2 is too late: An interview with a pediatric dentist

I have a confession to make: I fail my kids many, many, many times. In fact, if you could give me a peso for all my faults and failures as a parent, I would probably be a multi-millionaire now! One of the ways I’ve failed my kids? By not bringing them to a pediatric dentist at the right time.

“When is the right time?” you might ask.

Most pediatric dentists will tell you that the best time to bring your child for their first check-up is when the first tooth appears, or no later than his or her first birthday.

So bringing your child when he or she is already two years old is definitely too late! 

This is something I learned the hard way, even if I am a mom of four kids. We did not bring our kids to the dentist at the recommended time, and had to “suffer” the consequences!

Thank God, though, that we were able to make up for it recently. I discovered that a relative of ours – Dr. Christine Joy Benson – is actually a pediatric dentist, so my husband and I brought the three older kids to her for a long-overdue check-up. 

I asked Dr. Benson if she could share a bit about her profession, plus a few tips with our Philstar.com readers, and she graciously obliged. I hope my fellow parents will benefit from her answers somehow.

TSR: Why did you choose to specialize in pediatric dentistry?

Dr. Benson: When my kids were in preschool, there were some co-parents of mine who would come up to me and ask questions about their children's teeth and I wasn't that confident with my answers. We did study this in dental school but I just couldn’t come up with a better treatment plan. It was a wake-up call.

TSR: Where did you do your training?

Dr. Benson: I took my residency training program at Pediatric Dentistry Center Philippines in 2009.

TSR: Is it challenging to practice your profession? Why or why not?

Dr. Benson: Yes, it is. It takes patience. An enormous amount of patience! I remember my youngest child asking me,"Why are some parents so nice to other parents' children even though they cry all the time?" (This was his reaction when he saw me with a crying patient – I was being extra nice and patiently explaining every procedure to the crying kid.)

TSR: What are the top three tips you would give to parents whose kids are set to visit a pediatric dentist? 

Dr. Benson: To find a book about first visits to the dentists, or to google YouTube videos about first dental visits (of their favorite cartoon characters), and to never use dentists as a scare tactic! For example: "If you don't do this or that, I’ll bring you to the dentist and ask her to give you an injection!"

TSR: If you could say anything to the parents reading this article, what would you say?

Dr. Benson: You cannot really tag your child as being "healthy" just because he has a good physique or has never been sick. A healthy child must also have a healthy smile. Gone are the days of "baby teeth lang yan... mapapalitan din." Parents have to be aware that the permanent teeth will be complete only when their kids are 12 or 13 years old. So if they don’t take care of their milk teeth, even the permanent ones could be affected.

Keeping Dr. Benson’s advice in mind, I hope other parents and their kids will remember the importance of taking care of our teeth. Remember: health is wealth, even dental health!

Do your kids go to the dentist regularly? Do you have tips for parents who are preparing their kids to visit the dentist? Please feel free to comment below!