I spent a lot of my teenage years in the dentist chair having my teeth drilled. The dentist said I had weak enamel, and I’ve blamed my dad for years for passing on the gene that was responsible. It just never seemed fair that no matter how vigilant I was about oral hygiene and dental health, I still continued to get cavities and my brother, who never cared about his teeth, didn’t get them.
As it turns out, I could still have weak enamel. The rest of the problem has its roots elsewhere.
Last year, I read an article in a parenting magazine that said that children are not born with the bacteria that causes cavities present in their mouths. They have to get it from somewhere. Theoretically, if you never picked up the bacteria, you could go your entire life without a cavity. The number one biggest reason that kids pick up the bacteria is through sharing food and utensils with someone who already has it. That means you, Mom and Dad.
It seems so simple. Don’t share food or utensils with your kids and you might be able to keep their mouths healthier.
The morning after I read the article, I came downstairs to see John feeding Maureen a bite of oatmeal from his own spoon.
“Don’t do that!” I said.
“Why not? She likes it!” he said back.
“Because you could have bacteria in your mouth that could give her cavities!”
He stopped and looked alarmed and then said, “I share with Johnny all the time. Are his teeth going to rot now?”
I have never been a big one on sharing. To quote one of the fish in ‘Finding Nemo,’ “Yech! The human mouth is a disgusting place!” The idea of eating a sandwich that someone else has bitten off of, even if they are related to me, makes me feel ill. One day at work, some of the staff got snow balls and after I saw six people eat off the same spoon, I wanted to vomit everywhere. Gross! While John will eat unfinished chicken nuggets or the crust from a PB&J sandwich off of Johnny’s plate, I throw the leftovers in the trash. And don’t even think about drinking from my straw. Can you say biohazard?
Anyway, so the not sharing thing is easy for me, but what about the rest of the family?
This morning, Johnny decided he’d rather eat his oatmeal while riding Maureen’s pink and purple truck. Despite the fact that she had already eaten two eggs and a big cup of milk, she wanted some of that oatmeal. I was doing the dishes when I heard Johnny say, “Maureen, do you want to take a taste of my oatmeal?” and turned around to see him feeding her a spoonful. From the spoon that had already been in his mouth.
So much for that. I guess we’ll have to make sure we follow the rest of the advice for oral health. I’ll be crossing my fingers that Maureen and Johnny will avoid the drill.
What about you? Do you share?
As it turns out, I could still have weak enamel. The rest of the problem has its roots elsewhere.
Last year, I read an article in a parenting magazine that said that children are not born with the bacteria that causes cavities present in their mouths. They have to get it from somewhere. Theoretically, if you never picked up the bacteria, you could go your entire life without a cavity. The number one biggest reason that kids pick up the bacteria is through sharing food and utensils with someone who already has it. That means you, Mom and Dad.
It seems so simple. Don’t share food or utensils with your kids and you might be able to keep their mouths healthier.
The morning after I read the article, I came downstairs to see John feeding Maureen a bite of oatmeal from his own spoon.
“Don’t do that!” I said.
“Why not? She likes it!” he said back.
“Because you could have bacteria in your mouth that could give her cavities!”
He stopped and looked alarmed and then said, “I share with Johnny all the time. Are his teeth going to rot now?”
I have never been a big one on sharing. To quote one of the fish in ‘Finding Nemo,’ “Yech! The human mouth is a disgusting place!” The idea of eating a sandwich that someone else has bitten off of, even if they are related to me, makes me feel ill. One day at work, some of the staff got snow balls and after I saw six people eat off the same spoon, I wanted to vomit everywhere. Gross! While John will eat unfinished chicken nuggets or the crust from a PB&J sandwich off of Johnny’s plate, I throw the leftovers in the trash. And don’t even think about drinking from my straw. Can you say biohazard?
Anyway, so the not sharing thing is easy for me, but what about the rest of the family?
This morning, Johnny decided he’d rather eat his oatmeal while riding Maureen’s pink and purple truck. Despite the fact that she had already eaten two eggs and a big cup of milk, she wanted some of that oatmeal. I was doing the dishes when I heard Johnny say, “Maureen, do you want to take a taste of my oatmeal?” and turned around to see him feeding her a spoonful. From the spoon that had already been in his mouth.
So much for that. I guess we’ll have to make sure we follow the rest of the advice for oral health. I’ll be crossing my fingers that Maureen and Johnny will avoid the drill.
What about you? Do you share?
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6 comments:
I am a germ a phobe I don't share anything.
~Renae~
It doesn't bother me one little bit to share things with my husband and kids. I'm one of those lucky people who don't get cavities very often (I've only ever had one) but I am religious about oral hygiene and I'm trying hard to make my kids that way too. I'm in the "you CAN be too clean" and the "a little dirt never hurt anyone" camps. While I like things to be clean and I don't want to expose my kids to anything dangerous, I also believe that exposing your kids to everyday germs helps them to build up a resistance and stay healthier. I could be totally off base but with the exception of their stupid ear infections, my kids are really pretty healthy.
I have never heard of this! It does make sense though. I have to admit - I'm a sharer...Nate and I are constantly taking sips out of each other's glasses and eating off of each other's plates. We kiss each other, so I guess it's not a big deal. As for sharing with children - who knows...I don't have kids yet, and I have never done anything close with my niece and nephew because I know for a fact they are not good teeth brushers.
Kat--whomever ate your sandwich might be getting cavities from now on, LOL!
It seems like good advice. Don't share with your kids so you don't spread the tooth decay bacteria. But from experience, it's really too difficult to follow that. I need to take Johnny to the dentist for a check up. Hopefully his teeth are healthy.
A nurse told me that in the hospital. I lasted for a good run, but at some point I discovered if The Baby wouldn't eat off of his spoon, he might eat off of a fork. So we do share a bit. Especially if we are out for ice cream or eating a dessert. Believe it or not both me and my husband are cavity free... LOL... maybe we don't have bacteria.
I agree with Erin. We share, and the whole lot of us have great teeth so far. Maybe we are passing around good bacteria?
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