Hello, all my little friends! How are you doing with your New Year’s resolution to floss your teeth in the morning and brush your teeth twice a day? You are sticking to it, right? That is GREAT NEWS! You know how much I adore your pearly whites and want you to keep them strong, healthy, and beautiful for your entire life!!! Keep up the good work with your resolution to keep up with flossing and brushing because the fake teeth called dentures don’t look as pretty or work as well as your own. So, you know what February brings for us fairies? Great guess!! Valentine’s Day!!
About Valentines Day
Valentine’s Day has its origins with the ancient Romans – long before I was born. Somewhere around 270 A.D. the Romans celebrated a festival known as Lupercalia. Lupercalia is a festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. This was celebrated at what was called the “ides of February”, dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the founders of Rome who were two brothers known as Romulus and Remus. Rome and the Romans gave us a lot of history!
About Cupid
Did you know that Cupid is Roman? What? You are not sure who Cupid is? From Roman stories, we get the name Cupid, which came from the Latin word capered. Cupid is the child of the goddess of love, who was known to the Romans as Venus. The Romans also named a planet in honor of her can you guess what they called it? If you guessed Venus, you are right. Venus is the second planet from the sun right before Earth.
If I talk too much about Cupid, my Herbie gets anxious. Herbie thinks Cupid will strike him with the “Silver Arrow.” The Silver Arrow is responsible for making people fall out of love. Do you know why Herbie is afraid of Cupid? Well, think about some of the treats that go hand in hand with Valentine’s Day –! What did you guess? Flowers, that is right but not what Herbie, or I think about. Did you guess candy? If you did then you are right! Did you ever see Cupid or a picture of him? Well, how to put this nicely, he is a chubby little dude. Guess what, he eats way too much of his own candy! Can you guess what happened next?
If you guessed that Cupid put on weight, you are right, but think about your little pearly whites. Yup, you are 100% correct. The Bogarts in the candy and the Demeantors attacked Cupid’s teeth and he had to go and see Herbie. Herbie declared that Cupid’s teeth were in terrible shape and he was worse than the Abominable Snowman! Herbie had to work long and hard to get Cupid’s teeth back into better shape. I am happy that Herbie could restore Cupid’s teeth but very sad for my little darlings who were attacked by the Bogarts and Demeantors.
Brushing and Flossing Tips
Did you know this is Children’s Dental Health Month? You did not? Well now you do. Make certain that you floss your teeth and brush twice a day to keep your pearly whites strong and beautiful. The best way to clean your teeth is to first floss between your teeth with a piece of dental floss. You can ask your Mom, Dad or Grandparents to help you. Take a tiny, tiny amount of toothpaste and put it on the floss. Now go ahead and floss between all your teeth – make certain that you floss both teeth that touch each other. Start at the upper right area of your mouth, work your way around and then start on the lower area. You can start on the left side if you like that better. After you floss, take your mouthwash, and give it a good swish around your mouth. That helps to get rid of all the debris that collects between your teeth. Make certain that you spit it out!
Next you will want to get your toothbrush. Put some toothpaste on the brush (you can have someone help you) and make certain it is only a small amount. Then take the toothbrush and start on one side of your mouth first moving in a small circular motion on all the tooth surfaces that are close to your cheek. Work your way around the upper jaw, it is called the maxillae. Then move to your lower jaw, called the mandible, and do the same thing. After you finish on the visible, outside sides of your pearly whites, take the toothbrush and do the inside of your teeth, the part that is against the tongue side. Remember to move your toothbrush in a small circular motion! After you finish both sides of your teeth, you must clean the biting surfaces, called the occlusal surfaces. For these surfaces, you can use a back-and-forth motion. That is all there is to it, your teeth are clean! BUT you are not done yet!
After you finish brushing your teeth, you need to clean your cheeks and under your lips with your toothbrush. I usually use an up and down motion and a back-and-forth motion. Most important, the bogarts and demeantors hide out on your tongue so, after you finish cleaning your cheeks, you need to brush your tongue. When you have done this, you are all done cleaning your little darlings! It is important to remember, DO NOT rinse with mouthwash or water. Why you should ask? Because the toothpaste has all the fluoride in it and remember fluoride is your teeth’s petronous!!
Toothbrush Hygiene
I want to talk to you about a little discussed topic and that is toothbrush hygiene (cleanliness). When you finish brushing your teeth, rinse your toothbrush under hot water. I recommend that one time per week that you clean your toothbrush with a little dishwashing liquid and rinse it very thoroughly before you let it dry. Why? Well sometimes there is food and debris left in the toothbrush and with more than one person keeping their toothbrushes with yours it is a good sanitary habit. It also allows you to inspect your toothbrush for wear and tear. Remember I told you that when the bristles of the brush wear down or start to spread out it is time to change your toothbrush? I recommend changing a toothbrush every 2 months. What a better way to celebrate Children’s Dental Health Month – with a new toothbrush! Secretly, I petitioned to have my fairies leave a toothbrush under pillows, but our budgeting department would not let me do this and leave money for the teeth you have lost or will lose.
Well, my friends, this was a long but important post. It is time for me to get to work, there are a lot of little darlings that need to get a bath in my shop. By the way, Herbie is checking up on Cupid before his holiday to make certain his pearly whites are in tip top shape!
Tata my little buddies! Have a Happy Valentine’s Day! Don’t forget, you can always contact me with email or call my friends at the Connecticut Dental Health Partnership! My friends at the CTDHP would love to hear from some of you out there as you brighten up their day!
Dr. Tooth Fairy
855-CT-DENTAL Monday-Friday 8AM – 5PM
