15/08/2026
Me to my family:
“Punta tayo ng dentist para magalit ako.”
Nothing makes me more frustrated than bringing my kids to their biannual dental appointment and hearing the dentist say, “May cavities po.” I already knew there would be a problem because I literally tell them every single day, “Mag-toothbrush kayo!”
That “may cavities po” was like a confirmation of all my struggles. All the reminders, all the nagging, all the daily litanya about brushing their teeth and this is what I get. Their only job is to brush their teeth! How hard can that be?! And now, P1,200 for cleaning and at least P1,500 for pasta. All those expenses could have been avoided by simply doing one very basic task: brushing your teeth!
Dental health is important. When you’re young, you sometimes don’t understand why you need to take care of your teeth. Wait until you’re an adult and you have bad breath and rotten teeth. That’s when you’ll realize, Mom was right all along. Besides, oral health is connected to your overall health, including heart health. Bacteria from infected gums can enter your bloodstream, travel to your heart, and cause inflammation, among others. Do some research. Tutal selpon ka nang selpon, mag-aral ka na rin. 😤
Mabuti nga ngayon, mas naiintindihan na natin ang importance of dental health. Hindi tulad noon, kapag may butas ang ngipin at sumakit, sabihan ka lang ng nanay mo na lagyan ng asin o bawang. Ano ’yan, adobo? O kaya, konting sakit lang, bunot agad. Wala sa vocabulary ang pasta kasi magastos. Ang alam lang ng mga nanay natin na “pasta” ay spaghetti pang-Pasko.
At this point, I literally wanted to give my kids a spanking right there in the clinic. Atty. Lorna, I feel you. The dentist ended up acting like my cardiologist, trying to calm me down. 😤😫
