Youths say Tak Nak to advice from dentists

Star: Youths are discerning when it comes to what is cool and what is not.
Going to the dentist is definitely not cool. Receiving advice to quit smoking from the very same dentist is absolutely unimaginable.
“I hate my dental appointments. I hate cancelling on friends to go to the dentist. Now I'm going to hate my dentist,” said Wong Yen Ling, who has been smoking for a year.
She said her dentist had warned her regarding the stains on her teeth but since her circle of friends was heavy smokers, she finds that smoking “rocks.”
“I get a barrage of moans and advice every time I light up. There's no escaping it. And now you're telling me that my dentist is going to turn on me, too?” asked Lee Cheng Wern, a 20-year-old student who has been smoking for two years.
He said that he is aware of the ailments linked to this habit, the most significant being lung cancer, and that the Government has been trying to discourage smoking amongst youths through the Tak Nak campaign.
“I've been trying to quit but just can't seem to. I'll try again soon. Just don't tell me everyone is soon going to be an expert on anti-smoking,” he said.
More than 100 dentists have attended the Certified Smoking Cessation Service Provider (CSCSP) programme organised by the Health Ministry. The programme, meant to equip dentists with information on how to counsel smokers of the dangers of their habit, will soon be extended to 2,600 dentists nationwide.
“It feels like I'm in a tomb when at the dentist. Now it'll be a cemetery,” said 19-year-old Raja Soundar Vikram.
He explained that the droning of the dentist's voice and equipment feels like he is being lowered six feet under. With the implementation of CSCSP, other youths will share his feelings.
His friend, Krishnan Velu, said that just because the dentist's was the only place youths were forced to shut up and listen, it did not mean they had to pay heed to the dentist's message.
“You really think a dentist's advice will stop us from smoking? We've heard it all,” he said.
Syed Hafiz Hisham, 21, agreed.
“It's nothing new, simply an addition to what we hear and see almost everywhere,” said Syed Hafiz, adding that with more anti-smoking messages present, the more “numb” youths will become towards these messages.
However, some suggested that their peers might influence them to gradually stop smoking.
“I'd rather hear it from my friends. At least we get to discuss it,” said Amy Lam, 18.
She said that although it may not seem to be a sensitive subject, it appears so to the youths and they would appreciate the chance to talk about it openly with their peers.
So this is the verdict. Advice from one's dentist is totally uncool. It is not a fresh idea. It does not “rock.”
But if the advice were to come from acquaintances, then the chances of youths lending a keen ear may be higher.