Bambi the Monkey was lazy and careless. He would shirk from his daily routine. Before going to school, neither would he brush properly nor would he bathe. He would do most of his chores in a rush. Whenever his mother tried explaining to him the importance of keeping oneself clean, he would say, “Mummy, I have brushed my teeth properly. I am hungry. Please get my breakfast quickly.”

“Bambi, negligence towards health is not a good practice. You should brush your teeth well. You should bathe daily. Even your nails are too long and dirty,” Mummy kept on telling him. 

Bambi found a new way to avoid being scolded by his mum.

Now, every morning he would sit in the bathroom for a long time. He would come out and lie, “Mummy, I have brushed my teeth. I have bathed properly too.”

One day, when Bambi returned from school, he was suffering from a mild toothache. After reaching home, Bambi put his school bag down and lay down on the sofa. 

“Bambi, get fresh quickly. I will bring you your lunch,” said Mummy from the kitchen.

“Mummy I am not hungry. I ate at school. Today was my friend Rohan’s birthday,” Bambi made an excuse.

“Okay, then you can go to your room and relax,” Mummy said.

Bambi went to the room and lay on the bed. His toothache was getting severe. By evening, the pain was unbearable. 

He did not even go out to play in the evening. Mummy came into his room and said, “Bambi, go and play for a while. Do your homework when you come back.”

When Bambi did not answer, Mummy came to him and put her hand on his forehead. “What is the matter? Are you alright?”

Bambi was in tears. “Mummy, my tooth is aching,” he said.

“For how long has it been aching?” asked Mummy.

“Since this afternoon. After returning from school I refused to eat food because of the pain. I lied to you about my friend’s birthday,” Bambi said while crying. 

Mummy got worried. She tried to calm Bambi down. 

“Don’t panic. Let me take you to the dentist.”

Mummy took him to dentist, Jojo the Elephant’s clinic. There were some patients sitting there.

Mummy got Bambi’s name registered and sat with him on the bench.

Big and strange photos of different types of teeth were hanging on the walls of the clinic. Bambi was getting scared. Voices could be heard clearly from inside the doctor’s chamber. 

“Doctor, please do not give me an injection,” the patient was saying.

“Many of your teeth are damaged. They will have to be removed,” Dr. Jojo replied.

Bambi got really scared. “Will all my teeth be removed by an injection? How will I eat food without my teeth? How will my face look?” Many such questions started bothering Bambi. 

After half an hour, it was Bambi’s turn to go into the Doctor’s cabin. Mummy went inside with him.

Dr. Jojo started inspecting Bambi’s teeth. He asked, “How many days have you had this toothache for?”

“It started since returning from school this afternoon. He hasn’t eaten anything since then,” Mummy said, worried.

Bambi started crying loudly. He said, “Doctor Uncle, will I have to get my teeth removed? How can I eat without my teeth? I am very scared of injections.”

Dr. Jojo smiled, “Bambi, do not panic. You don’t need to get your teeth removed. I will clean your teeth and prescribe you some medicines. They will help you feel better.” 

“Doctor, why were my teeth aching?” Bambi asked.

Dr. Jojo explained, “Your teeth have cavities because you have not been brushing them properly. Gradually, these cavities become bigger. When food gets stuck in these cavities, the whole tooth starts to decay. Your teeth start aching and it gets worse over time. Eventually, the teeth have to be removed. This problem can happen to anyone who does not brush their teeth properly. Children are often careless when it comes to taking care of their teeth.” 

“Doctor Uncle, how often should we brush?” Bambi wanted to know.

“We should brush twice a day with a good toothpaste, after waking up in the morning and before sleeping in the night,” Dr. Jojo said.

“I will now brush twice a day carefully and with toothpaste. I will take proper care of my teeth. Mummy will never have a chance to complain,” Bambi promised. 

Seeing the change in Bambi, Mummy smiled.