Dr. Ninia Rodil is a busy woman. Her dental practice Dental Focus Center for Cosmetic & Orthodontic Dentistry has three branches around the country, and today, she is known as the Dentist to the Stars. Apart from her dental practice, she is also involved in organizations like the Club Marinduqueño, the Inner Wheel Club, and the Sta. Cruz Institute Alumni Association. She also helps the less fortunate by conducting medical-dental missions and other outreach projects.
But what’s most extraordinary about Dr. Ninia is how she manages to balance her business and socio-civic activites with her role as a single parent to her two sons Carlos Juan Miguel (18) and Jose Antonio Enrique (8). She cooks for her kids, helps them with schoolwork, does household chores, and spends quality time with them.
photo: Dr. Ninia Rodil instagram
“When it comes to my children’s welfare, I do not delegate.”
How does she do all that? Dr. Ninia chalks it all up to “proper time management, a huge dose of positive attitude, and a ton of prayers”, but having the right priorities is definitely what helps her strike the balance. Her family always comes first.
“Kids grow so fast, and if you are not careful, you will really miss out on certain milestones in their life that help mold who and what they will become,” she says. “That is why, despite my busy-ness, I go the extra mile to spend not just quality time but also quantity time with my boys.”
Dr. Ninia makes sure that she’s the one who tucks them in bed at night. “When it comes to my children’s welfare, I do not delegate,” she says. “I go to school field trips with them, attend parent-teacher conferences, make sure to cheer for them in school activities and events. I also play golf with my boys.”
She acknowledges that being a single parent is a serious challenge, but that fact only makes her more determined to be there for her kids. “Things are not perfect, but I do my best to make the best of the situation we are in.”
According to Dr. Ninia, the most common mistakes parents make when taking care of their children’s teeth are:
1. Not teaching the habit of good oral care
Proper oral care should start even before teeth start breaking out of the gums. Parents can take care of their babies’ oral health by wiping the gums off after each feeding with a warm, wet washcloth or a dampened piece of gauze wrapped around their finger.
“You can also buy thimble-like, soft rubbery devices (they fit over your index finger) to use for rubbing off excess food,” Dr. Ninia says.
Parents should make an effort to instill the value of good oral care habits in their children. “Kapag hindi nasanay ang bata ng wastong oral care, makakasanayan niya ito at dadalhin niya into adulthood,” Dr. Ninia adds.
Toothbrushing is an essential part of oral care. It doesn’t just take care of your teeth, but also your overall health. Without regular toothbrushing, more than a thousand harmful bacteria build up inside the mouth.
photo: fotolia
2. Not establishing a good relationship between the dentist and their children
So many kids grow up fearing the dentist, but this doesn’t have to be the case. To encourage a good relationship between your children and dentist.
Parents should schedule a visit with a dentist within six months after their child’s first tooth erupts—no later than their first birthday. Then, make it a point to go regularly. To make each visit less intimidating, look for a pediatric dentist with a child-friendly clinic.
3. Not taking care of milk teeth
Many parents don’t think taking care of milk teeth is important because of the mindset that they’d fall off anyway, says Dr. Ninia. However, proper milk teeth care is vital to your child’s health. Why?
- Healthy milk teeth promote good nutrition through proper chewing. “Kapag maagang napupudpod ang milk teeth dahil sa lack or improper oral care, hindi matututo ng wastong chewing and good eating habits ang inyong anak.”
- Healthy milk teeth assist in speech development. “Ang maayos na tubo ng ngipin ay may korelasyon sa pagkatutong magsalita ng bata.”
- Healthy milk teeth build self-esteem by providing a beautiful smile. “Maganda nga ang anak mo, pangit naman ang ngipin, pangit pa rin. And the child instinctively knows this.”
- Healthy milk teeth enable the child to pay attention and learn in school without the distraction of dental pain. “Toothache is extremely painful. The only way to spare your child of this pain is to make regular toothbrushing a part of his after-every-meal habit.”
- Healthy milk teeth provide a path for permanent teeth to follow. “Kapag hindi kasi naaalagaan ang milk teeth, madali itong mag-wear out – lalo na kapag may sweet tooth ang bata. Kapag nag-wear out ang teeth, hindi maganda ang pagtubo ng permanent teeth dahil nakaharang sa loob ng gums ang hidden part of the milk teeth.”
Learn more from Dr. Ninia by watching her interview with theAsianparent Community TV, below.
READ: Tooth care tips to keep your toddler’s teeth in tip-top shape