Should my LO see the dentist? Our Experience.
- Admin
- Jul 25, 2017
- 3 min read
My L1 is full of "surprises". He arrived one month early due to the onset of pre-eclampsia. On arrival he came with neonatal teeth, so he had two lower front teeth. Being first-time parents, we were anxious about what it meant so we brought him to see the paediatric dentist at National Dental Centre (NDC) when he was 7 months old. Fortunately we went through the polyclinic route which ensured the rate was subsidised (YES everyone can get subsidy as long as you are a Singapore citizen) and it did not take us too long to see the dentist. We had about 2-3 visits and since the rest of his teeth had not erupted during that time it felt like we were paying money just to check 2 teeth. So we stopped going back since the advice from the dentist was to wait for the rest of his teeth to erupt.
Thankfully all his teeth came out eventually. However it was hard getting him to brush his teeth. Most days we gave up. Till his paediatrician pointed out that the cause for his health issues was poor oral hygiene since the bacteria gets trapped in his mouth if we don't brush.
So recently we decided he should visit the dentist again since: (1) he started eating a wider variety of foods and (2) his breath smelled really bad. I tried making an appointment with the NDC but was notified that he no longer qualifies for the subsidy since his last appointment was more than 12 months ago. Without subsidy, consultation alone would be $94-160. With subsidy, which would require me to go through the polyclinic route again, the first consultation would be around $52. So after speaking to other mothers, I decided to try the private route instead since L1's dentist from NDC left for Thomson Medical Centre.
I managed to arrange his first appointment for the following week after making the enquiry. L1 was very scared when we went to the dentist. He had the impression dentist break your teeth (LOL!!!) So he was visibly rather shaken as we waited for his turn. When we went into the consultation room, his dentist introduced himself and tried to build a rapport with L1. After which his advice was for L1 to sit on my lap while I sat on the dentist chair. There was a monitor playing "Peppa Pig" cartoons which got L1's attention while the dentist checked what were my concerns for this visit. Before introducing any equipment into L1's mouth, he made it a point to patiently explain the use of the equipment to put L1 at ease. That helped a lot since it is usually very hard to get L1 to open his mouth. He even used a camera to take pictures of L1's teeth. I don't think I've ever had that. L1 enjoyed his visit and at the end he said he was happy to go back next time. We paid about $50 for the consultation only visit. (It would be about $90 if cleaning was included)
What I learnt from this visit was helpful. The dentist explained that no cleaning will be done during the first visit till the child is at least 3 years of age. These visits are to get the child get comfortable with visiting the dentist and also to check his teeth. He was able to tell me how many teeth L1 already has and that his jaw development was hampered due to his reliant on breathing through his mouth. He provided tips on how to help L1 with brushing teeth by using a dual brush technique. L1 brushes the right side while I brush the left and vice versa. Parents should expect to help their child with brushing till they are 6. He also provided some insight into what having neonatal teeth meant for L1. The visits at this age are to check for cavities and the means of controlling them would be dietary control. No hamster tendencies of keeping foods in the mouth like lollipops or bottle feeding of milk. Since the visit to the dentist, I find that we are more diligent with brushing his teeth and more reassured as well. Often I find myself making all these visits to health practitioners without doing my part by ensuring good health practices at home.
Glad we made the visit. And I have a happy child at the end :)
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