Ahhhhh.... for the Dentist

Today, the girls didn't take the school bus to kindergarten because they were going to the dentist with me! I called up the School Dental Centre on May 2 (as instructed by the customer service officer in response to my email) and managed to get a slot for the both of them on May 16, i.e. today!

We got to know about the School Dental Centre's "Oral Health Care Services for Pre-School" through fellow mommy Serene's posting on facebook. Late last year, Estelle went to get her teeth checked at the School Dental Centre and I got all curious about it as she seemed really happy about it.

Since En Bi turned 3, I had made feeble attempts to look around for a dentist for the girls but never saw it through. By the time I really got down to calling the dentist (referred to by a friend), he was no longer practising in Singapore. That's how long I postponed my daughters' visit to the dentist.

We had the good fortune to be assigned a date so early since all slots in June were taken up! I would rather bring the girls earlier than later because I have this feeling that I would have forgotten about the appointment by then (which most likely be August) and it would bring us back to square 1.

Besides the slight blip, which made us late for our appointment time by 15 minutes, the whole process went on pretty well. Let me tell you about this "slight blip". I had assumed that the School Dental Centre would be situated in the National Dental Centre, therefore, we walked towards the National Dental Centre's lift lobby at the carpark. We even made our way up to Level 4, but found ourselves entering a rather sombre environment with just the adults waiting around. A quick scan at the signs on this level increased my suspicion that we were not on the right track. After a check with the Cashier, I was re-directed to the opposite building, which was the Health Promotion Board building.

Within a minute, we were already in the right building and at the School Dental Centre. It took almost 10 minutes for our number to be called (though there was no one at the counters) but it was just a short wait after the registration. When our queue number flashed on the board, I called the girls to leave the play area and proceeded to Operatory 25. Behind the glass doors, there were almost 50 cubicles in the colourfully decorated area. It was a little maze-like trying to find the cubicle where our dentist was waiting for us. Luckily for us, they spotted us and called out to us instead. How could they have missed us, the "fresh meat" waiting to be pounced upon! Just kidding.

En Bi took her seat on the dentist chair first. She was offered a pair of yellow sunglasses (for kids) but was not really keen to put it on. (I think she didn't really like the colour and design. Lol.). Finally, she had the sunglasses on and was enjoying the interaction with the dentist. The dentist introduced En Bi to the tools that she would be using on her and then explained that she will be, first, counting her teeth. So, yes, the dentist officially announced that En Bi has 20 teeth. Next, she moved on to clean En Bi's teeth. That was also a breeze with the dentist talking her through the whole process (which took less than 10 minutes). At the end of the treatment, for being so cooperative, the dentist gave En Bi 2 stickers. She chose Spongebob Squarepants stickers, yet again.

En Bi at her first dentist treatment

Seo Yeon was observing En Bi's treatment and although it was obvious that her sister didn't have any issues about it, she was still not ready to have those menacing-looking tools enter her mouth. We had to start off with Seo Yeon sitting together with me on the dentist chair. She didn't even want to have the sunglasses on at all. So, we left her at that and the dentist started her cooing. It didn't take long for Seo Yeon to warm up to the dentist and agree to sit on the dentist chair by herself. They had an extra cushion to prop her up and started the treament. Seo Yeon also has 20 teeth. And surprisingly, although she's not as avid a fan of teeth-brushing as her sister, the dentist declared that her teeth were well-maintained. For a moment, I was glad that she attended her current kindy because they practise good oral hygiene by brushing their teeth after meals.

Seo Yeon showing us a "V" after her first dental treatment

There was no choking, squealing, or the "I don't want...!", that I had quite expected. In fact, everything went on very well and I have no doubt that I will be bringing them back again 6 months later for another check. Might I add that the treatment fee of $9 is very affordable and economical. I like this!

 Check out the yellow sunglasses on the table (left) and a  parting shot with the obliging dentist (right)