Dental hygiene is something one must not ignore. I fondly remember so many things that actually decayed my teeth. Please misunderstand not that my teeth would resemble a Middle Eastern nomad. They are nice if at all you chose to ignore after first look.
Today after knowing so much I regret a few things that I could not practice when I was a child. My dad used to enforce brushing up brushing down and brushing deep right brushing deep left. But the brush thing did not really happened till I reached 10 years.
Till then my finger was my brush. We used to use some local made tooth powder that actually a flavored or colored ash that boasted of herbal additives. The thumb rule for us to know if the teeth are sufficiently whitened to listen to squeaky noise that’s music to my ears. Some times we used to be adventurous in trying a black coal piece.
I was really fascinated by the effects of coal piece. I saw a boy teeth gleaming white as he brushed his teeth with his finger crunching coal between his teeth. I am not sure if coal is a good cleanser or its dark color used to make look whiter in contrast. Then I tried the same with impunity and… Yikes… It tasted coal.
Then my granny… not my real granny but neighboring granny told me that one must use a neem twig to brush teeth. Even my father approved it. I dared brushing my teeth next day with it and Buvvvaaaakhhhh…. It tasted yucky and I almost drank a bucket of water and vomited two buckets of water out in bringing sanity to my taste buds. I decided that I shall never ever try exploring the benefits of neem even when its considered the magic herb.
Then came tooth brushes and tooth pastes. My dad is a fan of Colgate tooth paste. It used to taste wonderful with its white color and mint flavor. In the name of brushing teeth I used to slurp half of the tooth paste and noisily burp in contentment. And then Binaca tooth paste attracted me. Because it used to come in light green color and more appealing than the dull while color of Colgate. Apart from that when I open the box I used to get a small toy that’s about an inch in size. And that hit my attention. For the next few years I used to dream of the day my dad used to buy the next Binaca tooth paste tube. I was not shrewd enough to squeeze the tube so that it exhausts sooner and I could get my next toy. I must have collected about 7 such tiny toys till I am bored of them.
Brushing teeth is a torturous ritual in morning. We used to get kicked out of bed and our eyes refused to open. We used to sleep walk towards the tap and most of the time dad used to push brush in to my mouth with a very tiny amount of tooth paste squeezed on to it. I used to get irked when I happen to see advertisements in movies that used to squeeze an impressive amount of toothpaste all the long on brush head. I asked dad about this atrocity and he simply told me that your mouth is not that big to need that kind of huge paste amount. I grumbled with my small mouth.
He used to talk about cavities and gum disease that I could never understand. I some times opened my tiny mouth so wide like a crocodile before mirror to check what dad is trying to say. But my own tiny pearly teeth stared back at me from mirror. I used to shrug my tiny shoulders in irked frustration about dad’s persistence.
And if at all on some lucky day when I find myself alone with no elder beside me I used to brush the teeth…two times right side and two times left side and used to savor the pleasure of peppermint taste unabated and then poured water in my mouth and gurgles in to melodious noise. Some times we used to conduct communal gurgling competition with fellow children and for the reasons so obvious we suddenly blurted in to giggles. Most of the times those giggle with water in our mouths resulted in explosive coughs as water used to enter nasal canal and for the next few minutes we used to cough till our eyes water.
I did not notice anything afterwards when I became so called adult. Till one day my jaw started paining excruciatingly as if someone punched me. To my horror I discovered that I have a cavity. Ohh no… I have been so ignorant of my own dental hygiene. Suddenly I did the same thing which I used to do in my childhood. I opened my mouth wide like a crocodile and inspected my teeth. And oops... I could see two black craters like things at the extreme ends of my lower law tooth line. I closed my eyes tight shut and then opened my eyes again to look deep in to my wide open mouth. Ohh my god… I really have cavities. I don’t know what to do.
I discreetly and furtively asked a few friends what happens when one gets cavities. Very cruelly and with a sadistic smile they said that the dentist would take metallic pliers and pull the tooth out in most merciless way. On and above he would charge money for being a victim of his whims.
I grimaced at the prospect of becoming a subject chained to his torture chamber. I screamed at myself for not being careful when I was a child. I made my furtive enquiries again with optimism that’s heading towards the course of pessimism. A few people said that it could be filled with cement. But that’s not a permanent solution. One day or the other my tooth would be sacrificed before the alter of dentist as I bleed kicking and screaming.
And after an investigation that’s parallel in its secrecy of CIA, KGB, MOSSAD, GESTAPO… I came to know about some medicine that cures gum swelling. I bought that and … Eiiiivvyyyyoooooooooooooo… when I pored that in my mouth I felt as if that fossilized cavity tooth tried to sink deeper in to my gums. That’s was another pain. But after a few applications I could get rid of my tooth pain.
And my own evaluation reviled that two of my teeth have damaged gums. I slapped myself. And took owe never to ignore my teeth again.
I now brush my teeth scrupulously… The way dad insisted when I was a kid. I floss them and I use mouth wash and… I change my tooth brush every six months and pick all the tidbits that go hide between my teeth.
Almost like an innocent guy I some times pray with my eyes closed and open my mouth wide again to see if the cavities have gone away.
Shucks… They are there always…
Today after knowing so much I regret a few things that I could not practice when I was a child. My dad used to enforce brushing up brushing down and brushing deep right brushing deep left. But the brush thing did not really happened till I reached 10 years.
Till then my finger was my brush. We used to use some local made tooth powder that actually a flavored or colored ash that boasted of herbal additives. The thumb rule for us to know if the teeth are sufficiently whitened to listen to squeaky noise that’s music to my ears. Some times we used to be adventurous in trying a black coal piece.
I was really fascinated by the effects of coal piece. I saw a boy teeth gleaming white as he brushed his teeth with his finger crunching coal between his teeth. I am not sure if coal is a good cleanser or its dark color used to make look whiter in contrast. Then I tried the same with impunity and… Yikes… It tasted coal.
Then my granny… not my real granny but neighboring granny told me that one must use a neem twig to brush teeth. Even my father approved it. I dared brushing my teeth next day with it and Buvvvaaaakhhhh…. It tasted yucky and I almost drank a bucket of water and vomited two buckets of water out in bringing sanity to my taste buds. I decided that I shall never ever try exploring the benefits of neem even when its considered the magic herb.
Then came tooth brushes and tooth pastes. My dad is a fan of Colgate tooth paste. It used to taste wonderful with its white color and mint flavor. In the name of brushing teeth I used to slurp half of the tooth paste and noisily burp in contentment. And then Binaca tooth paste attracted me. Because it used to come in light green color and more appealing than the dull while color of Colgate. Apart from that when I open the box I used to get a small toy that’s about an inch in size. And that hit my attention. For the next few years I used to dream of the day my dad used to buy the next Binaca tooth paste tube. I was not shrewd enough to squeeze the tube so that it exhausts sooner and I could get my next toy. I must have collected about 7 such tiny toys till I am bored of them.
Brushing teeth is a torturous ritual in morning. We used to get kicked out of bed and our eyes refused to open. We used to sleep walk towards the tap and most of the time dad used to push brush in to my mouth with a very tiny amount of tooth paste squeezed on to it. I used to get irked when I happen to see advertisements in movies that used to squeeze an impressive amount of toothpaste all the long on brush head. I asked dad about this atrocity and he simply told me that your mouth is not that big to need that kind of huge paste amount. I grumbled with my small mouth.
He used to talk about cavities and gum disease that I could never understand. I some times opened my tiny mouth so wide like a crocodile before mirror to check what dad is trying to say. But my own tiny pearly teeth stared back at me from mirror. I used to shrug my tiny shoulders in irked frustration about dad’s persistence.
And if at all on some lucky day when I find myself alone with no elder beside me I used to brush the teeth…two times right side and two times left side and used to savor the pleasure of peppermint taste unabated and then poured water in my mouth and gurgles in to melodious noise. Some times we used to conduct communal gurgling competition with fellow children and for the reasons so obvious we suddenly blurted in to giggles. Most of the times those giggle with water in our mouths resulted in explosive coughs as water used to enter nasal canal and for the next few minutes we used to cough till our eyes water.
I did not notice anything afterwards when I became so called adult. Till one day my jaw started paining excruciatingly as if someone punched me. To my horror I discovered that I have a cavity. Ohh no… I have been so ignorant of my own dental hygiene. Suddenly I did the same thing which I used to do in my childhood. I opened my mouth wide like a crocodile and inspected my teeth. And oops... I could see two black craters like things at the extreme ends of my lower law tooth line. I closed my eyes tight shut and then opened my eyes again to look deep in to my wide open mouth. Ohh my god… I really have cavities. I don’t know what to do.
I discreetly and furtively asked a few friends what happens when one gets cavities. Very cruelly and with a sadistic smile they said that the dentist would take metallic pliers and pull the tooth out in most merciless way. On and above he would charge money for being a victim of his whims.
I grimaced at the prospect of becoming a subject chained to his torture chamber. I screamed at myself for not being careful when I was a child. I made my furtive enquiries again with optimism that’s heading towards the course of pessimism. A few people said that it could be filled with cement. But that’s not a permanent solution. One day or the other my tooth would be sacrificed before the alter of dentist as I bleed kicking and screaming.
And after an investigation that’s parallel in its secrecy of CIA, KGB, MOSSAD, GESTAPO… I came to know about some medicine that cures gum swelling. I bought that and … Eiiiivvyyyyoooooooooooooo… when I pored that in my mouth I felt as if that fossilized cavity tooth tried to sink deeper in to my gums. That’s was another pain. But after a few applications I could get rid of my tooth pain.
And my own evaluation reviled that two of my teeth have damaged gums. I slapped myself. And took owe never to ignore my teeth again.
I now brush my teeth scrupulously… The way dad insisted when I was a kid. I floss them and I use mouth wash and… I change my tooth brush every six months and pick all the tidbits that go hide between my teeth.
Almost like an innocent guy I some times pray with my eyes closed and open my mouth wide again to see if the cavities have gone away.
Shucks… They are there always…
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