The Journey of a Tooth Doctor

I Am A Dentist Now

2010-11-14T22:22:00.002+08:00

It's been a while since I last visited my blog. I had been busy searching for the right path after I got my license and I think my professional life has just started. It's almost 2 years now since I became a licensed dentist but I think life can be really vague after getting out of the four corners of the academe.

I must admit I was too afraid to make a step into the real world. That fear prevented me to practice my profession at the soonest possible time. I don't think I am going to regret those months where I focused on contemplating what I really want in life since those months helped be to spend more time with my family after being away most of the time for almost ten years.

If anyone have noticed, I changed the name of my blog from "Earn Money Online With A Pinoy College Student" to "The Journey Of A Tooth Doctor." I had no plans of continuing this blog actually until someone posted a comment on one of my "dentistry" post and consulted. I think I'd just focus more on topics where I could use my profession - dentistry.

It may be too late for me to realize that I need to start blogging about dentistry but it is never too late to start anyway...

Today starts the Journey Of A Tooth Doctor...

Einstein And Manilyn Monroe Look-a-like

2008-06-04T08:43:00.002+08:00

I got this email from a friend. If you look at the picture closely, you will see Albert Einstein. But if you look at the picture about 5 meters away, you will see Manilyn Monroe.

Try it.

Reflections: My College Years

2008-05-09T10:32:00.009+08:00

School is almost starting and a lot of students still haven't had much fun with their summer vacation. The highschool graduates are now excited in college. Many are now preparing with the new environment that they will be indulging themselves into and some would even need to be away from their families just to get the best eductaion in Manila and in other cities.

I could still remember when I first entered college. It was a whirlwind decision because I was only supposed to be studying near my province. But having been able to pass the entance examination of the premiere university (You know what school right? hehe) I decided to stay away from my family.

Here are some of the realizations that I have in college that I think would be worth sharing.

1. Being away from my family for the first time gave me the independence I wanted in high school. I got to enjoy hanging out, enjoy friends, go to places and go back to my apartment in the wee hours of the morning without anyone to look after me. Believe me it was fun. However, the good this is that I know how to control myself and I know my limitations. A lot of times I could have been trekking the wrong path but I thank God for guiding me and for my parents for instilling in me good values to know which is which when faced with tough situations.

2. My first day in college was really hard. I don't know any of my classmates since we were like fruits picked up from different provinces boxed in one single box. It was hard since after the orientation and all, I don't know where to go and I can't even initiate asking my classmate to go out with me for lunch or for some coffee. Considering that I was also a meek person made things even harder.

3. Freshies are really the prey of fraternities. I remember after the welcome ceremonies and and I don't have anyone to talk with after the program, someone approched me and made friends with me. He asked me to have lunch with him and he entertained me and even toured me around my new school. I thought he was really just nice and all but I ended up in their fraternity house. I never really intended to join any frat but believe me they are good in encouraging you. They use the most attracting tactics and I almost fell with their encouragement.

I don't have anything against fraternities but I know that life would be better without them. You really don't need to join one to be in. Just enjoy your college life with your own friends.

4. I was really very conscious with my grades in high school. Competition was at its best in my classroom during my secondary years and I always thought that I would suffer from such thing in college. I was wrong. In college, I realized that its not about grades but its more of being able to pass the subject. It's not about befriending your professor to get high grades but it's more of making sacrifices to make you pass your exams.

5. Staying away from my family was the hardest thing. I had been very dependent for 17 years and all of a sudden I have to live on my own. I have to prepare my clothes, I have to prepare my breakfast and I have to make decisions on my own. I admit that I cried a lot of times and I wanted to go home and just give up my studies. These are normal sufferings that a college freshman would really go through. Just believe in yourself that you can do it. Don't count the days for they would just slip away and you would just find yourself back in your province again on school breaks.

6. Friends are important. Within a week after the start of school, I had already made good friends. I was lucky because all my friends were really nice. I know that in your college freshman you really would be jumping from one group of friends to another because it is normal to look whick ones would fit in your personality. Just make sure that you make friends with the ones who will also serve as your support system as you journey the next years in college.

7. Books are important but they are not the top reference during exams. Well as far as my school is concerned, I believe that it is the lecture of the professors that would matter most in your examinations When I entered my proper year, it was very helpful to divide the class in transcribing the lectures on all of our subjects. the transcriptions are then encoded, photocopied and are distributed to the whole class. It was really a very helpful way to make you through the examinations.

College life had been fun. I know I am leaving that stage of my life soon and I feel happy that I have survived but I am saddened that I will miss every experience that I had. It was in college when I got to know myself more, when I got to find the best friends and when I got to be mature enough. It was in college when I realized that life isn't all fun and that a lot of priorities are waiting for me. It was in college that I got to learn how much my family means to me and that being apart from them is like removing a big part of your heart.

Time had been so fast that I am now seeing myself wearing a toga soon, going up the stage while my name is being called inside the big auditorium. As I leave the portals of my school soon, I will always remember all the laughters, all tha pains, all the adventures and all the memories that I had shared with myself, my friends and my family.

This is Amazing - Say The Color And Not The Word

2008-05-08T10:14:00.005+08:00

I have come across many interesting, mind buggling realities about the human body. I know everyone of you knows the tricky "word reading" game where the first and last letters of a work are just the ones in the right place while the othe ones in between ar jumbled up.

Just recently, I came across this new stuff which I know would also interest you. Try this game by saying the color and NOT reading the word. This would make you understand the differences of the left and right brain as we all have known in our science classes. HAVE FUN!!!

(Reference : http://oddpicsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/say_the_color.gif)

A Kid's Question To You

2008-05-02T17:40:00.000+08:00

I've been tagged by Posh Post

1. Answer the Kid’s Question by Gregory Stock, PH.D. Remember: Don’t respond as you think others want you to. Respond the way you actually feel!

2. Add your name (linked to your blog)

3. Tag everybody else!

Kid’s Question #1: If you were the ruler of the world and you could have anything you wanted as well as have people do anything you wanted, do you think you would get greedy and mean or would you be a good and fair ruler? Please answer the question and put your name and link after.

My Answer:
Of course, I would want to be a good and fair ruler. I cannot take any form of violence and poverty anymore because I could see how people, especially children, are suffering from such things. I love peace and unity so I would enlighten each person with the true meaning of love and life and what peaceful existence means.

I would be a role model when it comes to leadership. I would think of other's welfare first before anything else. I would encourage everyone to love God above all. I just want a change in the present situation of the world where we live in.

Now, I am passing the tag question to :
1. Nelda --
2. Denial --
3. Vincent --
4. Earthlingorgeous--
5. Coloritgreen--

Take The Internet Back: A Site That Pays Fairly

2008-05-02T03:02:00.000+08:00

I joined a site a few weeks ago but I did not come back to visit my account since I was really having doubts with many online money-making opportunities. But when i decided to check my account just an minutes ago before I posted this, I was shocked getting revenues from the site! It's amazing! I highly recommend that you JOIN NOW!!!

It's totally FREE to join the site - Take The Internet Back. You would even be getting 10 dollars as a sign-up bonus with no catch!!!. Payout is 20 dollars.

The difference of this with other other advertising sites is that they give out 90% of the advertisers payment to the members unlike many other sites that you need to work hard by clicking ads or by waiting for visitors of your website click the ads before you get paid with a very small amount of money which is very unfair.

They also provide with special downloadable materials about monetizing your blog, maximizing money-making opportunities in the internet and a whole lot more for FREE!!!

The members actually are termed as "co-owners" of the site for life. All you have to do is just check your inbox and generate points. The more points, the more revenues you will receive from advertisers!!! There are many ways to get these points and to get more revenues!

Check it out and see how RELIABLE the site is! It's really the NEXT BIG THING in the internet!!! CLICK THE BANNER BELOW!!!

My Very FIRST PAYMENT from the Internet!!!

2008-04-24T20:29:00.000+08:00

I was really skeptical when it comes to make-money-online stuffs that are presented to me. It was only last month when I tried such things but there was still doubt at the back of my mind.

A few articles with a touch of patience the BOOM! I received my payment.

I was really happy the moment received the money. I have realized how a person could really earn online just with his talent as an investment!

SEE THE PROOF!!! (Click the picture for a clearer view)

Creating Family Traditions

2008-04-22T03:20:00.000+08:00

Family traditions are important in every individual because it strengthens the connections between each member and it bridges the gaps between them. The family, being the simplest unit of the community, is united by these traditions to start in their homes the essence of leadership, love, respect, commitment and sacrifice for the welfare of each individual that comprises it.

I grew up in a Filipino family and we are known to have many traditions that were passed through generations. One of the best family traditions in the Philippines is called "bayanihan." The best motto that would describe bayanihan is "All for one, one for all." When children grow up, it is a usual scenario in Philippine homes that they still live under their parent's house. The reason is not solely on economic instability of some of these children but the fact that they do not want to leave their family. The bond between family members is really tight that they help each other, and they would feel incomplete in the absence of a member.

You could also witness unity and togetherness of families even in situations that may seem unlawful. Blood is thicker than water when it comes to issues that would concern families. I have noticed in some families that if a member would break the law and is submitted to charges by the court, the family would still be on their member's side. In case of the issuance of the warrant of arrest, some would even try to hide the member because they do not want him to suffer in jail. This tradition has commenced during the time of our ancestors. There is such a thing as clans and communities and when communities have feud, the leaders would do everything just to protect the members from threats of the other groups.

It is also a tradition in the Philippines that families gather together during occasions like birthdays, fiesta, Christmas day and anniversaries. Filipinos are known for their hospitality that some even would borrow money just to have some food to prepare for both the family members and visitors during occasions. In cases when the children in the family are working away from their homes, they would usually go back to their families and spend vacations and holidays that makes traffic situations and reservations in all sea, land and air transportations really ugly. Family members find time to go home if given a chance because they lived with that tradition eversince they were kids. There is really no place like home in Filipino families.

Respect to the elders and parents is one of the family traditions that will always be a trademark in Filipinos. Even from childhood to grown ups, children would kiss or mano (a sign of respect wherein a younger person would hold the hand of an elder and make the dorsal part of the hand touch his forehead) to their parents, elders and godparents. Aside from these gestures, they use the words "po" and "opo" when talking their elders. They use terms such as "kuya" (older brother) and "ate" (older sister) as a sign of respect to their older siblings.

Sunday is family day. During this day, the shopping malls, movie theaters and parks are full-packed with happy families spending time together and doing different strategies to enjoy bonding moments. A family day is a good stress-remover from the tiring week of work for the parents and school for the kids. I remember when I was a child. My father would usually take us to the pier near our house in the province and we would do fishing there. It was not an expensive leisure but the bonding moments I had with my family was way better than those expensive getaways.

A home for the aged is never an option to families in the Philippines. It is a responsibility of the children to take charge of their parents during their old age. The parents would usually stay in one of their children's house to have someone to look after them. No matter how hard life is, the children are there to provide the needs of their parents during their golden years.

Death is also a scenario where family traditions would matter. I haven't experienced the sorrow of death in my immediate family but I know how family members act in cases of death. Once a family member dies, the whole family and their immediate relatives would gather to share the sorrow as well as to comfort those who were left. They chip in some amount of money to provide for the finances needed during the wake up to the burial. They usually prepare food during the last day of the wake and they hold a mass or a service during the last day as a tradition. Death anniversaries is also a reason for them to gather again with the aim not just to reminisce the death of their loved one but also to strengthen the ties between those who were left.

I remember when my father had an accident and he almost died. His siblings, even those from far provinces, gathered to provide moral and financial support as well as comfort to us. This had made big help in the fast recovery of my father for he felt how much he is loved. During that time, I saw how the members had voluntarily provided help and had showed their love and compassion to each other.

Family traditions are special ingredients in uplifting the spirit of unity in each member. These traditions are ways on how families show the essence of being a member of this unit by promoting love, respect and comfort despite the individuality among members. I know that as long as I live, the traditions that my Filipino family instilled in me will remain and will be passed to my children and my children's children.

Family Life: Looking Back at Times Gone By

2008-04-22T03:19:00.000+08:00

I opened the newly painted door. I then threw my bag in bed, removed my uniform and sat on the edge of my unfixed bed. I could not sit on the chair because the towels and the soiled shirt I used the other day were still placed on top of it. I was tired from school. The soft ray of sunlight signaling that it is already sunset touched my weary face as I look through the window just beside the bed. I looked around the four corners of the room and that was the time that I realized that I was all alone. Tears fell as images of my childhood flashed back and forcefully bring me back to the fresh memories about my home, about my family.

Looking again at the door to which I just entered, I could imagine the old door back at my house in the province. I imagined my father opening our door and surprise us with a big plastic bag full of fruits or sometimes toys or VHS tapes of the latest movies. I also remember the memories when my mother enters that same door after school with bread and softdrinks or juice for our snack. I could remember my oldest brother running because my other older brother was chasing him while crying. I could imagine myself in uniform with a big backpack, a bulky green envelop walking inside the door looking lost and distracted thinking of what to study first for the exams the following day.

I have lived away from my family for more than seven years now. I have lived an independent life that I could have never imagined that I could survive seven years ago. I cried for countless times during my first year of college because my family had been my life and I only realized that when I was physically detached from them. I have overlooked the idea that I was so much emotionally involved with my family that the moment I rode the bus heading to Manila made me want to just get out of the bus and just give up my dream of studying in the best university just to be with my family. It was a tough decision for a 17-year old me to weigh things between education and family at that time.

I remember my high school days when I wanted to be independent and free myself from my parents. I remember spending two hours after my afternoon classes with my classmates just to stroll around because I don't want to go home. I remember not wanting to go to the town proper with my mother because I want to be independent and I don't want to be called "mama's boy." Looking back to that kind of thinking I had towards my family, I could say that I was a totally immature boy when I was in my teenage years.

And then my older brother got married but the couple chose to live with us. The moment it happened, I was really skeptical about the situation. I don't know why but my older brother was the jolliest person and he treats me and my youngest brother as babies. He had been so loving and caring and I can't imagine him having lesser time and attention to us the moment he got married. After two years, an additional member of the family was given to us by God when my sister-in-law gave birth to their first baby and to another five years later. Again, all the attention was towards these kids and I just realized that it was a blessing in the long run. Now that me and my siblings are grown-ups and stay away from home most of the time, these little children ease out the longing of my parents toward their children.

If I would want to see a picture of a happy family, I would say that my family would be the best example of it. If I could only turn back time, I would want to be a child again. During my childhood days, I could have a sight of all my family members before my eyes rest to sleep at night and see them all again the moment I wake up in the morning. I remember the family vacations that we had wherein we all laughed and enjoyed together. I remember fishing with my dad and my other siblings in our town pier. Even if we were having lesser family income during that time, we still managed to eat complete meals with only the tables, chairs and our small house as witnesses to the love and comfort that each family member feels as we spend moments together.

People change. Families change. The priorities we had when we were still children were more on education and self improvement. Now that we have attained those priorities, me and my siblings are now focused on higher levels of priorities. We tend to be more focused on having stable jobs, stable future and better incomes that requires us to put behind our family for the mean time. This is the sad truth when children grow up.

Nothing is really permanent. I would have wanted to bring turn back time so that we could all be together again but I know it would never happen. We may spend some days together but not years anymore. We may sleep together in one house but not in one bed where all of us used to sleep. However, the happiness, the laughter and the joy that my family marked in each of us would remain fresh in our minds even if our feet step on foreign lands someday.

Defining Family

2008-04-22T03:17:00.002+08:00

"Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."

Who would ever forget that line from the movie Lilo and Stitch. If you haven't shed a tear while mesmerizing the deep meaning that the movie wants to impart, I could say you are a rock.

A family is the smallest unit of the society. As small as it is, it forms the bonds that bridge the gaps in each member as well as it links itself to the whole society. It involves itself to issues that would affect the welfare of the members as well as the environment where they belong. However, these are just the definitions of a family in a superficial sense. These are what we could see in the dictionaries and political writings. But a family has more to give than being a social unit. It has better meaning than being involved in social, political and environmental issues.

As what is stated in the movie Lilo and Stitch, a family means being together. It means unity. Each individual is different from the other. They have characteristics that may differ since they are separate individuals but the family is something they have in common for them to humble themselves and submit to what would benefit each member, thus, to promote unity in times of diversity.

A family respects the individuality of the members but promotes an environment to compensate for these differences and therefore uplift the lesson of being together in times of life's challenges. There is no "I", "me" or "you" in a family's vocabulary since everything has to be "we" and us." Decisions and plans are made with a big consideration on the welfare of each member.

A family means being there when someone is down or is in rough times. It provides a support system to provide encouragement in times of fear, to lit a spark of hope in times of sadness and it is there to extend a helping hand in times of sorrow. It serves as a shoulder to cry on to its members when things are not the way they should be.

The family provides the material needs of the members. It provides a house to shelter the members from the forces of nature that would harm the health and the physical aspects of the members. It provides food for the hungry stomachs. It provides a haven to rest on to the tired working members. It provides the comfort to the weary minds.

I remember when I was in grade school. There was a time when we were suffering from economic crisis. My parents that time were in debt and we don't even have something to eat on the table. As hard and pitiful as it may seem, my mother mixed soy sauce and oil with salt and poured it over the rice and it helped us through one family dinner. This is what family means. The parents would always find ways so as not to get the children from starving. Family means providing not just the emotional needs of the members but also their basic material needs.

The family is the sole witness to the issues and circumstances that the members had been through. It has witnessed the joys and laughters. It has witnessed love and devotion within the family. However, it has also witnessed the misunderstandings of the parents and the children. It has witnessed how the behavior of the children changed as they grow. It has witnessed the heartaches and sorrows. But despite these things, it has inculcated in each member the reason to open themselves to forgiveness, to unity, and to love that cures all the negative things that would step inside their home.

A family lives in a house called home. A home means living together with love as the binding factor. It means living with compassion and forgiveness. It means selfless offering of oneself for the benefit of everybody. It means providing comfort in times of sorrow.

God made the family. It is a medium for Him to show how much He loves us, how much He wanted us to feel that we are loved. It is one of the greatest gifts that He had given to us for us to succeed in our spiritual life. It is a medium that He used to nurture us and prepare us to be His good servants.

A family, as small as it can be, would always be one of the reasons why we live. It is our source of strength in times of trouble. It is our hope in times of despair. It is one of God's chosen ways to show his love for mankind.

What Is Love?

2008-04-22T03:17:00.001+08:00

Love has always been one of the greatest mysteries in the world. It is an unfathomable abyss of emotions that would always be undefined by the greatest books and greatest philosophers that ever walked the earth. Love remains a gift that only people who knows how to love could feel its real beauty and its true mystery.

True love is best defined in 1 Corinthians 13, and I quote, "Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in truth but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful and trusting. Love never fails."

WHAT LOVE IS NOT

Love is different from like. Love can never be an infatuation or a physical attraction. Love does not rest on what the naked eyes can see.

Love never happens by fate. It does not come on unexpected moments and it is never planned. Love is never a chance.

Love won't find you if you isolate yourself in the mountains of the Himalayas. Love won't find you if you remain as a virgin island that had never been discovered by the greatest sailors of human history. Love is not being alone and lonely and being contented of living life without considering of sharing it with others.

Love is not pity or simple raging of hormones. Love is not friendship. Love is not a lie just to benefit one's selfishness.

WHAT LOVE IS

Love is a feeling treated with kindness. It is a gift that we give and is freely given to us. Love is not how much we are loved but how much we loved.

Love is going beyond physical attraction. Love is appreciating what is beyond the physical characteristics of the person. It penetrates deep into his heart, mind, soul and personality.
Love is staying because an unexplainable feeling sprouts in your heart that neither pain nor walls could put the two of you apart. It is the feeling of contentment and satisfaction of every bit that life brings you.

Love knows the right time. It has its own reason for coming and going. It never rushes things just to satisfy the selfish needs of the moment. It considers what would benefit the future.
Love would always remain to be a form of freedom. It is getting away with the clasps of loneliness, sorrows and pain. It soars you up above the horizon that no laws made by man could ever stop you from loving.

Love is something that is shared. It grows further and it multiples when shared to others. Once you fall in love, treat the feeling gently. Be happy that love had been mutual. If you fall in love with a person who doesn't love you, be calm. Never put blame on yourself or on the other person. If a person you don't love loves you, feel honored and be gentle with his feelings. Never take things against him.

Love means submitting yourself selflessly to someone in sickness and in health, in happiness and sorrows and in life and death.

Love and Friendship

2008-04-22T03:15:00.001+08:00

Friends have always been one the greatest miracles that God gave us. They love us, protect us and comfort us in every single way. But what if you would fall in love with a friend? What then will be the fate of the supposed to be "pure intentions" between friends? Would there be a reason to hold on to friendship after feelings had been disclosed? Would there be a second chance of friendship? When can you draw the line between love and friendship?

The past few months were full of friendship and laughter between me and Carla. Every action need not be explained. It seemed to be a perfect friendship, even if things were beyond the confines of what I know about being friends. We exchange gifts, CDs, text messages and spend long hours since we were starting to connect our once departed worlds. Until things turned upside down on a Thursday night, November 1, 2007, the day I expressed my true feelings to her. As I uttered the words of love, faces of rejection and thoughts of her going away slapped my face. I feel like being tortured. My feelings were heavy as if I was carrying a truckload of broken dreams.

I tried to avoid her because I felt ashamed of myself but the moment I turned away, all the memories we had pulled me back to the place where pride and pain don't exist. That place is right beside her. I thought there was really no reason to move on because nothing had really started or even ended. I may have just been frightened of not having her anymore that soon. If things would turn to be that way, seconds would seem to be long hours. Days would seem years. Nights would seem endless as f the day doesn't exist anymore. Tears will flow endlessly forming oceans of agony and longing. I thought that letting go of someone dear to you is really hard. But I've realized it's harder to let go of someone you never had. The memories, the person, everything has to be considered.

A lot of what ifs, a lot of unanswered questions, a lot of unfinished plans and a lot of hidden emotions had to run over my head. I tried to smile even if I was about to cry. I tried to be fine even if I was hurting inside. It was hard to let go especially if that person was her. It's as if I would never across someone like her anymore. It feels that way, really.
So I decided to stay with the thoughts and with the memories of the beautiful friendship we had. I know wherever I go, there would always be something that would bring me back to the memories we shared. Every place I go, everything I do, would somehow remind me of her.
At least things are clearer for me now. Seriously, how could some things that seem so good and so true become endless mistakes that would haunt me? I fell and faced my greatest fear falling in love again. But she continually extended her hand when things were tough. It was hard and painful and yet she still managed to lit the darkness with pure intentions and no one I know could ever do that.

I cried, she cried. She was broken, I was too. Maybe things really have to be that rough. They made us realize how much we wanted to stay, how much we wanted to keep whatever we had and how much memories we had already been through. Most of all, after what happened, we saw each other's worth.

I won't regret those years when we were still living anonymous lives. Those lost years will not inhibit the binding of two separate lives towards pure and true friendship. I may not have really known how love is defined. I always associate it with relationships, fear of losing and fear of letting go. But I've realized that love is pure and love is true when shared by two people called friends. So maybe all I could wish for is this friendship to last. I may not have been a perfect partner for her, but I am now becoming a perfect friend to her. I never really had a bestfriend. I never really know how to treat one and how to act as one. But if bestfriends would really exist, my bestfriend would always be her.

And when I grow old, I will do every single thing as what the song of Adam Sandler says, "I wanna make you smile whenever you're sadI wanna grow old with you." If only things won't change, if only I could still be around even if our hair turns to gray, I'd gladly be around her. But it's very likely that we will be living separate lives. We can never stop our unfailing fate, and that makes our destiny verily predictable.

Before, there was only me, and then she happened. And the hopes that this journey leaves would only be my reason to stay in our friendship. A time would come when I can only feel her as the wind. A time would come when I could only see her in the night sky. But I hope that distance won't hinder us to go back to the place where we belong inside each others heart, as the best of friends.

Relationship reflections: Moving on

2008-04-22T03:13:00.001+08:00

In life, you took steps to be the person you are now. It took you years to be the person you are in front of the mirror when you wake up in the morning and the inner aspect of that person is the person the remains inculcated in the minds of the people you are connected to your family and friends.

I do not really know the first step I made using my bipedal foot when I was a baby but one thing is for sure my parents were the happiest parents in the whole wide world during that very instance. Not that I am saying that some parents were not that happy when they see their baby struggle to take that step for the first time but my condition was different. My mother thought I had polio for reasons I still do not know. All I know is that I was sick and that explains everything. Since I'm taking a medical course in college, the topic of my "sickly" childhood was not being talked about maybe because I do not want to ask anymore or maybe I have piles of books to read about the pathophysiology of any sickness.

Now that I have grown up, I realized a step that also seemed so hard to be done. Call me cynical or pessimist but I know everyone who tried to value a person or a relationship, could relate on this thing MOVING ON. Moving on is really the hardest part in every relationship. I always put it in my mind that when you love, you risk. You risk your emotions on either getting hurt or spending the happiest moments in your life. You risk the time you should be with your family and friends just to spend moments with the person dear to you. You risk your priorities that could have been there to make you a better person. But no, you don't have to regret anything. As what I always tell my friends, we have to experience a bit of everything in life for us to be more mature. Maturity does not really come with age. It comes with how you deal with the experiences that you had been through and how you plan to deal with the future experiences that you may or you may not had been through.

There are just two persons involved in the moving on stage or in relationships per se and I am proud and evil to say that I had been in one of them in one way or another. The first is the person who loves more. The second is the person who loves less. I don't mean to generalize but in every relationship, there is always someone who loves more. And the story does not always end up that the one who loves less would realize the value of the one he loves and would turn out to be the one to love more as what was depicted in the movie "If Only."

The reality is that the one who loves more will always be the one working out through thick and thin just to paint a smile in the face of the one he loves. He would cry oceans of tears just to ask for forgiveness on mistakes he did not even do. He would love selflessly. The one who loves less would feel stable and secure with their relationship. They have the greatest tendency to cheat and worse is flirt around because at the end of the day they still have someone to fall back to the person who is waiting for his text, the person who is wanting to be with him, the person who is ignoring the all the pain, the person who is loving him more.

THE PERSON WHO LOVES LESS

It is actually a range. The person who loves less is someone who really just plays around or it could be a person with only a thin line to cross the boundary of being the one who loves more. The good thing is that somehow at one point you tried to stay, tried to love but it did not work. It is also an effort you make to try to bend your standards but no matter how you tried, the feeling can never be nurtured. That is why it is always an easier way out if you try not to get involved with someone if from the start you were already in doubt of the thought of having a relationship.

For some people, learning to love a person as you go along with the relationship works. But for me, it never did (well, for now). Many would try to stay. You can say "I love you," "I miss you" and the worst is "I love you more" if you know that you can never really show it with your actions. You tend to pretend that your relationship is a calm sea so as not to hurt your partner. The fact is you are already standing on a cliff that not even the memories you shared could make you stay. If it is not going to work, if everyday the feeling deteriorates, it is safer to just let go than to let that person get more serious and deeply in love with you. It would just make your lives miserable. It is not being fair to both of you because you both are just depriving yourselves with the chance of getting across with someone who can stay or whom you could love truly. The bottom line is no matter how you put the pieces of the puzzle together, a person who loves less SUCKS! And that includes me.

THE PERSON WHO LOVES MORE

It is really crazy that after a failed relationship you try everything just to forcefully uproot the foundations of the love that you had. It is not because you want the person to be out of your life but just the thought of bringing back the state where your heart was still unoccupied, it eases out the pain. Being bitter is the next scenario. People are vulnerable to think that it's just OK but man, believe me, It is never going to be OK. It will never be ok at that instance. Some might even think of stupid things like, "It is his/her loss," "I hope his/her plane would crash," I wish him/her dead" and you would curse a lot. Believe me, these phrases are not just there to make you escape from the reality but it is a clear diagnosis of acute bitterness modified by rejection and loss. The only medication I can prescribe TIME. Well time does not mean that you have to bend and hug you knees within the confines of your bedroom while listening to the song "Art of letting go" (But I do that and it helps sometimes) and just wait until you would feel better.

What you can do is go out on dates for sometime but never get involved that soon with someone because the chance of experiencing the "breath-taking moments" of loving that person truly is one in a million and you are crazy if you think that you are that one person when you cannot even win in the school raffle where there are only 1000 tickets LOSER! I admit its fun to nurture thoughts of getting involved with someone again but most of the time, it is only there to mask the grief and wound that remains in your heart that is still open and with oozing blood. If that is so, you are just recruiting a new member of the "hurt society."

Face the fact that you can never hold on someone forever. There are times when all things may seem to be perfect and during those times when you are at the height of your emotional stability, the clasps of jealousy, doubt and falling out would come into the picture and slap you with the realization that no matter what effort you do to put the fragments together, you will be left with no option but to give up. Holding on would just prolong the agony.

I hate the after-relationship events, especially if I know I loved the person. The plans I have would seem to be wasted. I always dream of just being a robot and in just a push of a button I could just tell myself to move on. But life was not created to work that way. There would always be an odd feeling when you pass by the places you dined with the person, the places you sat beside the person, the place where you first kissed, the place where you first exchanged "I love you" and most especially the place where everything ended up.

The first few days seems to be the hardest to bear. Seconds would seem years of longing for the feeling to be gone or longing for the person to come back. You try to forget every single memory but no matter how hard you try to get out of that situation, every place, every person and everything would remind you of the person and it is really hard. Sleep would be your greatest comfort for it provides a complete separation of your heart from your mind to give both a haven for rest.

However, the moment your eyes meet the brightness of the next morning would again commence a new journey of holding back the tears. You will again start living a long journey of pretending to be fine when things really are gloomy. You try to be numb to let you through every tick of the clock and hope you would be all blank until the night falls so you could sleep again and forget everything. Some may even wish not to wake up again. Personally, I even hope that I would wake up after a year and that time I know tears would not even roll down my cheeks anymore. That time I know the scar would have healed. But it never would and it never could happen. I would really hate to wake up again the next morning.

There is no easy way out in moving on. If you feel like crying, cry it out loud. If you want to be alone, go to the abyss of every place. If you want to end you life then, it would be the craziest thing you will ever do. Will the person you love care for what you did lets say a year after? A big NO! Everything that would ease out the angst is permissible as long as in the end you would still be complete and most especially, you would be in the state of a better you. That is why you need not to flood all your emotions in every relationship. You always need to leave some love for yourself because that love, no matter how tiny it is, would be the only thing that would make you whole again after being shattered into pieces.

And there came a month or two. You can now smile. Your world is now getting better. You spend more time with your friends, school and your priorities. You can now go to those places that would remind you of your lost love without much "odd feeling." And when you think everything is in place and everything seems to be back to normal, everything would fall back again - the longing, the emotions. Times like these, I always ask myself, "What if I see the person I love most just across the street or if worst, with someone new?" Surely, I will get pale, tongue-tied and just freeze in the corner. One thing is really for sure, I have not really moved on. And not matter how I make my feelings stable again, my scarred heart will just remain to be masked by the fancy smiles and forged bravery that I'm trying to show my outside world.

The moment I am writing this, sad to say, I have not really taken a step.

S/he's just not that into you: Dealing with unrequited love

2008-04-22T03:11:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you are caught in a situation where you fall for someone who doesn't even care for what you feel. The worse is, he or she plays with your feelings having been assured that no matter what they do, you would always be a puppet that he or she could just throw away anytime. Yes, he or she goes out with you, spend hours with you and flirt around with you. Just being with him or her makes you complete. But in the long run, you would always ask yourself, "Would this really be enough?"

No, never! You may enjoy the feeling of being in love with someone who doesn't love you because you are just daydreaming with the thoughts that someday he or she will love you in return. The thought of him or her falling for you is the only hope that you hold on to. You would feel happy when you are with that person. But in the long run, things would just be harder.

Even if all the answers are already slapped in your face that he or she doesn't love you, fear would still dominate. You fear to confront the person of what you both really are. You fear the thought of losing the happiness that you are feeling even if you are already hanging with unsure emotions. When does action speaks louder than words? When do you cross the boundaries of friendship? When could you differentiate love from kindness? When is would you know if love is does not parallel with fear?

When would you stop hoping when every single day the person tries to touch your heart? How could you avoid when your heart beats faster the moment you just turn away? How can you be friends with someone when every time you're with that person you imagine both your hands locked together?

It's a matter of how you would play with the tricks of reality. Sometimes you decide to just leave your feelings for someone when you realize you are just hoping for nothing. But the moment that person shows you even the slightest affection, you would again turn upside down and hope once more. You would again find yourself sandwiched on thoughts of being on the safe side by living with the assumptions in your mind according to the philosophies engraved in books or with the norms that the society is dictating on us or you would be brave enough to make a stand with what you really feel and confront the person to at least give you an idea where to stand.

Always put in mind that you can never force a person to love you the way you wanted to be loved. We are individuals who feel differently. No matter how we push things the way we want them, if they are not meant to happen, then, they won't materialize. After all, committing yourself to someone who is unsure of what he or she feels towards you is like building a beautiful mansion on sand. The beauty is only on the outside for a certain period of time. But as the big waves of problems come into the picture, the sturdy mansion would just fall into pieces since the foundation is just on weak sand.

Enjoy the feeling that you are in love. Do what your heart tells you. Hope for the impossible. But always remember, never fall too hard. You just entertain the idea of making him or her fall for you just to ease out the pain but I would suggest that while dreaming for the impossible, start convincing yourself that you will never end up with him or with her. If you continue to force the idea of you and that person being in love with each other one day, at the end of everything, the emotions would still remain as if you're looking at a stained glass from the outside its beauty bestowed before your eyes but what's inside is still a blur.

The Joy of Being in Love Again

2008-04-22T03:07:00.000+08:00

It was the greatest twist of my life. That time, I don't really believe that love exists anymore never! Although I know how it feels to love and to be loved, I was numb then. I was numb of all the heartaches that I had for the past years of going through the turmoil and clasps of selfishness, lies and false hopes that crushed my heart. Every single piece of my broken heart could never be returned back. I was bitter with myself.

Yes, I was hiding in darkness, all alone with only a lit candle of hope that made me journey my life still. I stayed in that scenario for months, closing my heart to every opportunity that love offers me.

I still watch movies that showed cheesy scenes. I envy them but, during that moment, love was never my priority. I don't want to see myself having sleepless nights again crying over a love that was lost. I don't want to see myself letting go of the promises that were broken.

After all those failed relationships I had, I made a conclusion about love. Love is something rare. It is never or never was fair. It would just leave you helpless, torn and tormented.

It came to a point when I felt my life became normal again. No love, no relationships, literally nothing. After all, I still have my family and friends and I could just let my studies eat up my time.

I don't know how or why, but it is normal for a person to long for love and to imagine having someone whom he can share his life with. As time passed of trying to be single, thoughts of love would always tempt me to fall in its pit again. My hands would always be caught by lovers holding each other's hands while walling inside the mall or lovers cuddling each other in parks and my ears would always hear those mushy messages read over radio stations. Sometimes I would even find myself humming the tune of love songs. It was so ironic to see a broken-hearted person like me to still give second thoughts of love.

Until I met a beautiful archer. I was numb. I was coward. I was helpless. I was alone and dead, but her arrow struck my heart and revived me. My world twisted and I came to find joy and gratitude and I started living with the thoughts of her in my mind.

For days since she came, I was pushing her away. Who knows? Maybe she's just one of those stupid jerks who would just add to the list of those who had hurt me. But it came to a point when even if I was too pessimistic with love, I would still give a space in my mind to entertain the thought that she is different. What if she was an angel from heaven? No! Those stories only happen in fairy tales. This is reality and I don't live with Alice in her so-called Wonderland. So before I would even dream of seeing her next to me, I would already change thoughts.

For days after I met her, I felt her eagerness, her perseverance and her sincerity. Countless missed calls and text messages made a way for her arrow to soften my heart of stone and to leave behind all the bitterness I had for months. We first became friends and I was satisfied with it. But for an unexplainable reason, we ended up in each other's arms.

I love her. That's all I know. That's all I feel now. I don't want to think of tomorrow because tomorrow I might cry. All I want now is to love her more with every second that God gave me.

She assured me of her love, yet, I was afraid. I was afraid that I might not love her the way she wanted to be loved. I was afraid of not being with her. But who knows? Maybe we were destined to lock our fingers till our eyes witness the last rays of sunlight.

Risk is what I did to love again. I believe that loving is risking your happiness and getting ready of being abandoned, hurt and crushed. I had gone through those things during my coward days but the only difference now is that I'm ready to face them again. I am willing to rumble with them and maybe this time, I would win.

I am presently caught up in between love and risk. All I want know is to have a long night of sleep. I want to feel the moon's soft touch to refresh my weary face. After all, I know that when I sleep, I still have her and this feeling of love is still inside of me. As tomorrow comes and the sun gives warmth again to my new day after the night's caress, I hope that she would still be lying in my arms and that I would see the smile that I missed for a night's rest. (7/25/03)

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2008-04-17T23:02:00.000+08:00

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Pay-Per-Play Ads To Increase Blog Earnings

2008-04-17T18:52:00.000+08:00

Pay-Per-Play Ads are just starting but are now becomming more popular. These ads are the counterpart of pay-per-click sites but the benefit of this is that the visitor need not click the advertisment because it will just play.

The advertisement is 5-seconds in length, which means that it won't be annoying to the ears of the visitors.

This won't require you to spend even a cent just to register. Isn't it amazing? Plus you will get 100% revenue for every visitor of your site.

To learn more on how to put Pay-Per-Play Ads in your website or blogs click:

Publish NetAudioAds Adlets

Get Paid In A Social Networking Site Like MySpace and Friendster

2008-04-17T18:51:00.001+08:00

I had been a member of a social networking site for years now. I used the site everytime I go online to check my friends, upload photos make blogs and post bulletins. I have noticed how many products and services are being advertised on each of the pages of the site. I really don't mind these advertisements. Who cares anyway? Until I was introduced by my friend to a social networking site which is Yuwie. I was enlightened how the other non-paying social networking sites earn billions of dollars from these advertisers and do not even give back some monetary compensation to the millions of members who gives them billions of page views.

This article would only focus on Yuwie for the reason that it's the only paying social networking site that I have joined. This is not a promotional article in one way or another.

It's only my third day in Yuwie and I think I am encouraged to make this a good ground to start making friends, increase my social network and of course earn money. But I'll explain later that the last one should not be the primary goal.

During the first day, I was really skeptical about this. First of all, I am already happy with the account I have in another social networking website. Secondly, if I would rely on the money aspect, it would really be a long time before I would get 4-digit compensation I always wanted. But in two days, what I noticed is that I received many friend invites, comments and even messages from other Yuwie members. This is the reason why I've decided to continue making Yuwie a part of my internet surfing activity to SOCIALIZE.

WHAT IS YUWIE?

Yuwie is a social networking website just like My Space, Friendster, hi5, Tagged, Multiply and the like but it's really with a "twist" as stated in their website. It PAYS you when you refer it to friends, when you make blogs, upload photos, create or join groups and even by just viewing Yuwie members' profiles, which we usually do with our former social networking sites.

Yuwie is not a pyramid scam. Why? Well, pyramid scams usually ask you for registration fees or sign-up fees. Yuwie is totally free. You would be the one who will be paid with what you were already doing online before without even taking out a single cent from your pocket.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Yuwie has more than half million members as of now. You think it's too late to join? The answer is a big NO! The fact that we are living in the age of computers would assure us that a big chunk of the world's population who are also Internet geeks are not yet members of Yuwie. So take an action now. Start your own social network.

I said a while ago that I was skeptical in joining Yuwie because I was happy with my account in another site. However, the contacts I have in that site only include the persons I literally know my classmates, family, friends and schoolmates. So the blogs and advertisements I make are only marketed to a few people. With Yuwie, I can market my blogs or advertisements with a wider variety of members all around the globe. Doesn't it feel fulfilling that you would come to socialize with friends, possible workmates or even possible partners with a wider variety of contacts?

THE MONEY

Yuwie pays you for what you had already been doing. Every click of the mouse in Yuwie would mean money. But what I have noticed is that it would really take time before you would hit the money that you want. Be patient. After all, there is no free lunch. Just think that no other social networking site would pay you for what you are had been doing in the internet for ages the way Yuwie does.

Where does Yuwie get the money to give to its members?

Every day, millions of dollars are paid by advertisers on websites and Yuwie wants to share a potion of it to their members. Isn't that amazing?

(SAMPLE YUWIE CHECK)

THE SECRET

Many things could cause massive hits on your website. But I want you to first get the factor of MONEY out of your mind while doing Yuwie. Try to focus on socializing. Focus also on helping others. Make your introduction whenever you would introduce Yuwie with your friends as a social network and the money aspect would just add a spice to further encourage them to join the social network. Put in mind that one of your main objectives is not just to help yourself but also to help others through Yuwie.

(SAMPLE EARNINGS REPORT)

Here are some tips on increasing your network as well as increasing your compensation:

1. Referrals- This simply means invite friends who may or may not be members of other social networks to join Yuwie. After all, Yuwie works like Myspace and Friendster. You could also add friends who are already in the Yuwie community. Don't just send invites and don't just send messages. It's healthier though to get personal by befriending them or inviting them to clubs. You could also ask them for questions and be available to answer them

2. Blogs and Posts Those who like writing about anything would greatly benefit from this. More and more people would appreciate the works you do especially if you would tap on their interests. Who said no one would read you blogs? With the thousands of members that Yuwie has, I don't think that would be possible. Blogs, however, does not only mean the day to day life stories. You can use blogging to advertise products, sell items or even educate members about anything under the sun. Aside from blogging you can also post videos and post comments on other members.

3. Profile It's good to dress-up your profile. Personalize it and make it more appealing according to your styles. Make your profile attractive. Use photos that would be appealing to others. There is a lot of toolbars (like the control panel) in your account and they were not made to just be displayed there. You have to utilize them.

4. Patience and Hard work It would take patience and hard work to earn from Yuwie since you would be paid on the number or page views and referrals. You won't be paid for anything by just sitting all day anyway. So move!

5. Nice to knows

- The page should be viewed for at least 3 seconds for it to be counted

- The default setting in Yuwie would need a member to know your last name or email address for him to be able to add you so better change your private settings.

- To generate page views is when you view a page, your referrals view a page, and when a Yuwie member views your page.

I hope I helped you with the things I've shared on this paying social networking site.

If you wanna join click:

References:

http://www.onlineopportunity.org/a-guide-to-yuwie /
http://yuwie-logic.blogspot.com/2007/10/what-is-yu wie.html
http://www.theyuwiescam.com/
http://yuwieschools.com/About-the-project/How-Yuwi e-works-what-it-is.html
http://yuwietip.com/

Why Should You Visit Your Dentist Often?

2008-04-16T06:45:00.000+08:00

We are advised to visit the dentist twice a year. The importance of this kind of behavior towards our dental needs is that it would be a great help in maintaining a good oral environment to each of us. Dentists are our friends. They provide us with proper knowledge on how to maintain a healthy mouth and to prevent possible diseases from initiating.

We may perform proper oral hygiene measures, however, a lot of people still does not remove plaque on hard to reach areas. In time, plaque could calcify and would become tartar or calcular deposits. These deposits cannot be removed no matter how the patient brushes his teeth because these are calcified substances that adhere well to tooth surfaces. With regular dental visits, these calcifications could be removed by professional cleaning through the use of ultrasonic scalers and manual scalers.

Regular dental exams would also be a reason for the dentist to reinforce our oral hygiene measures. Whenever I would treat patients with periodontal disease, I usually recall them after a minimum of one week to check if they are performing proper oral hygiene like brushing and flossing as well as to determine the success of treatment. Such recalls would be helpful to change patients' behavior towards proper care of the mouth.

Some diseases take months or even years to develop. Many patients, however, do not visit the dentist even if they are already seeing suspicious lesions in their mouth. I have noticed this in my country. Due to poverty, patients would just visit the clinic if they are already having intolerable pain in their mouth or if the problem is already bothering them physically. Their disease could have been prevented if only they religiously follow regular dental visits. The earlier a particular disease is diagnosed, the better would be the success of the treatment.

If there is a suspected lesion in the mouth of the patient that is still undiagnosed, the follow-up visits would help to prevent further destruction or proliferation of the disease process. With regular dental visits, the problem would be attended to and proper diagnosis and proper treatment would be rendered to the patient. Treatment success depends much on proper diagnosis as well as proper treatment.

Having regular dental exams is very beneficial in such a way that our dental records will be updated. In cases of death due to fire or identification of decayed bodies, the dental record would help in identification of the person through the evaluation of the hard tissues of the mouth. Everytime we visit the dentist, they update our dental chart by indicating the carious teeth, filled teeth, extracted tooth as well as if there are suspicious lesions in our soft tissues. These are reliable bases for a person's identification.

We should always think that prevention is better than cure. Even if everything seems to be normal in our mouth, we still need to visit the dentist for further and more detailed examination because they are the specialists in diagnosing oral diseases as well as maintaining healthy oral environment.

Overcoming Your Fear Of The Dentist

2008-04-15T17:12:00.000+08:00

Being seated in the dental chair for the first time during my sophomore year in high school eased out the fear that I had developed eversince childhood when it comes to visiting dentists. The extraction of my tooth went on smoothly and I did not even feel a single pain. Since my elementary years, I tent to skip school whenever there was a scheduled vaccination because I was afraid of syringes. But the time my dentist injected the local anesthesia, and I did not feel the pain that I was expecting, the anxiety was relieved.

The fear of the dentist is generally psychological in nature. It is usually a childhood-born problem that a person may carry on until adulthood. Instances like using syringe or using the idea of "going to a dentist" as a way of stopping a child from crying or from being hyperactive can cause that fear. Therefore, even if the dental procedure that will be performed is just fluoride application or just mere oral prophylaxis, which requires not even a sight of the syringe, could cause anxiety in a child.

There is a need to educate parents and caregivers on this because children are vulnerable to develop phobias. Parents could use other methods like giving candies or toys if the child would stop crying or to stop being hyperactive. Proper dental knowledge is important not just for the child, but also for the parents so that both would develop positive outlook when it comes to visiting their dentists.

It is best to send children to a pediatric dentist because this type of dentist is professionally trained to handle situations that are expected in pediatric patients. It is verily predictable that a lot of conversations and tokens may be needed for a child to let his parents bring him to the dentist but the parent's efforts would be lessened by letting a pediatric dentist handle the situation. It is helpful to start bringing a child at a younger age to the dentist to familiarize him with the clinical setting. Making him touch some dental tools, like mouth mirrors, would also help out with his curiosity, thus, making him less anxious when these tools will be used inside his mouth. In this way, the child will be educated on the fact that a dental clinic is a part of his environment and the dentist is his friend.

Gadgets are very helpful. Some pediatric patients are better treated if you give them distractions like listening to music with mp3s, watching their favorite cartoons using portable DVDs, playing with their PSPs. These gadgets also apply to grown-ups especially with the use of mp3s if they are anxious with the sound of the handpiece.

It is good to choose your dentist. Choose a dentist you are comfortable with. Ask your friends or relatives on their ideas on the local dentists because their experiences would speak of how you also want yourself to be treated. Choose a dentist who builds rapport with his patients and treats the patient holistically. Dental treatments do not always have to be all about the mouth anyway. It is more of how dentists build certain professional relationships with the patient so as to make them calm and positive towards dental treatments so that dental procedures would be done with great ease.

Think of your dentist as your friend. We come and visit out friends on a regular basis to chat or just to know each other's situation. This goes the same way with the relationship between you and your dentist. He is there to check out on you twice a year even if things within your mouth seem to be alright. It is a usual setting in my country that people visit the dentist whenever they are in pain so the usual treatment rendered is extraction. Why would you want to be in that scenario where you would be in pain when everything could be prevented by regular dental check-ups? In this way, even just by check-ups, you would be used to a dental setting, thus, lowering the chances of being anxious in the succeeding visits.

If on a dental check-up the dentist presented a particular treatment that still sounds Greek to you, you need to ask. Ask every question that pops up in your mind, like the benefits of undergoing the procedure, the length of time the procedure will take, the cost as well as the dental materials that will be used. Aside from asking your dentist, it is also beneficial if you would read about the treatment. Being knowledgeable on the procedures would help lower the anxiety of undergoing the dental treatment that you need.

As a future dentist, I have created a certain mindset regarding dentists that allows me to overcome the anxiety I felt the very first time I was in a dental clinic. Not because I am well versed with the procedures going on inside the dental clinic, but I think more of the benefits of going to my dentist and have myself treated than to entertain fear and not undergo dental treatment but face worse scenarios.

Wisdom Tooth: When and Why To Extract?

2008-04-15T16:37:00.000+08:00

The third molars commonly known as the wisdom teeth usually erupt at the age of 18. It functions just like the other molars that erupted earlier in life. However, many people suffer from impaction due to small jaw or histological alterations during the tooth formation.

Third molars do not necessarily need to be extracted. If the tooth is sound and it does not cause any harm to the surrounding oral structures, it should be left undisturbed. The location of third molars, being on the most posterior parts of the jaws, could pose problems in maintenance like brushing or flossing so extra care should be exercised.

The only treatment for impacted third molars is odontectomy. It is performed by creating an adequate flap of the soft tissues as well as the removal of the overlying bone to provide better access on the tooth that needs to be pulled. It is more complicated than ordinary tooth extractions since the crown area of the latter is fully exposed and access does not pose as a problem.

When would you then know if the wisdom tooth needs to be pulled out?

If the tooth had caused periodontal disease such that probing depths in the area had been constantly deep even after stringent periodontal therapy, then it would be better to just have the tooth removed. If the tooth causes pain of unknown origin, then extraction can also be an option.

Carious and non-restorable third molars should also be extracted. They may not just cause pain but carious teeth especially those caries extending subgingivally becomes a predisposing factor to periodontal disease.

If the tooth had caused painful pericoronitis and other mouth infections, it needs to be removed. This approach is performed as a preventive measure to possible more severe complications like the involvement of sublingual or submandibular spaces that could pose more harm to the patient.

Patients who are also undergoing orthodontic treatment may also need to have their third molars removed depending on the treatment plan as well as the the space needed for the alignment of the teeth. Some patients may also need to have this teeth removed when they would need to have dental prosthesis especially if this tooth will be underneath the denture borders.

During routine radiographs, dentists may also see root resorption of the tooth adjacent to the impacted tooth due to the latter's erupting position. So to prevent further damage to the adjacent tooth, the impacted tooth should be removed.

On severe cases, the tooth sac of an unerupted third molar can cause cystic formations as well as tumors so it would be best to remove the etiologic agent. Dentigerous cysts are usually associated with impacted teeth. This condition could cause bone resorption of the jaw that could eventually lead to jaw fracture. So in cases like this, extraction of the third molar is a must.

What then are the contraindications for odontectomy?

If the tooth is healthy and does not cause any pain or harm and the routine radiographs shows normal development and normal structures surrounding the tooth and the patient maintains good oral hygiene, there is no reason to pull out the tooth.

Aside from this, odontectomy is also contraindicated on medically compromised persons, persons in extremes of age as well as if the procedure would cause damage to the surrounding oral structures. It is, therefore, best that before undergoing odontectomy, you should have your dentist explain to you the reason why you need to undergo such treatment. You should also be well informed on how the procedure goes so as to prevent complications and misconceptions.

(Majority of the information in this article is from the lecture of my professor, Dr. Natividad Gervasio, on the topic "Impacted Teeth" under the subject Oral Surgery 32; University of the Philippines Manila - College of Dentistry; Dec. 05, 2005)

Manual Toothbrush vs. Power Toothbrush: Which One Is Better?

2008-04-15T15:44:00.000+08:00

Since I became a dental student, I had been conscious with the toothbrushes I buy. I usually choose the more expensive ones, I change my toothbrush every now and then and I make sure that after I use it, it is clean and properly rinsed.

First we have two choices - a manual toothbrush and an electric toothbrush. Which one is really better? I always thought that electric toothbrushes are better until I learned in my Periodontics subject that studies have shown that there are no statistically significant findings that one of them is better than the other.

The effectiveness of using either a manual or an electric powered toothbrush depends on the person using them. As long as the person knows how to perform proper brushing by making sure he reaches the most posterior teeth, all the tooth surfaces including the gingival margin, the purpose of the use of the toothbrush had been met.

For the longest time I was using manual toothbrush. But when I had the chance to purchase an electric toothbrush, I tried it. What I do now is that I use both types of toothbrushes. I use the electric toothbrush first to brush my teeth and the I use a manual toothbrush as a reinforcement as well as to clean my tongue.

We also have to consider the person's dexterity when it comes to choosing between a manual and an electric toothbrush. Persons who suffered from stroke and are partially paralyzed should be given electric powered toothbrushes since they have limited dexterity. Persons with cerebral palsy and down syndrome for example, who may have limited dexterity as well as compromised mental capacities to perform oral hygiene measures should also be given electric toothbrushes to meet their oral hygiene needs.

Let's now go to the issue of using manual toothbrush. Even if manual toothbrushes would be enough if used properly to perform oral hygiene measures, I usually stress out to my patients some pointers to consider in choosing which would be better.

Soft bristle toothbrushes, for me, are the best. This is friendly not just to the teeth but also to the gums. I notice in some patients who brushes hard to often have Class V cavities (cavities on teeth near the gingival margin), which I could say by just looking at them, is iatrogenic in nature. And if I would ask them what toothbrush they use, they would usually describe the cheap toothbrushes that have bristles that seem to be as stiff as a steel brush.

Let's now talk about the head of the toothbrush. You have the luxury to choose from different shapes and sizes available in the market but I would suggest to choose the ones with smaller heads. The reason behind this is is that you could make use of this toothbrush to reach even the hard to reach areas in your mouth because they could fit in. Thus, this would improve your oral hygiene by having the access to be able to remove plaque in these areas.

Toothbrushes with triangular heads are also better then the square-type ones. Again the reason here is ease of access to hard to reach areas since the blunt pointed apex of the triangular shaped head of the toothbrush could flow itself without much resistance from your cheeks or tongue.

These are the basic pointers about toothbrushes. The choice is actually a range and there is no single toothbrush that could be called the best. Therefore, we have to put in mind that the purpose of these toothbrushes greatly depend in our hands.