I have to admit that one of life's worst fears has got to do with visiting the dentist. Everyone has some horrible mental image of a dentist, usually with a drill in one hand and a sharp hook-looking object in the other. He is wearing a mask and the only things you can see on his face are his expressionless eyes. We adults have been pre-conditioned to believe the worst about dentists.
Thankfully, we are not born with this fear in us. Kids usually don't feel as fearful when they need to visit the dentist. Otherwise, I won't know how I would be able to drag Joey to the dentist last week. One of her front tooth had chipped off a little, and the adult tooth started pushing its way out from the back even though the milk tooth has not dropped off yet. We wanted a dentist's advice as to whether we should extract the milk tooth so that the adult tooth can grow out smoothly and straight.
Under a friend's recommendation, we went to Canaan Dental Surgery. I was told that they have a lot of have a lot of experiences working with children and they have good rapport with them. So since it was Joey's maiden trip to a dentist, we decided that it is important to choose a good dentist. Even though it's located very far away from us, I was glad we made that decision.
This is the room we were brought to while waiting for our turn. Such a cheery and colourful kids' play room that can brighten up any kid's mood before seeing the dentist. Psychological tactic at work here. =)
We were called for our turn punctually at our appointment time, and a little nervous me brought a little nervous Joey into the room. Before you laugh at me, let me first tell you that Papa Isaiah dared not even step into the clinic. He had dropped us off at the entrance and escaped to a nearby coffee shop faster than I could say Bye. Then I promptly received an SMS from him that he cannot even stand the smell. So much for "Till death do us part". It's more like, 'Till the Dentist door do us part". =.=
Joey's dentist is Dr Albert, who is a super patient and nice dentist. He knew it was Joey's 1st visit and seeing that she was freaked off, he spent time chatting with her, and asked her questions about her school and favourite things to build a rapport with her. I can understand why she's so scared. The dentist chair looks really quite daunting. =P
But Joey was very brave to hold back her tears as best as she could. The fact she obeyed every instruction by the dentist and did not run out of the room was more than I could ask for.
Plus, after she lied down, she was occupied by the cartoons that was playing on the screen hung from the ceiling. Good distraction for sure. =)
And Joey's first dental visit went smoothly. =) Dr Albert explained to me Joey's oral condition and suggested ways to help improve it. He also explained that because some kids are more averse to dental visits, the visits need to be kept short and spread out over several times so that the kids are not overly traumatised and refuse to return again. I feel glad that my Joey is in good hands. =)
At the end of the visit, Joey resumed her usual happy self and asked Dr Albert for a lollipop, which totally made us flip with laughter. He explained to her that it would be very silly of him to give her a lollipop right after making her teeth clean! Haha.. Instead, he gave her some colouring pencils and a certificate! HAHA!
We'll be back for several more visits to complete some procedures. Thankfully, when I told Joey about it, she was very okay with it! Methinks my Joey is braver than her dad. =P
Canaan Dental Surgery Pte Ltd
29 UPPER EAST COAST ROAD
CRESCENDO BUILDING
SINGAPORE 455291
Tel: 6442 0293
Fax: 6241 5173
Email: customerservice@canaan.com.sg
