MISSING MY TOOTH

Post date: Mar 10, 2014 7:10:13 AM

By Maria Joby F. Zulueta, RN

Brush, Brush, Brush

Three times a day

Brush, Brush, Brush

Fight cavities away

Brush, Brush, Brush…

I always find myself humming to this catchy jingle from a popular toothpaste brand television advertisement. It sure is an effective infomercial and well-suited for our youngsters. Children nowadays are lucky to have access to these kinds of helpful informations, and live in the decade where advocates are plenty and people’s oral health habits have already modernized.

I remember so well how caveman our dental health ways used to be. I belong to a middle class family with a very old fashion sense. As I recall, my milk teeth had all been gone using bare hands or pulled using a thread. Either I pulled it off or someone else had done it for me. We could not afford to pay for dental services. Only once do I remember paying a visit to a dentist for tooth extraction of a severely decayed molar. Boy, I thought I’d have a heart attack back then! There were also nights when my mother had to literally drag me off my bed just so I’d brush my teeth. I didn’t know anything about oral hygiene. All I heard were endless ranting that I should brush my teeth else it’d all fall off and that I’d regret it when I’m all grown up. Yes, I’d brush my teeth when I had to but I could only care less. Luckily, my teeth are still intact to this date. Except for a wisdom tooth and its adjacent molar, and a few repairs here and there. If only I knew that my favorite sweets and breads could stick to my teeth and convert into acids that could potentially harm them when not brushed off, I wouldn’t be missing my tooth now.

Isa, pagkagising

Brush, Brush, Brush

Dalawa, sa tanghali

Brush, Brush, Brush

Tatlo, bago matulog

Brush, Brush, Brush…

Today, almost all brands of toothbrush and toothpaste run infomercials to advertise their products. Even the national government units could be seen promoting health stuffs like Oral Health Month on television. On the local, various health programs and services are being given for free. Our Rural Health Units now has facilities and equipment to provide for free and easily accessible dental care. Children at school are exposed to free dental checkups which helps them get used to dentists and their gadgets thus dissolving their fears. A collaboration between division & school personnel and City Health Office staffs help our pupils develop a healthy oral habits at an early age using different programs like tooth brushing drills, fluoride rinsing and dental checkups. We also conduct lectures and fun activities for kids addressing issues such as lack of budget to buy toothbrush and/or toothpaste through the use of alternatives like baking soda, sea salt and/or peroxide. While out-of-school youths have access to these through dental missions in their barangays. We are also privileged to have the support of Colgate-Palmolive Inc. giving our grade one pupils with oral hygiene kit every year. It also contains flipbooks and CDs to help and guide teachers on how to conduct oral health lectures and activities.

Putting these together, there’s no more reason for parents or guardians like us to take the blame on financial struggles to neglect our child’s oral health needs. We should be the first to steer our child towards healthy habits and make them aware of these important informations. Likewise, support should be given to our children if they are the ones bringing these habits inside our home. Let us all give time to address one of the top health problem among school children today that is dental carries, and give our child a chance to have a choice not to miss their tooth when they grow up.