April showers bring May flowers?
We should have a deluge of flowers then, correct? Yeah I know, you’re not reading this for gardening advice. Good thing because I’m a lousy gardener. My hobbies are more detail oriented anyway. I prefer to tinker with motors or fishing poles. Things that need to be adjusted with small tools and calibrated to precise tolerances. That desire, the ability to make tiny adjustments with small tools also defines my day job as your kid’s dentist. Even though we don’t consider a toothbrush or floss as a “tool” maybe we should? I know I do. They perform a service that’s unique and important and when used properly they are irreplaceable. And more so than with the approach of summer break. Even though Spring is only a couple weeks old, May follows April and the kids start to get antsy. Now’s the time they start dreaming of trips to the beach, afternoons at the pool, watching cartoons in the morning (is that still a thing?) or maybe a trip to Charlotte’s Carowinds or Disney World. I know because every time they plop into one of our chairs that’s the first thing out of their mouths.
“Dr. Muncy guess where we’re going this summer!?”
When I respond with “hey that’s so awesome and let’s make sure we pack our toothbrush and toothpaste” I’m sure I sound like the geek of the week. Well kids, let’s recap. Good health starts with healthy teeth. Healthy teeth starts with clean teeth. When we eat, or drink something sweet (soda, tea, those dreaded juice boxes) we leave behind a sugary residue on our teeth and that needs to be removed before it starts to break down and cause the acids that cause the cavities.
I know this all sounds like common sense but if you have time for a very short history lesson, here goes.
It’s only in the last 100 years that we as humans have really been able to take care of our teeth thanks to advances in toothbrush manufacturing and accepting daily dental hygiene as worthwhile. Seriously, y’all. Used to be teeth were treated as an encumbrance. They were going to rot out no matter what so why bother taking care of them. That’s why no one smiled in those old black and white photos from way back when. So while your little ones are itching to get a start on their summer day dreams, shall we remember to practice a little daily dental hygiene? Brush and floss twice a day. And all they’ll need is less than ten minutes. That way, if they ever do become the next Czar of a far away country, they’ll be able to smile when the photographer says “Everyone say cheese!”
And as always, if you or someone you know is in need of a fun loving pediatric dentist, one that’s lousy at growing May flowers and great at taking care of little teeth, share our number or send them this link.
Happy April!