Friday, August 19, 2011

Two nights after a toothfairy visit...

Well, the tooth fairy has paid us a visit. It was a long time coming. Betsy has been wanting this to happen for, oh, at least a year. At school, she was one of the only kids who still had all of their baby teeth, so she is elated that she can go back to school toothless.

For Nick, it was bittersweet. She is growing up and there is just nothing to be done to stop it. Anyhow, I thought that I would use this moment to impart wisdom when it comes to kids' teeth and the dentist.

First off, my kids enjoy brushing their teeth. How did this happen? Well, I think two things, in addition to the fact that my kids are weird. I have brushed their teeth (with a toothbrush) since they were each 6 months old. At least twice a day. Usually after every meal. So they think nothing of it. Also, we have a timer in each bathroom. It is like an hourglass, only it only goes for 3 minutes. My kids know that in the morning and at night we are brushing with the timer.

I still brush their teeth. After lunch, they each get to brush their own teeth. And they don't have to use the timer then. I do this so that they will learn and also because they like it, but they are neither one good enough at it to do their own teeth all the time.

Every night we also floss (we use those floss sticks because it's easier) and they use floride (which we call swish) for one minute. That involves singing (it's not always easy to do something for a minute when you are six and three).

We also visit the dentist every six months. If you live in the Zanesville area, I highly recommend Dr. Robert Malek, who is the girls' dentist. They love going to the dentist. He has video games for them to play and they get a toy at the end of the visit. But mostly, and this is especially for Betsy who loves knowing how things work, he allows them to watch everything that he does. He allows Betsy to get right up in Felicity's face and watch all that he is doing.

Finally, of course, some great books about going to the dentist and good dental hygiene:

1. What to Expect When You Go To The Dentist by Heidi Murkoff. Obviously, I love these books. It answers every conceviable question they could have.

2. Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer. I love Little Critter. This one is cute and it can calm some dental fears.

3. Show Me Your Smile! by Christine Ricci. This is a Dora book. I like it beacuse Dora asks a lot of questions to engage the child in the book.

4. Meet Michael's Dentist! by Lori Froeb. This one is the girls' favorite. It is a Little People book with flaps (they love flaps).

5. I Know Why I Brush My Teeth by Kate Rowan. I like this book because it goes into detail (in a kid-friendly way) about all of the teeth in your mouth and the importance of keeping them clean.

6. This Book Bites by Timothy Gower. This is a cool book. I got it at a book sale at the library. It goes into so much detail about the mouth. Everything that you could ever want to know, it's in there.

Anyway, I hope that my girls always love taking care of their teeth. Most of my back teeth are gone, due to horrific sinus problems. I love that they no longer hurt me, but it is difficult to eat without molars. So I know whereof I speak. They know that there are some things that Mommy cannot eat. So I'm hoping that they put a premium on their teeth...