 I'm Wendy Lo, and I'm your new friend as we journey to take your health back. We are coming to you live from downtown Honolulu, from the studios of Think Tech Hawaii. Today our topic of discussion will be on the power of a smile. And we all know how important a smile is because that's what opens the doors, and that's the gateway to our whole body. And also I want to just give everybody a hint. When we smile, look at this, this is a beautiful big smile with teeth. You've got to smile with teeth. You can't just smile like, what's the difference between, and right? So when you smile with teeth, that means I want to talk and have a conversation with you. So we must remember to smile and smile with teeth. And I would like today's discussion to be about a healthy life begins with a healthy smile. Today we are very, very honored to have with us our Miss Hawaii 2017, Catherine Taruya. So welcome aboard, Catherine. Catherine is a pediatric dental hygiene specialist and assistant and a dental student at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. So welcome aboard. Thank you so much for having me on this show today, Wendy. You know, I've done many, many Miss Hawaii pageants. And I was just so honored when you were chosen as our Miss Hawaii 2017. I was backstage with you and then we went out and I gave you a golf award. And I was so excited. I'm like, okay, that's the first of many for this young lady here. And I was so proud when they did announce you as our Miss Hawaii. So tell us a little bit about your year, your reign. My year, gosh, was more than words can even describe. I couldn't have asked for a better year. And when I had my full year, it really was a year of service. I was able to work with so many different organizations from Make-A-Wish, the Ronald McDonald House, Best Buddies, any organization that reached out I wanted to work with because I wanted to give back to the community who built me and who made me. And that's what I really focused on. I loved being an advocate for the Children's Miracle Network Hospital and here in Hawaii, that's the Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children. So raising money and making sure that our Kiki had the best possible care here locally, it was amazing. I was very happy to be a part of it. Well, and I know that you went above and beyond the call because every time I saw you on Facebook, you were at another event every night. And sometimes I knew you were at a different event but the same night because you had the same dress on. And I know you would never leave the house twice at the same dress on. So I knew that you were doing multiple events in a night or in a day. So and you handled yourself beautifully. You set the bar so high for all the futures coming along. So all you ladies, this is what is expected. At this level, this is how we play. This is how we roll, right? Well, it was so much fun. I loved it. My year went by so quickly. And I don't think there was ever a moment where it settled in that I was Miss Hawaii because I was always living on the high that I had the opportunity for it. I always felt very lucky, very blessed, and I had a great family support system behind me that made it possible. So like you were saying, we did sometimes two to four, sometimes five events in one day. And I never wanted at least a single weekend to go without doing at least some service. And that you have, you have a very supportive family. And they were by your side and physically, mentally, and they were just always with you. Absolutely. I just love seeing that family unit with you. You know, as a Miss Hawaii, you have a platform that you need to share and build on. What was your platform and what did you advocate for? My platform was BFF, brush, floss, fluoride. And so that was the reaction I always got. Everyone was always laughing. And I was like, well, it's not that funny. But I guess that it's a good thing that everyone will remember it. That it's a tidbit that you can chuckle at. But really, it's three easy steps to make sure that you decrease the rate or the chances of childhood tooth decay. And so it speaks to not only children, but to families, even adults. Be your own best friend and take care of your teeth. So yeah, in other words, so your BFF, your brush, brush, floss, and fluoride should be your BFF. Right, absolutely. So it makes so much sense, right? So what inspired you to pursue dental hygiene work and all that you're wanting to do? So my dad is a pediatric dentist. When I was 15 years old, I decided to run in my first pageant. There's four girls in our family. So my parents thought that it would be more responsible for me to be able to pay for my entrance fee by myself. So I started working in my dad's office as a dental hygiene assistant. And that's the way I was able to pay for that entrance fee into that first pageant. It taught me a lot. But it opened the door to Dennis Street for me. Wow. And so did you go somewhere else to be inspired? What really prompted you to just pursue with the passion that you're driving with? It was a thought at 15 that I'd want to become a dentist. But when I was 18 years old, and again, when I was 19, my dad and I traveled to Guatemala. And that was a mission trip that I will never forget. The first time that I went there, we were seeing patients who were two years old all the way into their 80s. And the doctors who went with us were from San Francisco, from Davis, all in California. And then my dad from Hawaii. And I felt very lucky to be able to shadow and assist with these doctors because they were so good. Whatever we saw there, if we could save it, we did. And that was very powerful to me. It wasn't going into a camp and extracting, extracting everything that we saw. We were doing procedures that you'd find in the United States for hundreds of dollars. There was root canals, third molar extractions. Those are your wisdom teeth extractions. And those aren't even erupted sometimes. It was crazy. And I loved it. I loved it. And I saw that Dennis Street was more than just an office job. It was more about a community. There was that service. And just like Miss Hawaii, that opportunity was like, ooh, service. That's what I want. And I saw it in Dennis Street. And I said, that's what I want to do. Well, that's your heart, obviously. And that's good that you're going to focus on that aspect of service through the mouth. Because that's, I mean, a lot of kids in those countries, and even in America, in Hawaii, they don't have a bright smile because they're hiding. They're hiding. Something's not right. And so that's why your gift is to be able to let them shine through their smile. And you're going to help them with that. Absolutely. So what is the most spectacular or special case that you witnessed while you were in Guatemala? My favorite case was on a 19-year-old girl. It was my favorite because it was the most eye-opening, not because it made me happy. I was 19 at the time when I saw this. And she needed five extractions. And one of them was on her front tooth. And when I say we took out her front tooth, we took out the root of her front tooth because that was all that was left of it. And for me, that was really difficult, seeing that someone my age in a different country could be in such a different health condition and that it was so preventable. Had she known that through simple brushing and flossing to even make it better, would have decreased the likelihood of her having to lose that front tooth? That could have prevented it all? That spoke to me. And I said, education, prevention is so important. Yes, no different than in Hawaii. My mom grew up on Lanai, and she worked with the pineapple plantations. And as little kids, youngsters, they would be cutting the pineapple on the field and just munching on pineapple, munching on pineapple, and just all day long eating pineapple. But the problem was, yes, they ate great, healthy food. But they didn't have the opportunity to wash or rinse their mouth. So as you said, education. So because my mom didn't have that sort of oral hygiene education behind her, as little as I was, I've always known my mom to have had dentures. And that means she was in her 30s when she had her teeth removed. And she was with dentures. So just as you're saying, education, knowledge, and what can we do? Simply if they rinsed their mouths, that would have helped so much. And so being that you were in Guatemala, when you were doing your dentistry, were you in an office or were you in like a mash makeshift tent? How was it like? We worked out of a clinic space. So I was very impressed that we weren't in a tent. We were in a room with six fully operable chairs. So we had everything that we needed to perform dentistry safely and effectively. And that's the number one concern. You want to make sure that you're practicing well and with good intent. And so that's what we did. I love that the Mayan people that we were serving in that community were so grateful for all of our help. But it was difficult to communicate. Because I went there thinking, I don't know Spanish. This is going to be difficult. They actually speak a dialect called Cachacal. So sometimes we wouldn't need as many as two or three translators to help us get our message across when it came to instructions or procedures in what we were going to do. So can you imagine being a three-year-old child, a six-year-old child, having looked at by people who don't speak the same language as you, who don't look the same as you, and trusting? It was incredible. The kids were amazing. Wow. Well, again, because your smile, warm them up. So your smile, I tell you, can just break all barriers. Your smile breaks it. It opens the door. So they're like, trust comes. Because they see your beautiful smile. And so they see your heart through your smile. Absolutely. And then you're able to calm them down. And then the translators do their work. And then you do your work. Yep. It's all about the nonverbal communication. And in Guatemala, what we learned was that a tooth was a sign of wealth. And if you could keep your tooth, if you had a cap, that was great. If you were missing a tooth, it wasn't a bad thing. But it wouldn't have been. You don't seem as wealthy if you have a way to keep that tooth. Wow. And would you still be mariable? No, I'm joking. I don't know. So now that you witnessed and experienced Guatemala, and now that you're back in Hawaii, can you tell us what are the similarities or differences? Or tell us how that helped you in your journey here in Hawaii. Coming home from Guatemala, knowing that I wanted to become a dentist, for me, home is where the heart is, and this is where I want to practice. I'd love to go back to Guatemala as a practicing dentist one day and give back through that service. But coming home, I really found out that the conditions here in oral hygiene awareness isn't much different than what's in Guatemala. And that was mind-blowing for me to understand that there were kids who had that similar dental decay as Guatemala, the third-world country, was absolutely absurd to me. The dental decay rate in Hawaii is double the amount anywhere in the United States. We have the highest rate of dental decay. And one of the highest dentists per capita, so we have the help to address it. But we just need that little bit of education. And although I'm not a dentist yet, that's where I saw my place. I said, I can help there. Wow. Katherine, we're going to take a little short break. But keep that passion, because it's contagious. I want you to go to school, study, be the best in your class, and do the best you can. Come back to the people of Hawaii, because you're going to solve that problem. I already know it. I already know it, because of your smile and your drive. And so we're going to leave you for 60 seconds, and we're going to come right back, again, with Katherine Turia, Ms. Hawaii 2017. When I was growing up, I was among the one in six American kids who struggled with hunger, and hungry mornings make tired days. Grumpy days. That kind of days. But with the power of breakfast, the kids in your neighborhood can think big and be more. When we're not hungry for breakfast, we're hungry for more. More ideas. More dreams. More fun. When kids aren't hungry for breakfast, they can be hungry for more. Go to hungeris.org and lend your time or your voice to make breakfast happen for kids in your neighborhood. I'm getting older. Do I need to worry about falling? Yes, you do. Each year, one in four people 65 and older will experience a fall, and many will be serious. The majority of falls happen at home, so remove things that could make you trip and install handrails to keep you steady. To learn more about the steps you can take to help prevent a fall, please talk to your doctor. You can also visit aarpfoundation.org or Medicaremadeclear.com slash falls. This message was brought to you by UnitedHealthcare and AARP Foundation. Welcome back, and here we are with more energy and bright smiles from Catherine Turia. Ms. Hawaii 2017, we're coming to you live from Think Tech, Hawaii. And the first half of this show, Catherine, you shared with us your reigning year, which is full of love, excitement, and a servant's heart. And we just admire you for that. We mentioned that you set the bar so high for other contestants coming in, and we want all young ladies to achieve as much as you did, or even further. Just go for it, don't let anything stop you. We talked about dental care and hygiene in Guatemala, and then we were talking about the dental care and awareness here in Hawaii. And you were, she's just sharing with us, how surprised you are about the lack of some dental information and care for the people of Hawaii. So would you like to continue on that? Yes, so through my year as Ms. Hawaii, I was able to go to a number of different hospitals and talk to the kids, play with them, and it was a great relationship. But I also noticed that in the hospital, there was visible dental decay happening. And that broke my heart, because not only are they fighting their challenges, other medical challenges, but there's also the challenge in their oral hygiene. And so I was able to work with the Hawaii Dental Service and HDS, and we set up a campaign that really encouraged families to take control of their education of oral health, that a healthy life truly does begin with a healthy smile. And I loved that partnership and being able to encourage education. That was the key for me, and that's why I really tried to push my platform and my program BFF Brush Floss Fluoride, because dental decay really is something that can affect the entire body. Your oral health is a direct reflection on your mental health. There's a number of studies that show that children miss so much school with dental-related pains. And if we're able to alleviate that, that's more time spent in the classroom, more time feeling healthy and happy, and less time in pain. And in the end, that's what we want. It's about preventive care. I mean, in general, you've got a little toothache, it's just a little toothache, but you're constantly thinking of it, and it's just pounding and pounding, and how can you even focus on being happy? You can't, because it hurts so much. Nonetheless, focus on studies, or even as a mother, how can you even focus on your other two or three or four kids and cook a meal? Because you're in pain yourself. So how would you educate all of us to know what to do for better oral health? My platform, BFF, Brush Floss Fluoride, is not only for children, for families, for everyone. And those are three easy steps to decrease tooth decay. So it's brushing, brushing at least twice a day, and I tell the kids in the office, it's for every two teeth, you brush 10 times. So that's the front of the tooth, the back of the tooth, on top, on bottom, 10 times for every two teeth. And then you wanna floss at least once a day, for me I prefer the evening times, because that's after you've eaten all of your meals for the day, and it's easy to get on that routine. And when you floss, it's not only just going straight up in between the teeth, but it's going and curving around the tooth and into that gum line. You don't wanna slice the gum line, but you wanna curve around it, because when you can get the bacteria that's in between your tooth and the gum, you're making sure that there's no chance of decay happening between your teeth. And then for our kupuna, our elders, when you take away that bacteria between the teeth, you have a chance of keeping your teeth longer. Because it becomes mobile, right? As the gum line recedes, it comes a little bit shorter as we get older, the tooth will become more loose if there's decay that's happened, and we lose our teeth more quickly. If we can get on a routine of flossing our teeth at a young age, then we won't have to worry about it later on in life. Wow, that's important. I mean, like what you just said about the kupuna. They're figuring, ah, I'm already old, but you know what, heck, when I die, I want all my teeth in my mouth, right? And so how do I enable that is better for all hygiene. Right, right. Flossing, rinsing and doing all the right things. Right. I mean, that's so key. So what can you share about good oral health for our children? And Catherine, about what age do you encourage moms, young moms, to start dental hygiene for their infants? It's finding a dentist by the time your child reaches the age of one. That's really important. And making sure that once they have just their first tooth that you're brushing, you're getting into the habit of brushing their teeth, because it's all about comfort and making sure that they are willing to let you access that point of brushing. But it's also important to know that bottle feeding and breastfeeding can also lead to decay. We want to make sure that formula and breast milk aren't left in a child's mouth while they sleep, so it's really important to make sure that they're not breastfeeding when they fall asleep, because the formula, the nutrients that we have in milk, although it's good for our body, it's not so good inside of our mouth because bacteria love to grow in it. And so that's gonna start that point for decay. And so having a child and understanding that oral health is very important just as you'd go to a pediatrician, it's going to a dentist as well. And addressing that early on. Well, Catherine, you pretty much hit it right on the spot because you're saying to find a dentist that you feel comfortable with. Because I mean, I remember when I was growing up, we didn't have that right dentist. And so it was very traumatic and it's never left me. And so just the smell or the sound of the drill. So, and I'm pretty much a big chunk of why people don't go to the dentist is because of fear and all of that. But with the proper education and sharing with the youngsters, hey, you know what, anti-Catherine or Dr. Catherine is gonna start taking care of your teeth so that you can have healthier, brighter smile and explaining and taking the time to do that. And I'm 100% sure that your patients won't have this fear. What will you do to help them throughout that traumatic first visit? It's all about open communication, making sure that patients come in if they have questions that they feel comfortable asking them to any doctor and trusting the doctor to being able to address anything that's going on and referring them out to other specialists if that's what they require or being able to treat them right there in the office. I think that especially for children, what you can look for is board certified doctors. And I'm really proud that my dad is one of a board certified pediatric dentist here in Hawaii, apedodontic associates. So it's little details. Do your research and find out what works best for you because the best doctor for someone might not be the best doctor for you. And there's a lot of doctors out there. So go out to your research and feel the most comfortable with the care that you're getting. And of course, you know the title of our show is called Take Your Healthy Back, right? And so we all know that diet matters for everything, even hair, eyes, nail growth, just overall general health. A diet, what we eat matters. Yes. So how much does a good diet mean for good oral health? I believe in you are what you eat and in the end, there is no perfect diet. Your body reacts differently to different types of food. And that's the same as how it is in your mouth. Different types of food will do different things to people's bodies. People have different enamel surfaces and strengths compared to other people. No matter what you eat, you're gonna have sugar content in it. You're gonna have the proteins that want bacteria to grow in it. And in the end, you wanna take away those artificial sugars and those artificial flavors and keep it natural. But it's that oral hygiene education. Brushing every single time after you eat, those are key things. You can enjoy your life, you can eat what you wanna eat within reason, but it's taking care of your teeth and knowing that what you eat will have an effect on your health. And that's that idea that you need to remember when it comes to dieting. I mean, I've done a lot of different diets, competing and just trying to be the healthiest version of myself. But in the end, it's about what are you gonna do in your life that's gonna make you feel good? And taking care of your teeth for me, making sure that my smile is as bright as it can be, that does it for me. And you know, again, BFF, right? Brush, floss, fluoride. And you know, just really quickly, side note, in Pretty Woman, she took some time off of her date night to floss because she had strawberry seeds stuck in her teeth and she didn't wanna go back out with the... So she flossed. So you're spot on with the BFF and I just truly love it. And again, this apple, and Apple Day keeps the doctor away and probably the dentist too because when you're eating this, it's also kind of like a natural scrubbing, right? And it's all natural foods. So like you said, when you're competing, whatever you're doing, eating a choice of healthier foods. Absolutely, absolutely. And so now, you know, I gotta go to the dentist. There are so many different types of dentists. You know, like this, that, this, it's like so many. How do I know which avenue of dentistry I should go to? Especially as you get older in my age where we have different special needs. Can you share a little bit about different aspects of dentistry? There's so many different aspects of dentistry and it's first and foremost going to your general practitioner and having those six month checkups because you're gonna see your height, sometimes you're hygienist, sometimes you're dentist, but you're gonna get that cleaning and your expectation for the next couple visits. And so being able to figure out what's going on in your body, your mouth, getting those x-rays, those checkup visits, they're really important because if you have a certain case that your doctor can't necessarily address in their office, they can direct you to another specialty whether that's the anodontist, the periodontist, anyone who is specialized in that specific area to help you out. Wow. So you know dental health is definitely a reflection on mental health as we mentioned before. I mean right big smile, I'm gonna feel good, look good, I'm gonna look good, I'm gonna feel good. Right and so it matters, it matters and we take it so much for granted. I have a bill, I don't have enough money, I can't go to the dentist, just gonna clean my teeth. What does it matter if I miss a cleaning or two or three or four? It's just more plaque buildup. When I go there, the hygienist, she's gonna just do more scraping. Tell me how much it matters that when I miss my every six months visit. No matter what your oral health expectation is, there's always going to be buildup. Some people are more prone to it than others but there's always gonna be that buildup. So it is important to have someone checking it out every six months because the faster you can see any type of problem, in the end, looking from an economic point of view, the cheaper it's going to be. Exactly. If you can catch a cavity in its very small beginning states. Like a little, like just something very small, you can address it. Right. But once it keeps growing and if you're missing those checkups so you don't see it, even though it's not sore, it's there. Right. Dental procedures are very expensive. Right. So it's making sure you're going to the doctor, you're doing your oral hygiene routine every single day. Right. That's gonna prevent all of that. Wow. Okay, so being Chinese. Yes. Me too. Me too. I can say Chinese too. Yeah, we should go more often because prevention is so much simpler. Sure. And it's much cheaper than working on the after cause or effect. And so you're absolutely right. And so you've come to us today with a wealth of knowledge, but not just the knowledge. You come to us with passion. Passion about our teeth, about our beautiful smile and you display it constantly. So we're so grateful for you and for your heart. So go out, go back, go to school, get your degree, come back, work alongside with your father. He'll be so proud and he's probably very excited and impatient waiting for you to do so. I think he's a little excited. He thinks they're very excited. He has my baby, he's gonna be and carrying on the practice, you know, along what he's created and that he feels so proud that he instilled that passion within you. So he's a successful father and your mother is what is beautiful as your whole family is. So continue your mission, oral health and just making that smile bright because it does matter. A smile is contagious. It is contagious. And I absolutely love that about the field that I'm going into. Yes. So congratulations to you. Thank you. Set the bar so high and for all you aspiring dental students, just remember this talk and what she's out there sharing with all of us is your heart to want more and be more for not just Hawaii, but for the world. And you made it sound so simple. Oh, thank you. Mahalo, mahalo, mahalo. Aloha everyone.