A battle worth fighting: me against the children and their teeth

I knew something was up. I think Monkey knew because, for a change, he was not keen to go. My worst fears were confirmed. "He needs a filling," said the dentist. He started to cry when the dentist gave him a talk about looking after his teeth. Before we knew it, we were downstairs booking an appointment when the receptionist asked if we could do it now. Eek. I decided we would, for lots of reasons. He calmed down and actually did brilliantly - although our fab dentist seems to do fillings without any horror shows, as it was the easiest filling I've ever seen.

We did have another chat with Monkey, about brushing his teeth. Bear in mind that Missy Woo gets the same things as he does and her teeth are fantastic and the dentist always praises her. Quite simply, she brushes her teeth properly. I've lost count of the number of times I've sent Monkey back to the bathroom to brush his teeth again after he's disappeared for all of 15 seconds then said he's done his teeth. That must mean there are plenty more times when I didn't.

If nothing else, the filling was a wake up call to him. Whilst it wasn't as traumatic as he thought it would be (mainly driven by his friend telling him how much a filling had hurt - I told you we had a fab dentist!), he realised that not brushing your teeth properly has consequences (especially after breakfast when he often has raisins on his cereal; they are so difficult to unstick from little teeth.) Mind you, there are signs of a bit of slippage and once again, I'm sending him back upstairs after his sister snitched on him a few times.

The problem is, two minutes is a bit long when you are 8. Or 7 but Missy Woo is way more patient.

Thankfully, Colgate sent me a bag of goodies including a fab toothy two minute timer to help them know exactly how long two minutes is. I mean, when Monkey first had a filling, I sat upstairs watching the clock to time them. They sent it for their Oral Health Month in September so let's gloss over the fact that it's now October. Bad Kate. Still, there's never a bad time to discuss dental health for kids.

Colgate shared with me an infographic that I personally found quite interesting, and shocking. I'd share it with you but Blogger won't let me upload the file so I'll give you the edited highlights. Only 50% of children go to see their dentist twice a year. That is down in part to some parents not realising that milk teeth are as important as adult teeth. Another factor is parents' fear of dentists and also because the children are afraid. Generally, I don't fear the dentist which I'm glad about, and my kids have been going to the dentist so long they shouldn't really fear them because they haven't learnt that from me. I'm hoping the filling doesn't scare Monkey in any way.

We are so lucky that we do have a dentist that we can visit regularly - I know that not everyone is so fortunate. And I know that it's really super hard not to give into demands for sweets and chocolate all the time, particularly when you have smart persuasive children. I spend my life saying no to my kids, and I don't always win. But I do think it's a battle worth fighting and winning as much as I can. Having healthy teeth is more important than most of us think - it can affect your overall health, as well as your confidence. So the fight will go on and I'll try to keep them on the right track.

(Thanks to Colgate for sending a bag of goodies for us to try.)

On a mission for healthy mouths

You may remember that a few months ago, I told you about the Healthy Mouth Challenge which Colgate had challenged me to take. Now it's Oral Health month, they've asked me to be a "Healthy Mouth Ambassador" for their Healthy Mouth Mission . Now that Monkey is losing teeth, especially the more prominent ones (one of his front ones fell out - for which read he pulled out when it was slightly wobbly when he was bored going to sleep one night - during our holiday) it's becoming even more important to ensure that the children are looking after their teeth. Thankfully, we got the thumbs up from the dentist when I took the children in August. The dentist has got a bit of a thing about what toothpaste we're using for them to brush their teeth because I use one for 3-6 year olds but I have checked it and the fluoride content is very close to adult toothpaste. Still, it doesn't harm to try to get them onto adult toothpaste, especially as we end up with tubes of different toothpaste everywhere! 

A healthy mouth in a healthy body

I guess we all know the importance of maintaining good dental health. We know how to stop our kids having to have fillings or teeth extracted. We know how to look after our teeth so they last as long as possible. Or do we? I know when I was going to postnatal group, we had a dental nurse who told some horror stories of small children having to have milk teeth out because they had drunk sugary drinks out of baby bottles and so forth. But then, I've heard of children who have had to had teeth out because their well-meaning parents had given them dried fruit to eat, thinking it would be OK. I've tried to maintain balance with the things that the children eat or drink but even so, our dentist gives me different advice to some of the advice the dental nurse gave us that way. It can be quite confusing at times.

So, yes, they do have sweets and yes, they have raisins (which are often worse than  sweets because they stick to their teeth) but mostly after a meal - when saliva levels are higher and your teeth are better protected - or they have some cheese straight after as this helps to neutralise plaque acid. Most of their drinks are sugar free and I try, where possible, to dilute fruit juice because it is so acidic. We try to get them to brush their teeth properly - although our current project is for them to remember to spit out the toothpaste after our last dentist visit - because, apparently, too much fluoride can make their adult teeth come through mottled. (Do not - repeat, DO NOT - google dental fluorosis!) They actually love the dentist, although until recently, Missy Woo didn't like the fact that the dentist's chair moved but we're over that now.

My parents always made a point of visiting the dentist regularly. I grew up knowing that looking after your teeth is important - and that's passed onto me, as I still go regularly myself and hopefully, that habit will pass to my children.

Colgate sent me a goody bag to try out in order to promote their Healthy Mouth Challenge, which I have also had a play with. You fill out a quiz about your teeth and your dental routine and they give you recommendations based on your answers and if you're scared of the dentist, a bit more information and knowledge before you go. The results showed that my only occasional problem tends to be mouth ulcers, and I must admit I never realised that burning with hot drinks can cause those.

Colgate sent some me interesting facts about dental health. Did you know that:

• bacteria is continually growing on your teeth even immediately after brushing? 
• when you’re pregnant you’re more at risk of gum disease and tooth sensitivity? 
• women suffer from more anxiety than men when visiting the dentist (with 12% of UK adults suffering from an extreme fear of the dentist)?

When it comes to buying toothpaste, I tend to get whatever is on offer. Luckily, when I checked, we most recently bought Colgate. They sent me Colgate Total Advanced toothpaste to try, which they claim is the only toothpaste that is clinically proven to provide non-stop 12hr protection against bacteria which is constantly building up in your mouth. Now, there is not a lot you can say about toothpaste! It's pleasant enough and I don't have any way of verifying that it does what it says. They also sent me a 360 Surround Toothbrush, some floss and some Plax mouthwash - something for every part of a healthy mouth routine.

Finally, Colgate sent a couple of resources for parents that I thought I'd share. (Click on them to enlarge). 

Firstly, oral care milestones for young children. 

And also, tips for brushing children's teeth. 

If you have a go at the Healthy Mouth Challenge, let me know how you did. Do you visit the dentist regularly? What about your children - do they see a dentist? How careful are you with sugary food and drinks? Do you struggle to get them to look after their teeth by brushing etc? 


I was sent a goody bag of Colgate products to try and have received no other compensation for this post. The opinions stated are my own and not affected by any compensation. I have not been told what to write and I retain full editorial control.)