Goodbye, Toothache!

“Mom! My tooth hurts so bad!” Loren cried out.  Mrs. Rosete put down the book she was reading to attend to her daughter. She asked Loren to open her mouth wide to check which tooth was the problem. It was the farthest tooth at the back and it was not easy for her to assess.

To ease the pain, Mrs. Rosete wrapped some ice cubes in a towel and told Loren to place it by her cheek, nearest to the tooth that was aching. She promised to take her daughter to the dentist the next day.

“Say aah,” Dr. Lazaga whispered as she peeked into Loren’s mouth with the overhead lights on. She gently tapped each tooth and observed her reaction. She found the problematic tooth in no time. She told Loren that because the tooth was far back, her toothbrush must not have reached it every time she brushed her teeth.

Mrs. Rosete and her daughter were both happy to hear that Dr. Lazaga could save the tooth so it didn’t have to be extracted. However, the dentist gave both of them some reminders to prevent the same problem from happening again:

• Brush your teeth twice a day. You brush after breakfast and before you go to bed at night. This is to keep cavities from forming overnight.

• Take your time when brushing. Cleaning one’s teeth needs enough time. Make sure your brush can reach all the way to the last tooth at the back of your mouth. Do not just brush the front part of your teeth. Clean all the sides.

• Floss your teeth. No matter how expensive your toothbrush is, it doesn’t do a very good job in taking care of the areas between your teeth.

• Cut down on sweets. Don’t eat too much candy, especially the gummy ones. Don’t drink sodas. You’d better have fruits instead.

• Drink lots of water. You don’t brush every time you finish eating something, but water rinses off most of the food particles in your mouth. 

One day at the supermarket, Loren spotted her dentist and ran to greet her. “Hello, Loren! I haven’t seen you at the clinic since your last visit. How have you been?” Dr. Lazaga asked.

“Thank you for saving my tooth, Dr. Lazaga. I followed everything you said and since then, I haven’t been bothered by any toothache.” Loren happily replied.