June is Oral Health Month and our Sugarbug Dental & Orthodontics team in Oxnard, CA, is here for it! Did you know that a healthier smile means a healthier body? That’s a great incentive to teach your child how to brush and floss daily to instill in them a desire for healthy teeth and gums as they develop. You can explain to them that just like using soap to clean our bodies we use toothpaste to clean their mouths!
Did you know that a long, long time ago the first “toothbrushes” were fashioned from twigs on local trees? By chewing these woody “brushes” the fibers would become spread out so they functioned much like modern toothbrush bristles today! Not to be outdone, but our ancient Greek ancestors took it one step further to create a makeshift “toothpaste” with one of these materials:
-pumice
-talc
-alabaster
-coral powder
-iron rust as toothpaste
That was really smart because teeth can’t heal themselves, unlike other areas of the human body. Back in those days, you needed your teeth to bite, chew and eat properly to get the nutrients your body needed. This is a pretty big deal, considering we are only able to see the top part of our teeth since the rest are hidden underneath our gums. And we can tell that today thanks to the invention of dental X-rays.
When your child is around others, whether it’s play groups, friends, school or other social activities, their smiles are the first thing people tend to see. A healthy smile helps build their budding self-confidence and social skills. Today we also know that flossing boosts the life expectancy of people by six years, as it cleans teeth in those areas the toothbrush can’t — in between teeth and around/below the gum line. That essential line of defense lessens your child’s chances of getting infectious diseases, protecting their teeth, gums and body! If you need to schedule your child’s next visit with Dr. Armand Begian or one of his associates, please call (805) 985-2400 today!
Just for fun, check out the American Dental Association promotion of Oral Health Month to support your efforts to protect your child’s smile with these fun activities for your child to enjoy!
Activity Sheets