Share your memories of teeth cleaning as a child and Tooth Fairy tales with Bupa: you could win £500 of dental vouchers NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

We have been asked by the team at Bupa to find out your views and memories of teeth cleaning when you were a child and your Tooth Fairy tales.

They ask "what do you remember your parents telling you when you were little about the importance of brushing your teeth? We'd love to know your anecdotes and memories. Did you sing a song together? Perhaps you played a game to make it more fun. Did you get told any stories about the Tooth Fairy? Do you use any of the same methods to get your DC to make sure they are brushing their teeth properly?"

Bupa has created a fairy tale video telling the story of what happens to teeth when they are collected by the Tooth Fairy. Parents can personalise the video, which includes their DC name and picture to help them keep their teeth nice and clean. Why not start by creating one for your child and inspiring them to look after their teeth?

Everyone who posts on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win £500 of dental vouchers for the whole family.

You can have an extra chance to win by creating your own child’s video where you'll be given the chance to enter a competition (see link here).

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

we used to have those chewable tablets that turn your mouth pink

and i loved aquafresh - wow - 3 colours!

I probably wasn't encourage to brush my teeth enough when I was a child and so didnt always brush my teeth twice a day although always did it at least once. A number of painful fillings in my late twenties changed my attitude and I now brush twice a day.

I don't remember anything about teeth cleaning from my own childhood and I now have bad teeth as a result which have needed lots of treatment over the years. I use my own experiences to drive home the importance of good oral hygiene to my DC now. I am militant about teeth brushing and we tell the DC that when they lose their teeth, the tooth fairy gives them to the babies!

I grew up to be terrified of the Dentist following awful experiences with the school dentist in the 1960's. I think in those days despite being encouraged to brush our teeth fillings extractions were seen as inevitable. My Mother had lost all her teeth in her 20's. Anyway, the dentist would park up a caravan at the back of the school and I must have been very young, around 5 or 6. For some reason I had to have a tooth removed, and was anaesthetised with gas. I remember being restrained during this. Neither of my parents were present and I woke up.with blood pouring from my mouth. That night in bed I saw the shadow of the tooth fairy on my windowsill ( a hallucination caused by the drugs or a dream from all the trauma!)
Of course this would never happen now, but as a mother I was determined my kids would not be afraid of the dentist, so took them with me whenever I went from when they were babies. The tooth fairy has always been a bit over generous too, but as teenagers they have well cared for teeth. My youngest also once told me he liked the dentist as everyone was so lovely!

We used to have a strange contraption that shot out water really fast to clean your teeth, no idea how it worked! Anyway, I remember being convinced it lifted the teeth up cleaned under them and then put the tooth back again. Strange child :D

I remember my mother singing when I brushed my teeth and I had to keep brushing until the song finished. But I have an awful memory too of having fluoride mask (supposedly strawberry flavour) placed on me and pumped into the gum shield thing. I swallowed loads and was really sick. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick now

I always brushed morning and night, but never spent long brushing my teeth, as my parents bathroom was unheated and freezing in the winter time. On one occasion I had to chisel the toothbrush off the windowsill where I'd left it the night before, as it had frozen solid over night.

Fruit flavoured toothpaste. I loved the taste of this. I remember a lurid red strawberry and an orange flavour. Don't think it did my teeth much good!

I went through a phase of not wanting to brush my teeth and my Mum made me eat a disclosing tablet that turned 'plaque' areas pink. I think my whole mouth looked pink! The only trouble for her is that I then wanted a 'pink tablet' every time before brushing!

I don't remember anything about brushing teeth too much, but I think more routine and support would have been better today :)

When I was 8 we moved to a new house & my bedroom had its own basin & shower. I stopped brushing my teeth as no one was checking. Pretty soon I had to go to the dentist & had a filling and then after that I had a fluoride treatment done to my teeth. I've brushed my teeth ever since.

I use to love the taste of the toothpaste but not really brush properly

As a child I instigated my own tooth brushing as my parents didn't care if I brushed them or not!!

I can't really remember much about my parents but I remember wobbling my teeth like fury so they'd come out quicker and I'd get 10p from the Tooth Fairy (yes that is how old I am ). I also remember a hygienist coming into school and we all had to chew these disgusting pink tablets that showed up the plaque on our teeth (or rather the kids who didn't bother cleaning them). Can't still remember that vile taste now.

We don't do anything special with ds. He's got a toothbrush and his own One Direction toothpaste and just gets on with it.

I don;t remember any emphasis on cleaning my teeth, but I ido remember my terrifying dentist!

We must have had a lack of fluoride where we lived as I used to have to have a fluoride treatment applied on occasions. One particular time has provided a vivid memory, the treatment they used was lime. It was vile and it resulted in me vomiting violently afterwards. The butchers, at which we were passing when this happened weren't too happy at all. How much it helped my teeth I don't know, but it's left with me with a huge dislike of lime.

I remember the terrible tasting childrens toothpaste, but I did love my minni mouse tooth brush. I also remember my brother trying to pull my tooth out with a piece of string and the door, all so that he could share the tooth fairy money lol

Just remember having a brace and also using disclosure tablets as a kid.

Don't remember tooth fairy or any teeth brushing? Makes me hope mine don't remember the battles!!

i remember the red tablet you sucked which highlighted the plaque on your teeth. You always made sure you brushed well as you didn't want to have brigh red teeth

Milk Teeth toothpaste. Bleurgh.

My mum always used to put toothbrushes in our Christmas stockings. Can you imagine? I remember one year she was very excited to give us electric toothbrushes! Note to all parents: toothbrushes are not good presents for kids. Although my teeth are in good shape, so my parents must have done something right.

I would only use a certain toothpaste, it was pink and could only be bought in France! My mother was not impressed

I remember having an electric toothbrush, which wasn't quite as usual in those days. I also remember not really liking the toothpaste my Mum used to buy - Macleans. It's the one I normally go for now!
DS & DD (15 & 13) are filling free (long may that last). DS has always been terrible at cleaning his teeth - I'm amazed that I still have to remind him on a daily basis at the age of 15. He now has braces top and bottom and still doesn't get the importance of good oral hygiene.

I actually have a bit of a phobia of teeth and can't watch others or myself clean their teeth as the foaming at the mouth and sound makes me feel sick! It all stems from when I was little, we had a mortifying talk at school about what happens to your teeth if you don't look after them (even though my mum was amazing at making sure our teeth were clean) and we were give these weird coloured foaming fluoride tablets to use at home to see how clean our teeth were, which I hated and made me feel sick! My mum would always sing the theme from my fave cartoons at the time like button moon,fraggle rock, even ghostbusters and TMNT(and I would hum along with my eyes closed!), I now do the same for my DCs ! The tooth fairy would leave me a shiny 50p or £1 and a special fancy toothbrush to use! I loved it! I am obsessive about keeping my little ones teeth clean and teaching them the importance of cleaning them without scaring them, I don't want them to have issues like me! I am lucky that they are very good at having their teeth cleaned and even turn down sweets when they are offered them! Hoping it lasts until they are older!

I remember keeping checking if the tooth fairy had exchanged my tooth for a sixpence, and if she hadn't, moving it to another hidung place. My mum suggested that if I kept moving it around, the tooth fairy might have trouble finding it.