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!