Good morning! Sunshine peeks into the little bathroom. Mateo climbs onto his step stool. Duck is waiting on the sink. “Ready for our tooth trip?” asks Papá.
Mateo’s two-minute tooth trip
Mateo and his dad turn brushing into a little trip around the mouth, with a sand timer to show the time. Read it at the sink, or just before the bedtime brush.
Papá squeezes out a tiny blob of toothpaste. It is as small as a pea. Mateo turns the sand timer. The blue sand begins to fall. “Our trip takes about two minutes,” says Papá.
First stop: the top-teeth hills. Swish, swish, up and down. Mateo brushes the fronts, the backs and the tops. “Every side,” says Papá.
Next stop: the bottom-teeth hills. Mateo wiggles and giggles. “Wiggly travellers are welcome,” smiles Papá. “Let’s go nice and slow.” Brush, brush, all along the row.
Now the back-teeth caves, far at the back. They are cosy and tricky to reach. Papá puts his hand on Mateo’s hand. Together they brush round and round.
Last stop: the front doorway. Mateo brushes the teeth that show when he smiles. The last blue sand slips down. The trip is done!
Mateo leans over the sink. Spit! Out goes the toothpaste. “No rinsing,” says Papá, “so the toothpaste can keep working on your teeth.” Mateo sticks a sun on his chart.
At bedtime, stars twinkle in the window. Mateo yawns. One more trip, a sleepy one. A pea-sized blob, a turn of the timer. Hills, hills, caves, doorway… slow and quiet. Spit, no rinse. A moon goes next to the sun. “Night night, teeth,” Mateo whispers, snuggling into bed.
the end
let’s play: my sun and moon brushing chart
- Draw seven boxes in a row, one for each day of the week.
- In each box, draw a sun at the top and a moon at the bottom.
- After the morning brush, colour in the sun or add a sticker.
- After the bedtime brush, colour in the moon.
- Turn a sand timer, or count slowly together, for about two minutes of brushing.
talk about it
- Which stops did Mateo visit on his tooth trip?
- How big was the blob of toothpaste?
- When does Mateo brush his teeth?
- What did Mateo do after he spat out the toothpaste?
- What would you call the stops in your mouth?
for grown-ups
What this story helps with: We brush our teeth twice a day, in the morning and last thing before bed, for about two minutes, with a grown-up helping; we use a pea-sized blob of toothpaste, then spit and don’t rinse.
The story practises the daily routine the NHS recommends for children aged 3 to 6: brush at least twice a day, with one brush last thing at night, for about two minutes, using a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste, then spit and don’t rinse. Children this age can do some brushing themselves, but they still need a grown-up to watch and help, especially with the back teeth. Tonight, try making up your own names for the stops in your child’s mouth and brush along to a timer together.
sources we checked
- Taking care of children’s teeth | NHS
- Toothbrushing | Prevention and Management of Dental Caries in Children | SDCEP
Written and illustrated by the wishyou.today team. Every story is checked for age, kindness, safety and facts before it is published. Spotted something? Tell us on Instagram.
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