My granddaughter and I were playing with her dolls the other day. She said something silly which triggered a good ole belly laugh in me.  Though she started out laughing with me, she stopped and just looked at me with this serious look on her face. I quit giggling to ask her if she was okay. Very concerned she whispered, “Grandma, you have blue teeth.”

Tooth be told…😆 I got a little concerned. You know how your mind starts to go through scenarios and gets all twisted up like spaghetti? I thought…did I drink something blue? Did I suck on something blue? Did I chew something blue? And…as quickly as those thoughts flew into my mind, they soared right back out. I knew. I knew what she saw.

I am from the ‘olden days.’ Back when we had cavities, our teeth were filled with silver. UGH!!! Well…after about 45 years of that silver taking up long term residency in my tooth, it has stained the whole tooth and it’s a gross gray. My granddaughter saw blue. 🤦‍

Being the elementary teacher that I am, I used this opportunity as a teachable moment. How much this 4-year old little girl grasped about cavities and silver and how lucky she is because fillings are now white is questionable. But, I went into full teacher mode and she got the full lesson on taking care of her teeth. Floss as much as you can! Brush twice a day. Visit the dentist, sweet girl. Poor thing…all she wanted to do was play dolls. 🤷‍

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The American Dental Association’s slogan for 2019 is “Brush and clean in between to build a healthy smile.” Back when I was teaching 3^rd graders, the school nurse always came into my classroom during February and my students got to chew on red tablets. They certainly got a kick out of it, and thought it was funny to show off their red-toothed smile! Do they still do that? The ADA offers activity sheets on dental health regardless if your school nurse comes in or not. Click here to check them out. If The Dentist Were An Animal written by Rachel Grider and illustrated by Summer Morrison is a cute book to read with your students. There are many dental health children’s books to choose from. Check out google for other titles.

I brush at least twice a day, floss at least twice a day, and irrigate twice a day. Plus, I’m fortunate to get to visit the dentist every six months. At my age, I’m doing everything in my power to keep my teeth. Want to join me? Let’s take care of our teeth together…even if they are blue. 😉 Happy National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Photo credit: American Dental Association

Stay Calm & Brush, Floss, Irrigate!
Profs Dr. Wendy. & Dr. V.