Healthy teeth make happy

"Mothers care for their children's other ailments but neglect their dental health," says Dr. Diana Gunawardena who conducts her dental practice at St. Anthony's Clinic & Surgery in the heart of Kandy town.

"A child's growth can be retarded due to bad teeth as children will not eat when they have a toothache. When a food particle touches the decayed tooth, there will be excruciating pain. So, the child tends to avoid eating. The lunch they take to school is brought back. When the mother reprimands the child for not eating, the next day he will throw it in the dustbin," says Dr. Gunawardena.

Emphasizing the importance of having strong and healthy teeth, Dr. Gunawardena says parents should instill in their children the need to look after their teeth from a young age. "Mothers think that once the decayed milk teeth are shed, the permanent teeth will be formed well." But this is not so. "Don't devalue the milk teeth. This is important," she says.

How did she choose the dental profession? "I always wanted to be a doctor," she says, adding that her father, a Principal and her mother, a teacher gave her brother and her a good education. "We lived on a coconut estate and I had to walk to the village school Pothuwatawana Maha Vidyalaya.”

A bright student, she received a double promotion from Grade 2 to Grade 4 and passed the Grade 5 Scholarship exam in 1980 coming first in the Puttalam District. "I never went to any tuition class," she says proudly. She was also involved in extra-curricular activities such as sports, drama and singing and was in the church choir.

From year 6 she attended Holy Family Convent, Wennappuwa.

At the Convent too she excelled in studies and sports. She had the best O' Level results in school and at the A'Level exam was only one mark short for entry to Medical College. "Though I regretted it at that time, now I am happy with my present occupation, as I can spend more quality time with my family," she says.

She entered Peradeniya University in 1992 and there too was involved in many activities. As the representative for the Catholic Newman Society, she attended the 'Women and the Mother Earth' conference in Bangladesh in 1993 where all SAARC countries were represented.

This is Dr. Gunawardena's tenth year as a dentist and she has a clear message for all mothers. "For a child, the first experience is eruption of the teeth and the second is shedding of the teeth. This is a 'big' thing for a child. Psychologically this affects children. Everybody should have a dental check-up once in six months. This is something that is not being done in Sri Lanka.”

Through cosmetic dentistry she corrects irregularly spaced teeth, abnormally shaped teeth, broken teeth etc. and makes people smile!

Married to Percy Gunawardena, Managing Director of Kandyan Flora, their own company in Gelioya, close to Gampola, the couple have two sons- Dinesh, 8 and Ashley, 5, who study at the Colombo International School, Kandy. Percy worked at the Suisse Hotel, Kandy but gave up his job to be with 'mother nature'. They love to tend to their plants. Dr. Gunawardena’s hobby is making flower decorations. Her creations are popular and there is a big demand for her fresh cut flower arrangements.