Today we’re celebrating National Poetry Day. Many of us think of poetry as something we had to suffer through at school, then never read again. But have you noticed how many advertisements these days are using poetry? That’s because it’s memorable and makes a point in as few words as possible.
Humorous poems and serious messages
Dentists enjoy funny poems with a cautionary tale. This popular one is by Spike Milligan:
English Teeth, English Teeth!
Shining in the sun
A part of British heritage
Aye, each and every one.
English Teeth, Happy Teeth!
Always having fun
Clamping down on bits of fish
And sausages half done.
English Teeth! HEROES’ Teeth!
Hear them click! and clack!
Let’s sing a song of praise to them –
Three Cheers for the Brown Grey and Black.
In this poem, he celebrates English teeth. But the click and the clack makes us realise that English teeth are perhaps not what we really want. These days, we all stand a better chance of keeping our own teeth, with good preventive care, and fluoride treatment when we’re young. Moreover, as adults we can have straight, even and whiter teeth! Thankfully English teeth don’t need to be brown, grey or black anymore.
Another old favourite is The Dentist and the Crocodile, by Roald Dahl.
The crocodile, with cunning smile, sat in the dentist’s chair.
He said, “Right here and everywhere my teeth require repair.”
The dentist’s face was turning white. He quivered, quaked and shook.
He muttered, “I suppose I’m going to have to take a look.”
“I want you”, Crocodile declared, “to do the back ones first.
The molars at the very back are easily the worst.”
He opened wide his massive jaws. It was a fearsome sight—
At least three hundred pointed teeth, all sharp and shining white.
The dentist kept himself well clear….
You can read the rest of the poem here. The humour here is that it’s the dentist who needs to be careful. Like all animals, we need our teeth to keep well-nourished. As animals age, their teeth may become damaged or decay, leading to pain and even starvation. The article Lion Sized Teeth Problems offers some additional information for children about animal’s teeth.
Roald Dahl has a knack of making his reader think of problems from an original angle. As people are often afraid of going to the dentist, it can be something we avoid doing. But there really is no need to fear anything at the dentist. Your dentist is there to help you whatever your problem is. Although, if you are a crocodile, maybe you need to see a vet first.
And, by the way: A crocodile doesn’t have three hundred teeth at any one time. However, in their life-time apparently they can get through 8,000 teeth!
Final words of advice
Who better to give children good advice than Dr Seuss. He says:
And never bite your dentist’s hand
When he works inside your head.
Your dentist is
your teeth’s best friend.
Bite carrot sticks instead!