready for school in the morning, brushed up, changed and have eaten breakfast. My owl child will be running out the door with her book bag dangling from her arms, hopefully having eaten something and hopefully not wearing pajamas!

While they are still living at home, I will still enforce good oral hygiene habits but once they are away for college, they will be on their own and hopefully the research will prove to be wrong. I hope both my rooster and my owl will have cavity free teeth for the rest of their lives!

Teenage Problems!

Being a Mom to 2 teenagers can be both exhausting as well as rewarding. Thank goodness they are going through their teenage years together so they complain to each other and get advice from each other at the same time. It's interesting to hear them talk to each other about their crushes and friends at school.  I try to be there on the sidelines as guidance to the advice-giving. They will often ask for each other's advice before they approach me.  It's usually in the evenings after dinner, after their HW is completed and after they've practiced their piano or guitar.

They come into my room after a shower with their hair wet and in pajamas and sit on my bed.  It usually begins like this... "Mommy, you know when...." Those are precious moments when I forget that they are coming into young adulthood and I see them as little kids again asking for Mom's advice.

The latest article I wrote this month for New York Biz Japanese Newspaper is about TEENAGE PROBLEMS.  Now all teenagers have these problems but for this teenager, these problems are as real and as big as ever. Read and enjoy!

Teenage Problems

For readers who have been enjoying my monthly column, you have read that my son asked for braces a few years ago.  Most teenagers tell their parents they DO NOT want braces. Back then, he was worried that with spaces in his teeth, the girls would not want to dance with him during the school dance. But now, he’s wondering when he will get his braces off.

“Mommy, I have all 3 horrible teenager things happening to me at once.” He complained to me last week. “What do you mean by horrible teenager things?” I asked. He explained, “Glasses, acne and braces.” For a few seconds, I just didn’t know how to answer him. “OK, braces are because you wanted your smile to look good. Glasses are because our family does not have perfect vision. Acne is because…you’re a teenager.”  Gee, I don’t remember going through all this stress starting high school. Or maybe because it was such a long time ago that I’ve forgotten?

Teenagers that get braces often ask how long it will take. The answer is usually an approximate time.  It depends on how easy the teeth are to move and how much movement is needed.  Appointments are often set about a month apart to allow for correct movement; not too fast, not too slow. Sometimes, teeth need to be extracted in order to have the necessary space to fix crowding.  Some types of movement are harder than others.  Closing spaces are usually harder to fix than crowding.

The time to start braces is also different. Some cases are better started off earlier when the child still has some baby teeth. Some cases are better when all the adult teeth come in.

If I notice kids’ adult teeth coming in crooked or if their parents have had braces, chances are, that child will need braces to have a perfect straight smile. A child that has regular dental appointments can be checked more often so potential problems can be fixed early sometimes even avoiding braces.

Luckily for my son, his braces will be finished before summer. His acne is going away now that he is older.  At least that will be 2/3 of his teenage problems solved. Let’s see what we can do about the last teenage problem.  I had promised him that if I don’t have to complain about his messy room all summer, he will be allowed to get contacts. Let’s see if that will happen before high school start! 

Going Off to School

When my kids were young, since they were born so close together, there was a time when they were both in diapers and both had bottles.  Thank goodness my mother in law was around to help me out otherwise my daughter would be an only child! I used to ask my patients that are seasoned parents , "Does it get better? When does this end? They say it gets better, right?"
They would look at me, pause to compose their thoughts then answer with a laugh, "Whoever THEY were; lied to you!"
"Oh my gosh!  It doesn't get better? Not even when the kids are older?"
They register the panic in my expression, "Uh, hmmm. What I meant to say was; Different age, different issues."
Well, OK, that certainly sounds a little better.

Back then, as babies,  it was potty training, trying to get them to sleeping through the night, etc... Now as teens it's SAT exams, drama with friends, and college choices.  I see what they say by DIFFERENT age, DIFFERENT issues.

Next year, both of my kids will be in high school and soon enough, heading to college.
This new article is about my "Dental Kids". Read and enjoy!

Going Off to School

One of the things I love best about being a dentist is that I see a lot of patients grow up in front of my eyes.  This is the time of the year when some of the patients that I’ve been treating since they were young are getting college acceptance letters. For the past few months, their nervous mothers are not turning into proud mothers as their children are accepted into colleges of their choice. Some will be close by, others will go far away.

As their “Dental Mom”, I am proud of my “Dental Kids” as well but I am also nervous if they are going far away for college.  There is a trend that I have observed in kids.  While they are living at home and under the care of their parents, they come every 6 months for an exam, x rays and a cleaning. Small cavities are fixed right away.  When they go away for college, the only times I see them would be during holidays when their mothers set the appointments ahead for them. Sometimes I don’t see them because they would be busy during the holidays as well.  This would go on for at least 4 years, sometimes longer if they are away for graduate school.  I would ask about how they are doing when their moms come in for their appointments. The next time I see them would be when they start their first job.  After chatting with them and catching up, we do a full exam, full x rays and that’s when I usually give the bad news.  You have cavities or you have gum disease. Their shoulders droop and they look so sad. No longer are they a confident young adult with a new job sitting in my chair, they look like a sad little puppy that’s done something wrong. 

Thank goodness it’s not a lot of cavities and I am able to fix them up in 1 visit.
Beginning gum disease can be fixed as well with regular cleanings.  No need to take off from your new job many times to fix your teeth. 

Before you know it, my “Dental Kid” is smiling again. He puts back on his suit jacket and picks up his briefcase.  As he leaves, he says, “You know, Dr Lee, I’ve been coming to you since I was a little kid and after all these years, you still look the same!”  What a good child! That’s the best thing this “Dental Mom” has heard all day!

OMG! I have Horsey Teeth!

With the weather getting warmer by the day, we are spending more time outdoors and doing activities outdoors.  With 2 teens armed with their omnipresent cell phone cameras, there is, as to be expected, a whole slew of photos and cricket-like chorusing of "Mommy! Selfie!" 

I think I've gotten close to perfecting the "Instantly-Smile-But-Make-it-Look-Natural-and-Not Forced" smile.  I've seen my MIL train my kids in this skill since they were toddlers. Grandma LOVES taking photos, especially of her grandkids. But back in the day, there weren't digital cameras and since pictures were taken on film, I would make the bi-weekly trip to Costco to get them developed. Always a double set. One set for her to put in her photo album and one set for me.  Also being film photos, she didn't want me to waste my film or money on developing less than perfect photos with less than perfect smiles.

She had them so well trained that at any instant, they would pop the perfect pose and smile naturally so that it would even show in their sparkling eyes.  Amazing! I, on the other hand, was not trained in this skill set as a youngster.  My parents were not as into taking photos as my MIL was.  All our photos were either taken with us lined up (seniors sitting with children and short people in the front!)  and holding the same smile until our cheeks hurt or they were blurred photos taken as we were "in action".  I never understood whether those were intentional or unintentionally blurry. 

Today, in the age of digital cameras, how easy it is to quickly snap a few in rapid succession and later on, pick and choose the shot of choice.  

My latest article to be translated deals with selfies and a curious phenomenon known as "Horse Teeth".  Read and enjoy!

Help Me, I have HORSE Teeth!

Now that I have teenagers, everywhere we go and with everything we do, all of a sudden, there is a head that comes really close to mine and I hear those dreaded words … “Mommy! Selfie!!”

I have to suddenly change my regular normal face into an instant smiling ray of sunshine because in ½ a second, there will be a cell phone camera stuck in my face and my daughter will snap a photo of the both of us. I don’t even have a chance to say, “Hold on, I’m not ready yet!” As quickly as she can yell “Selfie!”  I will answer back, “Let me see that first before you post it!”  Sometimes it’ll be a good picture of the both of us; sometimes I will have her take it again.  So this is how the new generation is.

I recently read an article about dental offices in London.  They are reporting an increase in the number of people who take selfies, and then go to dental offices because they think they have “horse teeth”.  The dentists say these patients want the dentist to make their 2 upper front teeth smaller and shorter so they don’t look like a horse.  The problem is that the selfie picture is an extreme close up so the image may look distorted.  The 2 front teeth will look like they stick out more and are larger than in real life and so appearing “horsey”. 

The 2 upper front teeth are naturally a little longer and wider than the next 2 teeth so it creates a young, natural upward smile curve but if the selfies photos are taken too close to the face, the picture can be distorted and exaggerate the size of the 2 front teeth.

Selfies are good for keeping a picture journal of everyday life or special events but be careful of depending on them too much as a representation of you see yourself or how the world sees you.  

Keeping Teeth White While Drinking Coffee

It's almost summer and along with summer comes.... iced coffee!!
I had my first taste of iced coffee when I went on a trip to Taiwan.  At first, I thought, "How weird is this? " But when I tasted it, "WHOA! Where have you been all my life??"

For me, winter is best with a hot cup of green tea. Summers are definitely iced coffee time.
Now that warmer weather is right around the corner, I have a slew of requests for custom whitening trays and refill kits.

My latest article for Weekly Biz, Japanese newspaper is about how to keep your teeth whiter if you're one of those people that absolutely have to have their cuppa joe.

Enjoy the article and enjoy the iced coffee! Yumminess!

Can I Drink Coffee While Keeping MyTeeth White?

My Dad loves drinking strong dark coffee. I think he’s an Italian at heart. He had travelled to Italy as a young man and ever since his first espresso; he complains that all other coffees are weak and tasteless. Lately, he’s been changing the way he takes his coffee. It had me wondering because ever since I was little, the only way he would take his coffee was with sugar and black. A few months ago, he started adding honey to his coffee instead of sugar. This time, I see that he adds milk.  Were his tastes changing with age?

If there’s something my Dad likes more than coffee, it’s FREE coffee!  When I had lunch with him last week, I knew exactly which diner to take him to. The one that had free coffee refills!  I watched him pour in some honey, then some milk. Maybe he likes the sweetness of honey better? Maybe he wants a smoother coffee?  When I asked him why the change in habits, he answered, “White sugar is really bad for your body. If I want to sweeten something, I’ll put in honey.  It’s all natural.”  But why add milk?  “I’ve found that black coffee stains my teeth too quickly. By adding milk, it stains less.”

I’ve also recently read that adding milk to coffee will indeed lessen the staining.  It makes the coffee a lighter color and there are compounds in milk that helps prevent the stains from sticking. It works to prevent staining on real teeth as well as denture teeth.  If you don’t want to add milk to your daily coffee, the best thing to do is rinse with water afterwards, chew a sugarless gum and make sure your tongue is clean. 

 I asked my Dad if he heard this or read it somewhere. He said, “No, it’s just common sense! I want to keep my smile bright even if it’s not my own teeth!”  I’m glad that even at 84 years of age, my Dad looks younger than he actually is! Having a brighter smile definitely helps! 

This Patient Made Me The Most Nervous

People ask me if I'm nervous treating my husband in the dental chair. Nope, not at all.
People ask me if I'm nervous treating my kids in the dental chair. Nah, you're kidding, right?
People ask me if I'm nervous treating my Dad in the dental chair. Never. It's just Dad!

I've never had someone in my dental chair that made me nervous until last week.

My little niece came in for her first dental visit a few weeks ago. (cue drum roll!)

This Little Patient Made Me The Most Nervous

“Choose a job that you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” This quote is from Confucius.  I have heard of this quote but never realize who it was from.  I looked it up on the internet and all the searches included a picture of Confucius looking like an old Chinese man.  Somehow, if a quote comes from an old man with a beard, it’s automatically a wise saying.

That quote is so true of how I feel about being a dentist.  I really enjoy waking up in the morning and coming to work.  Seeing the list of patients on my computer makes me happy because I know I’ll be helping people and they will leave smiling. Most of these patients have been coming to the office for a long time so I get to know them very well. It’s like catching up with friends.

The other week, there was a patient that made me very nervous when I saw her name on my schedule. It was a new patient that I’ve never seen in my office before but just seeing her name made me very anxious. The sweet little 4 year old angel coming into see me was my little niece. This was her first dental visit ever.  She is a wonderful child, well mannered, polite and loves me.  That’s the problem… the last part. She loves me.  She loves me as her auntie and I want to keep it that way.  I don’t want her to be scared of me being her dentist. What if she didn’t want me to even look in her mouth?  What if she refused to sit in the big chair? What if she started to cry?  People who are nervous at the dentist as adults usually had a scary dental visit when they were a child.  I wasn’t sure how she would react that day but I was determined to make it a fun visit for her.  While I checked her parents’ mouths, she sat in the assistant’s chair.  She had on goggles, a mask and gloves and she “helped” me while I checked Mommy and Daddy’s teeth. After they were done, she asked, “Is it my turn now? I want Auntie to check my teeth too!”  (Her parents were such good examples of well-behaved patients! )

Great! This is going to be a fabulous visit!  I explained everything I was going to do and showed her all my dental “toys”.  She sat in the chair while I checked her teeth, we counted how many teeth she had, I cleaned her teeth and gave her a fluoride treatment. What a perfect visit!  We took a picture to remember that moment.  I know she wasn’t a bit nervous but I admit, I took a deep breath of relief after smiling for the photo when I really had nothing to worry about after all.  I’m looking forward to seeing her in my dental chair again in 6 months.  Nothing to worry about at all! 

Quick and Easy! or Is It?

Last Christmas, I had wanted to make my Dad some spicy roasted nuts. He LOVES nuts. Lately, he had been complaining that his sense of taste is not what it used to be and he wasn't getting as much enjoyment out of eating as he used to. Well, being the good daughter as I am, I decided that for Christmas, I would make him a batch of spicy honey roasted nuts! I did some internet research on what recipes had positive reviews, which pictures looked the best, how many ingredients and how long it took.....THAT is a biggie with me. If something has too many ingredients or it looks like there's too many steps, then it's a no-go.

My first batch came out looking like roasted insects. Was it too much time in the oven or was the honey scorching the culprit? I gave a batch for Dad to try. Not bad, he says! Does it taste burnt? No.... it's.... OK.  Is it spicy enough? It's OK, he says.  Great! Positive reinforcement!  Onto the next batch, then!

The second batch came out much better looking and with a punch of confidence, I added more spiciness! No bland nuts for dear ole Dad!  I packaged it nicely in the original container (from Costco).  Just when I was putting the lid on, my son walks into the kitchen.  "Is that for Gung Gung (Grandpa)?"  "Sure is!", I answered.
"Can you put my name on it as well?" "What?!"  "But what if I make a nice personalized label for it. That way, it will be a joint project!"  "Well, OK, fine."

One of the things I find amusing on the internet are photos of DIY Pintrest Fails.  Sometimes, I wonder if the fails are done horribly on purpose. I mean, there's NO WAY that that cake can look that messed up, right?

Here is my newest article for Weekly Biz Japanese Newspaper. Not that there are dentists out there looking on the internet for "Dental DIY" projects, but if you've been a dentist long enough, it makes you wonder sometimes.... For your reading pleasure!

It Looks So Quick and Easy

One of my daughter’s favorite things to do is “DIY” projects. It stands for “Do It Yourself”.  Her bedroom is always a collection of 10 different projects that she is in the middle of doing. Next to her chair is a scarf that she is knitting me. It’s been 3 months and the scarf is only 2 feet long. There is also T-shirt that she is painting for her brother. I’m afraid that by the time she’s finished, he would have outgrown that size. She gets all her ideas on the internet. 

There are plenty of people posting things that they have done themselves that came out gorgeous and perfect. They show the instructions step by step and it looks so quick and easy. After a 5 minute video, the project is finished! Beautiful! It could be baking a cake, it could be knitting a sweater, or it could be making a pair of earrings, or even painting your kitchen table. Everything is “SUGOI!” (meaning Great! or Amazing! in Japanese)  after the video.

In reality, that is not true. A lot of my daughter’s DIY projects have been unsuccessful.  A patient came to my office and wanted to improve her smile. She had gotten veneers, which are porcelain pieces bonded to the fronts of her teeth. They change the color, shape and size of her teeth. They are supposed to make her smile beautiful but instead she said it made her look like a horse. The veneers looked too thick, too white and too big. She had paid a lot of money as well. “The dentist said it would be the quickest and easiest way to improve my smile.” She said sadly. “But I’m thinking this was a big expensive mistake! Please tell me you can fix it! My friend speaks very highly of you and your office!” 

As many photos of perfect DIY projects there are on the internet, there are even more FAILED photos from people who were not prepared or not experienced enough to do the projects. When looking for a dental office, don’t necessarily look for the cheapest dental office; don’t necessarily look for the closest dental office, but look for the dentist with the most experience and the dentist that certainly knows what they’re doing. A good way to start is by asking friends and co-workers which dental office they go to and why. Make sure these are friends and co-workers that take care of their teeth on a regular basis, going for checkups and cleanings and not just for emergency visits. 

As for that patient, we were able to remove those ugly veneers and make her some that were beautiful and natural looking.  After 2 visits, she was able to leave happy and smiling. Sugoi! Now, if I can get my daughter to finish up knitting my scarf before winter is over, I can say “Sugoi!” again!

Cow farts and cavities...

Do global cow farts significantly contribute to the greenhouse effect on earth?
Does a piece of buttered toast tend to fall more often buttered side down on the floor?
Do cats really land on their feet all of the time?
Does birth order or cuteness correlate to the amount of cavities in a child?

Such deep pondering questions to start off the New Year!

My newest article for the Japanese newspaper Daily Sun is another fun read. I do try to avoid writing "heavy" articles for both Weekly Biz as well as Daily Sun. Most newspapers are already filled with enough tragic, sad, upsetting news. Obviously I'm addressing the last question listed above in my article. BUT I did do some online searching and while my birth order/ cuteness/ cavities informal observation did not involve research money, there was money pumped into the cow farts, buttered toast, and cat research.  Hmmm, maybe next time I should apply for a grant somewhere, somehow.

BTW, ......Global cow farts DO significantly contribute to the greenhouse effect. The US being the top country and Texas being the top state for producing cow farts.

- A piece of buttered toast DOES tend to land buttered side down but that's because of the general height from which it falls (waist height). Ways to overcome this.... higher kitchen counters and kitchen tables, shorter counters and tables, or just hold onto your toast better!

- Cats DO tend to land on their feet majority of the time but that also depends on the height of the fall. I also came upon some pretty old film segments (government films?) in which a cat was held by it's legs upside down and dropped. They did this comparison to a cat dropped the same way but in zero gravity. Poor cats, the ones in zero gravity had no idea what was going on!

For your reading enjoyment!

Dear Diary…. Does Cuteness or Birth Order Determine Amount of Cavities?

Going into the field of dentistry, I had to read a lot of scientific articles. It’s boring because of the way it’s written. The reports were very properly written with numbers and statistics and just, well… boring. But all these reports and numbers mean something and that’s what helps the field of dentistry advance and change for the better. Even after graduating from dental school, there is a need to keep up with the reports and articles so I can be a better dentist than I was yesterday.  I’ve gotten used to the boring reports and information so I don’t mind them but why couldn’t the reports be less dry? It’s because all the information that is collected needs to be very accurate and precise.

Over the years, I’ve also done some informal information collecting of my own in my office but of course, not as accurate and precise compared to the scientific magazines! I’ve observed that “birth order can somewhat determine the amount of cavities a child may have”. My reasoning maybe wrong but I think that the first child has the least cavities. That may be that the first child is the one that parents are the most careful with. They have the cleanest clothes, the best haircuts, the healthiest eating habits, the best brushing habits as well. The first child is everything that the parents can hope for. Things are fine as a new family of 3. Things are under control.

By the time the 2^nd, 3^rd or 4^th child comes along, parents are more tired, the house is a little messier, more meals are fast food, and perfect night time brushing habits are just not as perfect anymore.

I mentioned this theory with my friend who is also a dentist. He says he has a similar observation except his theory is that “cuteness determines the amount of cavities”. (I didn’t ask him how he determined which kids are cute). He says cute kids get more candy given to them even without asking and cute kids get more candy when they ask. After all, who can resist a cute smile that comes along with the question? Grandparents will spoil a cute kid more. And when it comes to night time brushing, parents are more willing to pass on brushing when they see those big eyes fill with tears in protest.

I really don’t think there is a way to test both our theories but if both of us are correct, parents with cute kids that are not firstborn may have to work a lot harder to keep their little mouths cleaner and cavity free! 

Will You Marry Me?

Every day when I'm driving into work,  I listen to the news, weather and traffic during the first 15 minutes. I alternate between 3 radio news stations to check on traffic so I can plot my journey to the world of teeth.

After I'm confident that I have the quickest route, I will switch to K-Love music. The DJs scatter in interesting stories around the world.  Today's story hit home. It had all the makings of a love story.  A boy, a girl, a wedding proposal, a ring.... and a wisdom tooth?!

Sometimes after I do an extraction, I will remark that the extracted tooth would make a perfect pendant for a necklace for the wife or girlfriend because Christmas is coming up soon. The patient would laugh along so the mood in the room would not be so stressful anymore. Of course, no one has ever taken that advice to heart. That is, until I heard the story on the radio this morning.

Apparently, a man had his wisdom tooth extracted and had it set into a ring and proposed to his girlfriend who promptly said, "Yes". Now, as a dentist, I don't mind being around teeth, in the mouth or all bloody and sitting on my tray after an extraction. I don't care how beautiful this wisdom tooth is or if it somehow had a weird indentation on it resembling a heart or if it had a heart engraved into it, I personally don't think any removed body part is appropriate as a token of undying love or used to ask someone for their hand in marriage.

Here is my latest article for Weekly Biz, Japanese newspaper. For your reading enjoyment and entertainment!

Will You Marry Me?

This morning when I was on my way to work, I heard something interesting on the radio. A man recently had his wisdom tooth extracted. He had it made part of a ring and used it to ask his girlfriend to marry him. As I listened to this story, I thought back 20 years ago when my husband asked me to marry him. How would I react if he was on his knees with a ring that had his tooth in it? I think I would have left him on his knees! 

As romantic as this man may think, the reason diamonds are in engagement rings and wedding rings is because diamonds are forever. They are beautiful and nothing can destroy them. A tooth, on the other hand, while being beautiful, it cannot last very long on a ring. Over time, it will dry out and break into pieces. On that day, the girl that received the really personal piece of jewelry will be left with a ring with sharp broken pieces of body parts. Not very attractive or romantic now, is it? The announcer on the radio said that she accepted his proposal for marriage with the tooth ring. But I certainly hope she gets a diamond from her man in the near future as well as a “I’m just kidding about the tooth ring, honey! Here’s the real ring!”

So how much is your tooth worth? It’s worth more in your mouth than out of your mouth! A clean, healthy tooth is free of charge and will last forever but once there’s decay, there’s the price of a filling, or the price of a root canal, or the price of a crown attached to that tooth. If that tooth is so bad that it needs to be taken out, there’s the price of an extraction, the price of replacing it with an implant!  

 Please be careful keeping your mouth and teeth clean and healthy. Get regular x-rays with exams, regular cleanings, and make sure to fix things when they are small!  Gentlemen, if you are single and reading this, start saving up for that diamond ring that you will be giving the future love of your life.  I can tell you, not a lot of girls are OK with a tooth on a ring as an example of your forever love for them!

Cricket Legs

Our home is a transient stopover for animals. Some stay for a short while (not that we're bad pet owners but some just have a shorter natural lifespan), and some stay for years and become infused as a part of the family.

Our newest member is Arnold, an anole.Even though this is considered a cheap pet, I've realized that like any pet, it's not the amount of money you pay upfront, it's the upkeep of said pet that is pricey. Arnold eats crickets and at 10 crickets/ $1, he's averaging about $3/ month. If you tack on gas to get the crickets and time spent driving to purchase these insects, it's starting to get to me. On top of that, to cut down on insect purching trips, I've been buying them 30 at a time. There is a separate container to keep these crickets while they are awaiting to be inserted into the food chain. Alas, the "food" also must be fed to be kept alive.  Fortunately, a few Cheerios, a lettuce leaf and a soggy paper towel ball is all they need as they wait unknowingly happily chirping away  at night.

My latest dental article is about crickets as food. Not so much for Arnold, but for people. Many countries outside the USA are already accepting insects as a food choice. Americans, in general are a lot more squeamish about things like this. Read and enjoy!

Did You Have Crickets For Lunch?

As a dentist, there are courses and lectures that can help improve dental skills and knowledge.  One of the skills I’ve developed after years of being a dentist does not have to do with dentistry at all. I’ve learned to identify leftover foods in patient’s mouths. I know, it’s an interesting but yucky skill. Broccoli is the easiest!

As much as my patients think they have clean teeth after lunch, it’s still a great idea to rinse with water and try to get all the food pieces out. Sugarless gum is also a good way to clean your teeth after a meal. It also freshens your breath and neutralizes the acidic saliva. 

Last month I was at a museum store with my kids and they were selling roasted crickets. “Look at that!” I said to them. “Let’s try a box!” We bought a box and ate it in the car. It just tasted a little dry, crunchy but not bad at all. Not what I expected! Scientists have said that in the future, insects will become more and more acceptable and available as food. The only bad part was after we ate the crickets, bits of cricket legs were all stuck in our teeth. I did not have any sugarless gum but thank goodness I always have floss in my bag. We checked each other with big wide smiles saying, “Do you see any more legs in there?”