This is one of those potentially embarrassing posts for Noah, but since he doesn’t quite have a say about what I blog about at the moment, I thought I’d write about his first ever dental check-up. After all, this blog was set up to record all his milestones, no matter how big or small they may be.
I’ve been diligently cleaning Noah’s gums/teeth since he was a newborn, first with just a piece of gauze dipped in boiled water when he didn’t have teeth, then with a finger brush (I used the Safety 1st Fingertip Toothbrush
), when his teeth appeared. I upgraded him to a toothbrush and fluoride-free toothpaste when he was older (can’t remember when), and he’s been using the Aquafresh toothbrush and toothpaste (read my review
HERE) for a while now.
Recently, I’ve been finding Noah’s morning breath a tad… smelly, and was worried that it was because there was something wrong with his teeth. He brushes his teeth on his own, and seldom allows me to help him with it, so I figured that some parts were probably not as well-cleaned as they should be. I’ve also been wanting to start him on the children’s fluoride toothpaste, but he always refuses to spit his toothpaste out after brushing, because he finds the toothpaste yummy. Gargling was also a little problematic, as he would choose to swallow the water sometimes. (We read a book together which helped in getting him to spit out the water most of the time. Look out for this week’s Friday Flips!)
My godsister’s husband, A, is a dentist, and we’ve been going to him for a couple of years now, ever since he started practising in Singapore. Noah is familiar with him, as we meet up quite often, so I made an appointment for Noah to have his first dental check-up with him. Previously, whenever we had our regular appointments, Noah would come along, and I would get him to watch us getting our teeth cleaned for a while, so that he would know what to expect.
A few days before his appointment, I told Noah that he would be seeing Uncle A at his clinic, so that Uncle A could check his teeth. Since we’d been reading some books related to going to the dentist, Noah was quite excited about it, and wasn’t afraid at all.
A took the time to have a short chat with Noah before beginning, counted his teeth with him, and introduced the various dental equipment that he was going to use. Noah got to use the “vacuum” to suck up half a cup of water, before A put it into his mouth for a few seconds, and asked him if his teeth and cheeks were still intact. I laughed when Noah said his cheeks were gone, but A kept a straight face, and “put (his) cheeks back” for him. He even held Noah’s hand when he lowered the chair, in case Noah got scared, and gave him a cool pair of sunglasses to wear after that, to block out the glare from the spotlight.
Noah was calm throughout the entire process, and didn’t even flinch when A polished his teeth, probably because of the yummy strawberry-flavoured stuff that A used. He enjoyed gargling and spitting into the little sink, and was really proud of himself after that.
Having a chat with Uncle A
“I’ll use this small mirror to check for worms.”
Counting his teeth together
Holding hands while the chair was lowered
Learning about the different equipment that Uncle A would be using on him
Teeth cleaning in progress
Showing off his clean teeth
A noted that there was some dental plaque on Noah’s upper teeth, which are the ones which Noah doesn’t brush properly. When I help him to brush his teeth, I can’t reach those two sides as well as the rest of his teeth, and A assured me that it was very common. He then taught me to lay Noah flat on my lap, so that his head would be tilted, and to use my fingers to hold his mouth open slightly, in order to brush those two sides properly. A used a set of giant teeth to show Noah how to brush his teeth in circles, and to brush the “outside, inside, and bite-side”. It was really effective, because Noah has been reminding me to brush his teeth properly for him, and to brush all three sides. I wish I brought him to see A earlier, so I wouldn’t have had to deal with his funky breath for so long!
Credit must also be given to A, for being ever so patient with Noah. He has excellent bedside manner, and I’m not being biased here, because my friends who go to him for their dental treatments have also testified to this. He doesn’t normally see preschoolers, but he made an exception for us, since you know, we’re kinda related. I’m so glad my godsis married him! Haha.
*This is NOT a sponsored review nor an advertisement. I wrote this because I wanted to have a proper record of Noah’s first ever dental check-up. If you’re interested in consulting A or bringing your children in for a consult, please contact his clinic to make an appointment.
Tooth Matters 328 North Bridge Road, Raffles Hotel Arcade, #03-02, Singapore 188719 Tel: 6337 4618
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