How Do You Brush Your Teeth?
Argus is always fascinated whenever he sees me brushing and flossing my teeth. I'm not so sure why he finds it amusing. Before he turns 1 i started to floss his teeth. So after i brush my teeth and i would get a floss, i will let him bite on it first. So at least he would have an idea how does it taste and how does it feel. I thought he will not like it, because the floss has the minty taste but he does. He will not let go of it until i asked.
And now that he is 14mos old and he got 7 teeth (4 upper and 3 lower), I started to teach him good oral hygiene. Since the foundation of permanent healthy and strong teeth is based during the first year of life of the kids and study shows that bad oral hygiene usually affects the health of an adult like diabetes, heart problems, respiratory problem etc (http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/8-health-effects-poor-dental-hygiene-extend-beyond-your-mouth). I'm just glad that though I am already 31 i still have strong teeth, kahit sungki. So as early as now I am training Argus on how to brush his own teeth.
I went to Watson's last Monday after my shift to buy for toothbrush and toothpaste for him. There were a variety of choices for kids/babies, some has toy, others are blinking and some of the brush cost a lot mas mahal pa sa toothbrush ko, kaloka! I settled for a very tried and tested brand, i got the simple Colgate Extra Soft Toothbrush, no bling bling to distract him it was around P40 and i got Sansfluo ToothGel Cleanser P96 (i read a lot of good review about this). Sansfluo is fluoride free which is very important for babies, because they swallow the suds while brushing (just like what Argus does) and too much fluoride intake is harmful to the pearly whites of your kid. It is called dental fluorosis, a condition that leads to brown spots and staining of the teeth.
First time to brush was a war, i just put a swab of toothpaste sa brush nya then Mama will hold him and stop his hands while i hold his head and try to open his mouth. Baka kasi nakikiliti sa bristles, pero mas maganda when he cries mas madali kong napapasok yung brush. It was quick, a minute for each part. And normal reaction, he swallow the suds. But on the next session, I let him play with his brush then I will borrow it from him then less resistance when we begin.
