The more I met with Dr. Lee, the more pictures he showed me of small children who had dental problems. Some had swollen faces, some had missing teeth and some had to be hospitalized for dental reconstruction. Each time I saw the pictures, I said the same thing, "you need to show pictures of normal-looking children, with minor problems." I said this mainly because the pictures he showed me caused me to say to him "that's not my child" and "this couldn't happen to my daughter, she has a beautiful smile!"

Little did I know…

The true horror of Dr. Lee's warnings set in when I took her to a local dentist. My dentist told me that she had not one cavity, but at least three! He also told me that he would not be able to fill the cavities, and I would need to take her to a children's dentist, whom he recommended. After a thorough examination, our new dentist tells me that my daughter actually has 6 full-blown cavities and is showing major signs of decay along the gum lines.

My daughter, and her beautiful smile, is going to have to undergo surgery just a few weeks shy of her 5th birthday. She will have the 6 cavities fixed, capped and a nerve removed.

If I had waited as little as three more months before having this procedure, they tell me that she would have surely lost one of her teeth prematurely, and her other teeth would shift to fill in the gap. This will not leave room for a new tooth to come in when it's ready in 3 to 5 years.

The children's dentist also showed me that I had been brushing her teeth wrong. He actually had a copy of Dr. Lee's book, "I Hate Dentists", sitting right in the exam room and showed me in the book how to brush her teeth and at what age she would be able to brush her own teeth. I had perfect teeth growing up and had just assumed that she would too.

What could have been prevented two years ago, by routine dental visits and home examinations is now going to cost me just over $3,000. My main concern is the same of many parents: I want my child to have a beautiful smile. Always. This could have been prevented if only we had been more educated, aware and proactive. Children's baby teeth are so important to a healthy smile later in life.

I will never again say "this could not possibly happen to my child!" I now strongly believe in this movement and in the premise that prevention is the key to a healthy and life-long smile. Thank you, again!