The whole experience started when I took my daughter, Tiffany (four and half years old), to see a dentist in Hong Kong in April 2007. We were told that she needed 4 "root canals" and 3 fillings done under general anesthetics, which would cost at least fifty thousand Hong Kong Dollars. I was very unsure about the suggested diagnosis and treatment.....

In spite of a life time of fillings, flossing, tooth brushings, tooth pickings, root-canals, caps, extractions, gum ministrations, veneers, et al. I reached, at the age of sixty-seven, an almost insurmountable dental speed-hump. My face and all that pertains, such as smile, speech and facial contours, had deteriorated into almost farce. I had shortened teeth, both capped and uncapped, irregular gaps, unsightly fillings, chronic abscesses, and painful eating...

In my younger days, good and healthy teeth were not considered top priorities. Only very basic treatments were provided for the relief of pain with minimal consideration given to the cosmetic aspects of dentistry. Some dentists either chose to ignore or did not recognize potential problems. Extractions and dentures were the order of the day...