“Unlike other organs, our enamel and
dentin are limited in amount and can hardly
regenerate. Repetitive infection can eventually lead
to total loss of tooth substance.”

“Everyone deserves an equitable basic quality of life.” Reflecting the view on the current life welfare of Dr Catt - Kanokwan Urthamapimuk, DDS, a highly competent dentist who prioritizes preventive care before the disease or illness occurs. She will share aspects of her work experience and how she spends her leisure time in this issue of MedPark Stories.

• Studied medicine to facilitate family access to healthcare.

Dr Catt grew up in a middle-class family. She faced difficulty accessing health care services when her parents fell ill. Dr Catt set her sights on medical school, believing that having the knowledge and being a medical insider would facilitate access to medical treatment. Being quite an intelligent, diligent, determined, and perseverant person, she made it to medical school.

“I chose dentistry because it best suited my lifestyle and needs. I prefer the kind of work that has definite schedules. Having met a caring dentist, I was inspired and believed that being a dentist would suit me well.”

At first, she focused on becoming a dentist to benefit herself and her family, aiming to establish life security. However, her objectives changed once she embarked on her career. Dr Catt longed to search for the value and meaning of her calling and pondered what more she could do. She harbored a strong desire to work for the benefit of others apart from herself and her family. Despite not being an imposing dream of helping many people, she wants to do something that allows her to apply her knowledge and expertise to improve patient oral health through oral hygiene care modification and sustainable oral-care recommendations (promotion and prevention).

“It’s because I anticipate there are people who cannot access health care, like me and my family in the past, someone who needs ‘help’ and ‘knowledge’ for good oral health.”

“That’s why when I started working at MedPark, I was interested in prevention, focusing on providing recommendations for preventive care. Treatment is provided, of course, but with integrated care. For example, after patients receive treatment from another dentist, I will advise them on how to maintain their oral hygiene to prevent the recurrence of the disease and assist in making our treatment as successful as possible, restoring high quality of life to our patients.”

• “Born To Bones” concept - because oral health is vital at every moment of life 

“Our mouth is the only portal for food intake. If we cannot or inadequately partake in food and drink, how else could we get sufficient energy?”  Dr Catt raised an intriguing point.

Teeth cannot repair themselves like other organs. When tooth decay or cavities occurs, the only treatment is drilling and filling the tooth carry with inorganic material. Therefore, we should defend our teeth at any cost from damage. In addition, there are studies suggesting links between dental health and other diseases, such as diabetes. For people with severe periodontal diseases, gingival inflammation leads to poor control of blood sugar levels. For pregnant women with tooth cavities, there is a risk of their newborns developing future oral issues.

“Tooth decay and gingivitis are caused by a particular type of bacteria, which can spread like a viral infection.” Dr Catt added.

For cancer patients requiring radiotherapy to the head and neck area, the radiation may impact the saliva gland, causing a reduction in saliva production. When xerostomia occurs, dysphagia can follow. Moreover, saliva is the best natural antiseptic. A lack of saliva can result in inefficient control of pathogenic bacteria, leading to tooth decay and gingivitis. These conditions cause oral diseases, making patients lose their appetite. Eventually, the patient’s quality of life declines.

“There is a case that makes me feel that my work is valuable and genuinely worthwhile to others, which was when I presumed the patient has sleep apnea after checking the patient’s oral cavity. The patient maintains meticulous oral hygiene by seeing a dentist in another hospital every six months. However, when the patient came to me, I noticed that the patient had worn-out, flattened teeth. Some teeth had broken edges with no enamel. There were several bone cysts under the patient’s gum. And the patient suddenly dozed off in the middle of a conversation. So, I inquired further about the patient’s history and discovered that the patient had bruxism with snoring during sleep, felt unrefreshed upon waking up, frequently drowsed off while driving, and had poor memory and higher blood pressure.”

“I recommended a sleep test, and the patient was diagnosed with sleep apnea. The condition caused drops in oxygen levels in the blood. The patient had experienced this condition for years, which could be a health hazard if left untreated. Once treated, the patient’s quality of life improved. I was happy that an oral health checkup saved the patient from a potentially deadly disease.”

• Morphing into a master chef in the kitchen

Besides enthusiastically practicing as a dentist, her hobby, cooking tasty food and concocting new recipes for one-of-a-kind tastes, garners her equal attention. She will be over the moon if others are fond of her culinary skill and want her to cook for them again.

“I love cooking for others. I like searching for ingredients different from the ones in a usual recipe to create a signature dish, available only in my kitchen. For example, I use salted eggs for Kai Palo, salted fish instead of fish sauce for Nam Ngiao, and stewed beef shank in green curry or something along that line, which makes my foods taste refreshingly different from the ones with usual recipes. They will have unique and captivating flavors. Anyone who partakes in my food would experience a taste, unlike anything they have ever tasted.”

She is a dentist that is helpful to patients, a chef sharing food with her close ones, and a person with a strong mindset vouching for a decent quality of life. Undoubtedly, all these reflect Dr Kanokwan’s identity as a giver and a pragmatist.

“Oral health can make or break your quality of life. If everyone receives the right information from dentists and complies with the guidance, they can all have gleaming oral health.”