Kids And The Brutal Dental Truth

By Author: Karen McDonagh
Total Articles: 75
Comment this article

There was a time in High School when having braces was the same as having the newest mobile phone model or the latest trendy bag. For some reason, all the cool kids back then sported braces and if you didn’t have one, you were considered as just another mere face in the crowd, (and no, you couldn't sit with the cool kids at the lunch table).

As a kid, I was never the bratty type who would demand material things from my parents and threaten to run away if they refused to give in. I never asked for braces even if I knew that it was my ticket to 'cooldom' back then. So when my aunt studied my teeth and decided it was time to sport braces, throwing around words like “bite” and “molars” to which, at that time, I just mindlessly nodded my head to and pretended to understand what on earth she was talking about, I gleefully opened my mouth to let out a resounding “yes”.

Where I am based, I come from a fairly known family in show business. It does not come as a surprise then that my childhood dabbled a bit in acting as well. At a young age, my father took my brother and I to act in a movie that ...
... was historical in setting. This basically meant that a little girl dressed up in historical garb (think late 1800’s) sporting a shiny alien-looking contraption in her mouth would probably be grounds for accusation of witchery, eventually being stoned to death. In the end, the braces lost the battle and had to be reluctantly taken out by my aunt, never to be brought back in again.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized the importance of braces and regretted carelessly getting rid of them. I wish my aunt could have explained to me how big of an investment they are, not only for appearances but more importantly, for my health. I have been contemplating on getting them again for the past year, but this time for different and well-informed reasons: aside from minor aesthetic corrections, I have learned that correcting my bite may significantly or completely rid me of my bruxism, which have now been causing some agitation to the joints in my jaw, forming a physically unnoticeable but uncomfortable hitch when I open and close my mouth. However, professional reasons have been making me hesitate, as I fear it may aesthetically affect my ability to deal with seniority professionally since there’s a good chance that they will treat me like a kid.

Bottom line is that while the adults ultimately get the final say, oral health must be translated and easily understandable throughout any age. In my pre-teens, it may not have been necessary to hear big words like “oral prophylaxis”, but a simple “you may develop problems with your jaw” would have been enough to shift my perspective on braces from a social status to a health concern. After all, children absorb information better in their formative years. I believe an introduction to dental education or health can never come too early.

Karen McDonagh is a proud contributing author and writes articles on several subjects including Dental courses. She is passionate for Dental Education and always looking for better ways to educate people.