The Inside of the Mouth is a Jewelry Box

I loved eating, not just sweets, and I was going to the dentist by myself when I was in elementary school. I remember that brushing my teeth was such a chore that I never had a set time to use a toothbrush, whether in the morning, at night, or after meals. Even if I did manage to start brushing, standing still in front of the sink was agonizing for me.
Naturally, my mouth must have been constantly exposed to cavity-causing bacteria.
At first, a black, streak-like gap formed between my two front teeth. I clearly remember how, even after having it drilled and filled, the temporary filling would break immediately, and every time I had treatment, the hole would just get bigger and bigger. There was a poster in the school hallway showing a black cavity-causing bacterium with two sharp horns digging a black hole into a white tooth, and as a child, I would vaguely imagine that there might be tiny black bacteria swinging pickaxes inside my own mouth, too.
My father had full dentures from a young age, and I thought that even if I got cavities, I could keep eating delicious food as long as I had dentures. The rural area where I grew up only had one dental clinic, and the twisted idea that as long as you had a patient registration card for that clinic, you didn't really need to brush your teeth every day was my undoing.
And because I was bad at sticking with things, I would feel relieved after going to the dentist a few times for treatment and would stop going before the work was finished, over and over again. I regret it so much now, thinking that if I had at least continued my visits, I could have had the black parts infested by bacteria drilled away and filled with a proper, hard filling instead of a temporary one, so they couldn't invade again.
Eventually, as I reached an age where I became self-conscious, I began to notice that the people around me had white front teeth and few cavities. No matter how much I brushed my black, chipped permanent teeth, it was a cycle of getting crowns or having the tooth pulp ache. The root canal treatments for my two upper front teeth and two back teeth were also in vain. I dreamed hundreds of times that my teeth were crumbling to pieces when I clenched them, and I spent most of my life worrying about my dental health.
Then, when I got married and my son was born, I read in a parenting book that cavity-causing bacteria are passed from mother to child through shared utensils during meals. Looking at myself, a strong sense of mission welled up in me, feeling that I was the only one who could protect this child's teeth. With the feeling of 'I will absolutely not let cavity bacteria get near this child's innocent body!', I wiped his infant mouth with gauze even before his teeth grew in, used a soft toothbrush, and felt so happy when I saw his tiny, transparent, grain-like teeth starting to appear. What had been a tedious chore during my own childhood literally became my mission to clean his mouth multiple times a day.
By the time he was three and his white baby teeth had all come in, his younger sister was born. While I was busy taking care of the baby, he would lie there for a long time with a toothbrush in his mouth while watching TV, and once he was satisfied, he would flop down on my lap for the final brushing time. I would hold the toothbrush and polish his already sparkling teeth as if I were stroking precious gems. He would call out 'This is fun!' as if he were looking around at a ride at an amusement park. The way his translucent white teeth grew larger day by day, increasing one by one, was as dazzling to me as lining up jewels in a jewelry box.
One day, my son, who was now in kindergarten, brought home a piece of paper.
'Good Teeth Award'
The first certificate he ever received in his life was one praising his beautiful teeth. Daily brushing was never a burden or a struggle for me; it was just a joy to keep looking at his beautiful mouth. Receiving an award for it, even though it was my son's award, felt like a reward that sent me soaring to the heavens, as if I were the one being praised.
When my son grew up and was about to leave home, I thought this would be the last chance for a parent to be involved in their child's body, so I made an appointment at the dentist for a checkup. I cannot forget the words the dentist said at that time.
'Mom, there's nothing to fix, so I'll just do a cleaning.'
My son, now a working adult, still has not a single cavity.

I have rephrased the words of my late father, who was a tunnel designer, saying 'Even if a hole is small, if water starts leaking, it will keep leaking,' and I continue to share this with my family and acquaintances whenever I have the chance.
'Once cavity bacteria take up residence in a tooth, they will keep multiplying.'
Developing the habit of brushing teeth from a young age must be the easiest and most efficient way to maintain dental health. I believe that adults close to children must teach them to keep their mouths clean. Even so, if you notice a cavity, you should go to the dentist and work hard to minimize the impact on your white teeth until they tell you it's finished. Because even if you leave a tooth possessed by cavity bacteria alone, they will never stop swinging their pickaxes.

#ForGoodTeeth