Journey to strong teeth
It’s never too early to instill a dental routine in babies. A new mother and businesswoman tells Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan why dental care is vital
SINDEE Lee, 37, grew up fearing the dentist. At her primary school, there was an in-house dentist whowas, unfortunately, feared by the pupils. A visit to the dentist or the biannual oral check meant some girls would come back to class crying.
Lee isn’t alone. Many adults fear the dentist because of a bad experience from young, where a visit to the ‘teeth doctor’ often meant extraction, which equals pain.
“I don’t think children’s psychological needs were considered back then. There wasn’t a call for a pleasant and positive experience at the dentist so that children didn’t fear them,” says Lee.
In her case, thankfully, her parents were in the baby business. For the past 30 years, they distributed Mam Baby, a premium baby brand from Austria, selling them in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia.
“I was lucky because my parents were informed about paediatric dental care through their business.
So even though the dentist experience was unpleasant, I was introduced to good dental care early on.”
CHANGING PRACTICES
Things have changed these days. More parents are bringing their toddlers to the dentist once they have a full set of teeth to check on oral condition and to detect early stage tooth decay, if any.
It also helps toddlers familiarise themselves with a dental clinic set-up and not associate the visit with fear.
In addition, a biannual check-up promotes good dental habits. If parents know their toddler has a dental appointment a few months down the line, they will more likely stick to good dental routine.
RECENT RETURN
More than three months ago, Lee relocated to Kuala Lumpur from Zurich, where she was living with her husband and had worked for a pharmaceutical company.
She decided to come back to take over the business from her parents.
One of the things she is proud of in Mam Baby is its dental care line, beginning with even before the first tooth emerges.
“We have what we call the Oral Rabbit, a fabric glove parents can use to clean baby’s gum and mouth.
“It’s important to start a dental care routine from young so that babies and toddlers are used to it,” says Lee, who is Mam Malaysia general manager.
“Brushing teeth should not be the first stage in dental care. Parents should massage and clean gums even before the first tooth appears. This is to prevent infection and keep the gum and mouth area clean from milk and food residue,” she says.
A few weeks after Lee and her Austrian husband Dr Chris Hammar, whojoined her at Mam Malaysia as vice-president of business development, arrived in the country, she gave birth to the couple’s son.
“We had always planned to move to KL and settle down. Before the pandemic, we thought we’d go back to Austria to bring the baby to see his grandparents for Christmas, but I think that will have to wait for now.”
FOR KIDS
At their young age, toddlers are still learning gross and fine motor skills so Lee says products should be “well-thought-of and designed with safety in mind”.
Mam Baby, she says, has a training toothbrush with gum massager and safety shield so toddlers cannot push the toothbrush too far in and injure themselves.
“Thebristles are soft andthebrushhead is small so it can brush deep without causing discomfort.
“Butmorethantheproducts, it’s the parents showing a good example by brushing teeth and setting a daily brushing routine that will make toddlers adopt it as a habit. There is no point buying good products if they are not well-utilised,” she says.