When I was a kid, my dad took me to dental appointments because he made it a habit to visit our family dentist regularly. My mom had false teeth, so she didn’t need to visit the dentist. Dad was always very nervous about visiting the dentist and I became nervous because of that. The dentist worked in a small office and waiting was really bad if he was using tools to repair another person’s teeth.
The buzzing and grinding noises made me even more nervous.
The dentist was always kind though, and kids got to pick out a small toy at the end of their visit. He was the only man I knew at that time who had a mustache. I can remember being fascinated with it. Today, dental clinics are larger and dental tools are way less noisy.
Thank you technology!
It’s very important for everyone to keep their teeth clean by brushing with a small amount of toothpaste twice (or more times) each day. Every time we eat something, very small pieces of the food stay on and between our teeth. They mix with saliva in our mouth and form a film called Plaque. Plaque dries and sticks to teeth. It will break down the surface of your teeth if you don’t use a toothbrush to remove it. That’s why it’s really important to brush before you go to bed so the plaque doesn’t get time to build up on your teeth, become yellow and harder to remove. It’s very important for everyone to keep their teeth clean by brushing with a small amount of toothpaste twice (or more times) each day.
Every time we eat something, very small pieces of the food stay on and between our teeth. They mix with saliva in our mouth and form a film called Plaque. Plaque dries and sticks to teeth. It will break down the surface of your teeth if you don’t use a toothbrush to remove it. That’s why it’s really important to brush before you go to bed so the plaque doesn’t get time to build up on your teeth, become yellow and harder to remove.
It’s pretty creepy to imagine something this nasty can be growing in our mouths overnight that will damage our teeth.
We need to clean all sides of our teeth and not forget the back! You can use dental floss to clean the small spaces between the teeth once a day so plaque doesn’t grow there either. A parent can help you with this until you learn how to do it yourself.
Brushing our teeth for at least two minutes keeps the gums healthy. The gums are the pink area that surround the base of the teeth. Gums can also be damaged by plaque and get sore. Sometimes they get so sore that it hurts to eat. So it’s important to keep plaque away from the gums too.
This might sound a bit crazy but it’s important to brush our tongues to get rid of any bacteria that will damage our teeth and gums.
Tongues act like sponges that hold onto bacteria. I always brush my tongue last before rinsing my mouth with water. You’ll need to run the bristles of your toothbrush across the top and sides of your tongue. It feels kind of funny but it doesn’t hurt and is the best way to get rid of bacteria.
Brushing regularly makes your breath smell fresh and helps to keep your teeth white.
Bacteria and plaque makes your breath smell bad. It’s really hard to know what your own breath smells like but others can smell your breath when you talk or laugh. They might not want to be next to you if your breath smells bad. They might even tell you that your breath smells really bad.
When you brush your teeth, you are making sure that no one will say anything
bad about your breath.
Sometimes when you visit the dental clinic, they might put fluoride on your teeth.
Fluoride is a natural mineral that protects our teeth when it teams up with calcium in our
body to help build strong teeth and bones. Some people used to worry about getting too
much fluoride, but scientists have proven that our body only uses what it needs and
flushes away the rest.
Yeah for science!
Speaking of science, scientific research has proven that good oral health helps to keep
the rest of our body healthy too. Bacteria from your mouth can spread into your body
and build up causing other health issues.
Your reward for keeping your teeth clean is that you’ll have a good checkup
and the dentist won’t have to fix your teeth later!
Your parents will be happy that they won’t have to take you to another appointment and
they won’t have to pay for dental repairs.
By the way, I enjoy visiting my current dentist regularly now even though he doesn’t
have a cool mustache.
Resources:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/16914-oral-hygiene
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/topics/oral-health/caring-your-teeth-mouth/childr
en.html
https://www.shermanoaksdentistry.com/why-its-important-to-brush-your-teeth-before-be
d/#:~:text=When%20you%20eat%2C%20go%20to,%2C%20rougher%2C%20and%20
more%20yellow.
https://valleycreekdentalcare.com/blog/importance-of-oral-dental-hygiene-for-kids
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fluoride-good-or-bad
https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-fluoride
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/dental/art-20047475
