Last weekend, my daughter had a toothache and I had to bring her to a dentist for children in Kuching.

She had complained about her tooth before but the pain went away before she slept and I wasn’t that concerned. My bad.

This time around, the pain was sudden. She was sound asleep at night and suddenly woke up crying at 1AM complaining about her tooth.

THE CAUSE OF THE TOOTH ACHE

I checked her mouth and found out that her molar had a huge hole.

It was probably the biggest hole I’ve seen in a tooth.

Previously, I’ve noted her two front teeth were already damaged, but I brushed the severity of her tooth condition as her pediatrician said it was common these days especially since she drinks milk before sleeping and didn’t brush her teeth.

Apparently milk these days are slightly sweeter than it used to be.  It is also sweeter than breast milk.

The find that her molar had a cavity was alarming and so I decided to take an emergency leave to see what can be done.  I know toothaches are painful, so I do not want her to endure such pain longer.

FACEBOOK AS A SOURCE OF HELP

As my wife calmed my daughter to sleep, I went to Facebook for recommendations.

As a first time parent, I didn’t know what to do. To me, there’s no shame in asking for help when you don’t know something.

I also don’t recall ever visiting the dentist until I reached primary school.

That said, the situation was very new to me. Should I bring her to her pediatrician, or should I directly bring her to the dentist?

I know it’s a silly question, but I had to be sure.

Thankfully, many friends, some of them doctors, responded by saying I should bring her directly to a dentist.

My next step was to do some research on what type of dentist I should bring my daughter to. Children and adults have different needs and I read in a few articles that there is indeed pediatric dentist (dentist for children).

FINDING A DENTIST FOR CHILDREN IN KUCHING

And so, the next day I immediately made an appointment with a local dentist for children in Kuching that same day.

I actually found this dentist from reviews in Google.  This particular dentist came highly recommended by reviewers as being one of the best dentist for children in Kuching.

The dentist for children in Kuching is quite far from my house but since the review was good, I didn’t care. It was my daughter’s first time seeing a dentist so it must end with a positive impression.

Since my daughter isn’t fond of doctors, I told her that I was bringing her to see ‘my friend’ and promised to bring her to the playground if she didn’t cry during the visit.

AT THE DENTIST

The whole registration process at the dentist went smoothly.  The nurse at the registration counter was also very polite and helpful.

They also asked how my daughter was with doctors and dentist. This to me was a sign of caring.

Upon entering the examination room, a young dentist named Martin greeted us.

The room was well lit, and there was a monitor showing cartoons just above the examination chair.  Obviously they are prepared for my daughter.

My daughter sat down on the chair and Dr Martin started his task.

He took extra care to talk softly to my daughter while asking permission from her before he did any examination.  My daughter cooperated well and although she did looked rather terrified, she braved through the whole examination.

After examining my daughter, Dr Martin explained that he won’t do any teeth fixing today as it was my first daughter’s visit. He said he didn’t want to scare her on her first visit.

Dr Martin identified the toothache cause and asked us to schedule a follow up which we did.  The follow up will see my daughter having her molar filled.

I was pleased with the experience and my daughter seemed relieved and happy after the visit.

CONCLUSION

The experience to the dentist opened my eyes to a couple of things.

One was the fact that you really need to start introducing better dental healthcare for children as soon as they have teeth.

I would say I had failed miserably here. My daughter’s dental care isn’t at its best and she had a toothache. I should have started taking her to the dentist sooner, especially when I realized her front teeth was starting to chip.

Secondly, the importance of Facebook as a source of help.

I know Facebook has been really toxic in recent years, but it is an amazing place to seek for help and recommendations. Use it wisely, and Facebook is actually quite a gem for helping others.

That said, thank you for all the responses and help.  I really appreciate it.

To be honest too, being a parent is really a learning curve for me. Cheers!