Last Friday, Jolyne complained of a toothache. I checked her teeth and was surprised to discover a wobbly tooth. I thought it was kind of early for a 5-year-old to start changing teeth. Nevertheless, KA and I tried our best to explain to her that her adult tooth is sprouting out and her baby one had to give way, and this is part of growing up which everyone will go through. She cried for a good 30 minutes after hearing that. "But I don't want to grow up", sobbed the little girl. "I'm still a baby. And I'll be so ugly without teeth." As she suddenly remembered the story from a book about a little boy who swallowed a tooth when playing, she wailed even louder, "What if I swallow it when I was sleeping?" We only managed to soothe her after promising her loads of goodies to celebrate her first step into being a big kid.

The next day, we brought her to Thomson Medical Dental Clinic for her first check-up. I could tell that she was extremely nervous but tried to be brave. We were attended by Dr. Joseph Le, who was a very gentle and friendly dentist. He explained to her what was happening and helped her count her teeth. The good thing was, her tooth need not be extracted. Dr. Le explained that it is a natural process that the adult tooth will eventually push the baby one out and we needn't worry that the new one will grow crooked. He even asked Jolyne to play with the shaky tooth using her tongue, and it will soon drop out in a couple of days.

During our times, we weren't so fortunate. I could vividly remember the horror dental experience from my childhood days. How glad I am that Jolyne's first dental visit turned out to be such a pleasant one. We were very lucky to have a professional yet amiable dentist. I'm thankful that he did not suggestion an extraction, as it would have traumatized her a great deal and left a terrifying bad impression. Such fine experience, I believe, had given her a pleasant memory, boosted her confidence, and most importantly, it would help in lessening any fear she may have for dentists as she grows up.