Healthy Smiles Make “Hapee” Kids

I am proud to say that I have a healthy and nice set of teeth.  They are small and aligned properly.  I am glad that I don’t need to spend money to wear braces or false teeth up to now.

I think I need to thank my evil aunt who always teased me of having yellow teeth when I was young because of not brushing it.  It is not because we don’t have toothpaste, but merely because I am not that conscious, I am lazy and my mom was not that strict on checking us if we are clean or not when she arrived from work.

I got conscious after my aunt teased me and I was afraid that she will tell it to my playmates so I made an effort to brush my teeth everyday.

Now that I have grown up, I realized how important it is to have a nice set of teeth.  I believe that If you Don’t Look After your Teeth Now, You’ll Regret it Later!

Having a nice set of teeth also builds my confidence and I learned that having a clean teeth can save a person from other diseases. Did you know that a broken tooth can cause serious complications and sometimes it is even life-threatening?

As a mom, I want Ren to have a good looking set of healthy teeth as well.  When his first tooth came out I knew that I needed to do something to make it strong.

Ren won 2nd place and won Canadian dollars cash prize at the PinoySmile Contest 2009

Brushing is a struggle at first, we always quarrel when it’s time to brush his teeth.  Whining is automatic when he hears the word “brushing time!!!”. Almost everyday he keeps on asking why do we need to brush our teeth, and even if I am already tired of explaining it again and again  and again, I still do.  Repetition is the key.

All my efforts paid off when he reached 6 years old and did not have a single broken tooth.  His baby tooth were quite healthy even before his permanent tooth came out.

Because we practiced it at home, when he is at school and the teachers introduced brushing after recess, Ren already knows what to do.

I believe that we parents are our kids first teacher, it is our duty to instil to our kids the habit and importance of brushing one’s teeth at an early age.  They will thank us for that when they realize on their own how important brushing is.

Here are my 5 Tips to make brushing fun with your kids and t0 help them have a healthy smile.

LET THEM COPY YOU– Kids imitate what adults do.  Get your own toothbrush and brush your teeth together with your kids.  Show them how easy and enjoyable brushing is.

COUNT or SING – We have a structure on brushing teeth.  It helped Ren to know what to do or area to brush first and which one is the next.  They said that it takes at least two (2) minutes to get your child’s teeth clean enough.  So we break the mouth in 6 areas (lower left, lower right, upper left, upper right, front and tongue).  In each area we count and brush it 10 times (total of 60seconds), then we repeat.  You can start counting up to 5 then increase it as you go on.

BUY FLAVORFUL TOOTHPASTE – Children are normally attracted to fun and fruity toothpaste flavours, preferring those without stingy menthol flavours.

Hapee Kiddie Toothpaste comes in seven fun flavours that children will surely love: Strawberry Bloom, Orange Squeeze, Tutti-Frutti Twist, Bubblegum Pop, Cookies and Cream Ahoy, Apple Crunch, and Juicy Grapes.

But that’s not all, Hapee Kiddie Toothpaste contains kid-safe levels of fluoride, which will save your child’s teeth from those nasty caries.

VISIT A FRIENDLY DENTIST– When I was young, I got scared even of just the sight of a dentist. It didn’t matter if it was a Dentist in Greenbelt or Philippines. That’s because the first time I have visited a dentist was when I needed a tooth extraction and he needed to put an anesthesia in my mouth using a long needle. I think this will not be the case if only I got familiar on what dentists do (and not only tooth extraction or oral prophylaxis). Ren first visited a child dentist when he was 4 years old.

He got his teeth cleaned and the dentist put fluoride too. The dentist clinic is child friendly (with a TV on the ceiling), the room is colorful and you will get a free candy after (I find the candy thing ironic though hahaha). It is advisable to visit the dentist every 6 months.

DON’T FORGET TO FLOSS– We Filipinos are not used to flossing. But this is advisable to do even after brushing your teeth to get rid of food particles in between the teeth.  I haven’t introduce this to Ren yet, so this will be my next goal to teach to him this coming 2015.

I know that we parents want the best for our kids to make them happy and to see their beautiful smiles. I understand that we can’t always make them happy in life but lets help them get the confidence and the smile they need by teaching them to take care of their teeth at a young age.

Think of this, some people would be willing to spend thousands just to have their imperfections adjusted. Those who don’t have enough money just tried to embrace these flaws hide their teeth whenever they smile. We don’t need to spend a lot for oral health, we just need the discipline to do so.

I don’t want that Ren will stop smiling someday because he has bad teeth.  I am making a move and I need to do it now!

For fun and exciting promos, and dental tips, visit www.facebook.com/HapeeKiddie.