As a very little girl of 3, my eldest daughter slipped on an extremely large root growing out of the ground, whilst running.
There was just blood everywhere as she stood there her sobbing and holding her mouth, one front tooth half broken.
Now, i have learnt that mouth and face wounds tend to bleed excessively but way back then my 20 year old first time mom mind was convinced she had half killed herself.
It was a cold Sunday afternoon and I had been helping my father with a garage sale before his emmigration to the Seychelles.
I remember grabbing a kitchen cloth, holding it against her mouth and us all climbing into my father’s little VW beetle and rushing to find a dentist that was actually open.
We eventually found a dentist and he just pushed the little tooth back into her mouth.
I was shocked.
So much blood and yet the tooth was able to just be pushed back into the socket.
It grew firmer again within a week and a few months later, my accident prone child then managed to knock the same tooth on an ice cream fridge. This resulted in it cracking completely, just leaving a small bit in the mouth.
The dentist advised to leave it unless it caused her distress.
So we left it.
At 7 years old her big teeth started to grow in but the little one wouldn’t fall out.
An uneventful visit to the dentist resulted in my hysterical child screaming and the dentist refusing to extract the tooth.
Because of this her front teeth would grow skew.
Without medical aid, the option of fixing the teeth in her teens was unfortunately not an option for us and I was not at the time aware of University dental departments that may assist.
Cosmetic dentistry
A few years back she finally visited a dentist to see how she could do to rectify the damage done.
A smile is your most important asset and I’m so proud that in her 20’s she has never let her smile be dimmed by the fear of other people’s opinions.
Her confidence, I’m sure has been affected, although she has never shown it and her photos are as beautiful as a princess but I also know that cosmetic dentistry, which is increadibly expensive in South Africa and in some instances not covered by many medical aid schemes, would be a life changing experience for her.
What is cosmetic dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry involves the fixing of teeth that are damaged, misaligned and stained.
Knowing that not only your confidence but your health as well can be affected by your teeth not being healthy, it is important to acknowledge the good that cosmetic dentistry can do.
Each patient’s mouth is unique and your cosmetic dentist would work with an experienced team and the latest technology to scan your mouth, identify your needs and develop a goal to give you a smile design that you would be proud to flash through a custom treatment plan.
This plan could include :
- Invisalign
- Veneers
- Teeth whitening
- Crowns
- Bridges
- Dental implants
Conclusion
Many of these options are not covered by several medical aids in South Africa and a visit to the dentist is often more costly than the average monthly salary to many, resulting in many people unable to afford the necessary dental treatments they need.
But there are University dental departments that offer dentistry work at free or minimal payment options to those who find they can’t afford to visit a local dentist.
You can find these by looking up the telephone numbers of your local university.
