If my child gets a cavity, I’m a horrible parent!

Recently, an article popped up from my News Feed that got my attention. A dentist went viral on Tik Tok showing her working on her son:

“This is a message for every parent that has been shamed for their kids having cavities here’s a video of me a dentist doing fillings on my own child.” The article concludes that “she’s telling parents everywhere it’s not that big of a deal.”

I’ve got mixed emotions about the message. Parents shouldn’t be shamed for their kids having a cavity. I remember as a child my dentist would say “shame on me” for having stains on my teeth and that I need to brush more. That’s direct and there’s no reason for it. I’ve learned in my later years that brushing more doesn’t help get rid of the stains.

However, there is a difference between shaming and educating. The message must be clear. One of the biggest hurdles of a practitioner is informing patients of their current condition. It is intended to educate versus telling a patient “Shame on you.” But it can be misunderstood as shaming which is never our intention.

The problem with this article is its conclusion. Getting cavities is a problem and needs to be identified quickly before it spreads. If I could kindly say this, but it can be misunderstood as shaming, “It is not acceptable to have it.” Just like any disease, it is not normal for people, adults or children, to have cavities or gum disease. The message is clear “if you get it that’s fine we’ll fix it for you, but you should do everything you can to avoid it from happening again.”

Research has shown that dental expenditures have increased as we get older. This makes sense because we have a tendency to ignore our dental health. It can wait. This is due to our lack of focus on preventative measures as dental clinicians. There isn’t a lot of education and we’re worried about shaming our patients especially with what they can say on social media. This is why I will continually stress dental hygiene in order to maintain long term dental health. It is meant to educate not shame. Without preventative measures, everything crumbles to the point where our dental problems continue to proceed with no answer. There is a “light through the tunnel” and that is with better education and emphasis on better hygiene techniques.

As for me, have I ever had a cavity??? Nope, never. I don’t plan on getting it. Neither should anyone else.