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

pulling a baby tooth out with a marshmallow icecream

I always believed the toothfairy had a palace and kingdom made of shiny teeth and that my tooth would become part of it so it was important I kept it clean and sparkly. I'm not sure where that came from!

I used to love eating the toothpaste!! Not sure how good 'milk teeth' was for me but I'm glad my DCs don't eat theirs!

I used pink toothpaste in a round tin. I had a pink tin and my brother had a blue tin.

I had dreadful teeth-cleaning habits as a child, often spending weeks with not even picking up my toothbrush! The dentist was always horrified and I remember numerous lessons on how to clean my teeth properly at the dentists and at school. I don't know why it didn't sink in at the time. I am now really OTT about cleaning them, spending a good 10 minutes morning and night. I am also very strict on how my four children clean their teeth as I don't want them to suffer like me.

a friend's child lost their tooth when they were sleeping over. We had to liase to make sure the tooth fairy rituals worked out

My mother used to police morning teeth cleaning ruthlessly. She wasn't nearly so thorough on the night time clean though. Not suprisingly this has carried though to my adulthood as I never miss my morning clean but but I only usually clean my teeth at night. I'm also the same woth our DC.

My mum made us clean our teeth every night and I remember being read a long poem about someone who regretted not brushing their teeth which scared me into brushing them every night without fail! We also used to get a reward for good teeth after dental check ups!

I remember washing my teeth and seeing a beaker by the side which I thought my Mum had put there for rinsing my mouth out. One large gulp and it turned out to be bleach! Did put me off washing my teeth for a while!

always brush teeth twice daily. I was 30 and pregnant before i ever had a filling`. Never been bothered by dentist just as well as with my crooked gnashers spent years under orthodontist

I remember being much more motivated to clean my teeth when I knew the school dentist was coming - he was horrid!

I remember using the strawberry flavoured toothpaste for kids

I remember going to the dentist, who was a lovely lady, she had braces on her teeth, and I remember looking up at her mouth as she examined my teeth, thinking that her teeth looked like they were in prison!

I have a couple of tracks on my phone that are 2 minutes long, if DS is being difficult about brushing properly, we clean to the song.

I think it was pretty much "do it or else"!

I can remember my Dad brushing my teeth and he had this song. It went like this: 'Brush and brush and brush, brush them up and brush them down, brush them 'til they're shiny brown!' - It makes no sense and was funny to my younger brain. It made teeth brushing fun!

I can also remember spending hours agonising over a wobbly tooth. In the end, I laid on the bed and my Dad tapped the back of my tooth and it popped out. It didn't even hurt! I'd spent hours in pain with a wobbly tooth when it could have come out painlessly! Silly me.

My son is newly 2 and likes to chew on his toothbrush. I try to get in there and brush his teeth properly but it's become a bit of a battle! He doesn't understand anything or talk yet so it's harder to get him to co-operate! I sing silly songs to him and turn it into a fun, dinosaur-y noise-y thing and that usually yields better results!

(I am still a little traumatised from that time I saw my Nana's false teeth sat in a cup of water overnight when I stayed at her house when I was younger! Shudders!)

I always keep the toothbrushes as far from the toilet as possible, too! After reading a few unsavoury facts!

Good idea from Bupa with the video though! :)

I cannot remember much but I know my parents had a strict regime regarding my teeth cleaning. I remember at one time the toothpaste was pink and I also remember trying some out of a tin. I never had any fillings or problems as a child and I think the only time the tooth fairy came was when I was very young. I used to find a shiny sixpence under my pillow in those days.

I made about £3 one time because my parents kept forgetting to take the tooth.

I developed a bit of a thing for tooth plaque tablets - I thought they were some mysteriously magic thing as we only seemed to ever have them on rare occassions and I never knew where they came from (I am now guessing the dentist) I used to love using them and seeing where I had missed.
I was a wierd kid tho

I can't remember even cleaning my teeth when I was young... But with my kids, I make sure teeth cleaning is fun, and the visit by the tooth fairy is memorable, we have a tooth fairy pouch for the tooth to go in and the kids usually write a note for their fairy

My parents just showed me their teeth (stained and full of fillings) and told me if I didn't brush my teeth then mine would look like theirs. I was obsessed with brushing my teeth, brushing for ages at least three times a day or more in the school holidays! But one thing no-one must have told me is that you were to spit the toothpaste out when brushing, so I used to swallow it! I did this for years until I were about 10 years old and was in the bathroom at the same time as my mum. I said "Why do you keep spitting in the sink?" She was like "I'm brushing my teeth???" It was then that she told me that you aren't supposed swallow the toothpaste after all!

Both my DC have electric toothbrushes. We aren't due a visit from the tooth fairy yet though. But I have little tooth fairy bags already for when we reach that milestone.

I used to get 50p when I was a kid. My sources tell me it's £1 these days

My mum wasn't particularly big on teeth cleaning when I was very young - she's had dentures since she was 17 and didn't really understand that we needed to clean our actual teeth!

However, when I was about 7, she married for the second time, to a man who had a bedtime mantra - "Hands, teeth, face". Every night before bedtime, he'd say these words and we'd just do it. I think it was the sing-song nature of the mantra, coupled with the fact that we wanted to impress the new father figure.

20 years later, the lack of teeth brushing early on has taken its toll - I now have 8 crowns on my front teeth and a few other fillings, but I still remember the mantra, and I still do it every single night (though now admittedly I include mouthwash, dental floss and interdental brushing as sneaky extras!), as do my kids, who have perfectly healthy teeth so far!

I vividly remember my brothers and I having to used Eucryl tooth powder, it was so horrid! I have to confess to telling a big porkie pie to make sure our daughter brushes her teeth... her dentist is best friends with Santa apparently! The dentist even plays along! Does the trick now but won't be long before the game is up...

We are very strict about tooth brushing. My daughter has a tooth brush that lights up and she has to keep brushing until the flashing stops.

I remember the tooth fairy coming as a child but she only left money, no notes or anything!