Jackson, with his shiny robot arms, loved two things more than anything: dragons and climbing! Today, he was feeling extra brave, so he put on his special climbing shoes (they had flashing lights!) and grabbed his favorite toy - a bright green dinosaur named Chompy. "Come on, Chompy," he whispered, "Let's go to the playground!"
Jackson's mom smiled. "Remember to brush your teeth when you get back, okay Jackson? Especially after eating yummy playground snacks!" Jackson nodded seriously, already picturing the swings. Brushing could wait, adventures couldn't!
The playground was buzzing! Kids zoomed down slides, giggled on the merry-go-round, and built magnificent sandcastles. But something was different today. Behind the monkey bars, tucked between the slide and a giant oak tree, was a door. A small, wooden door, painted bright purple.
Jackson had never seen it before.
"Wow, Chompy! A secret door! Do you think it leads to a dragon's lair?" he gasped, his eyes wide with excitement. He peeked inside, Chompy clutched tightly in his hand.
The door opened to a dazzling sight! Instead of a dark lair, it led to a sparkling land filled with... dinosaurs! Big dinosaurs, small dinosaurs, dinosaurs with feathers, dinosaurs with scales! And they were all… brushing their teeth?
A long-necked Brachiosaurus was using a giant toothbrush that looked like a tree trunk! A spiky Ankylosaurus had a tiny toothbrush, carefully cleaning each spike!
Jackson couldn't believe his eyes! He ran over to a group of playful Triceratops, their horns gleaming. "Why are you all brushing your teeth?" he asked, completely baffled.
A Triceratops with bright blue eyes looked at him. "Well, young human, don't you know? Brushing keeps our teeth strong and healthy! We need them to chomp on yummy leaves and roar super loud!"
Another Triceratops chimed in, "Yeah, and haven't you heard? Only those with super-clean teeth get to ride the Magical Dino-Flosser 5000!"
The ground rumbled as a gigantic, glittery toothbrush zoomed past, ridden by a T-Rex wearing a party hat. It was the coolest thing Jackson had ever seen!
Suddenly, Jackson remembered what his mom said about brushing his teeth after snacks. He felt a pang of guilt. He'd been so excited about the playground that he had forgotten all about it!
He turned to the dinosaurs, "I have to go! Thank you for teaching me about brushing!" He waved goodbye, ran through the purple door, and straight home.
He burst through the door, shouting, "Mom! Mom! I have to brush my teeth! It's super important!"
His mom was surprised, but pleased. "That's wonderful, Jackson! I'm proud of you for remembering. Did you have fun at the playground?"
As Jackson brushed his teeth (making sure to get every corner!), he told his mom all about the dinosaurs, the Dino-Flosser, and the importance of brushing. He even convinced his pet turtle, Yuna, to try brushing her shell with an old toothbrush (she wasn’t very convinced, but the thought was there).
That night, as he snuggled into bed, Chompy tucked under his arm, Jackson smiled. He learned something amazing today - even dinosaurs knew that brushing your teeth was super important, and super cool! He couldn't wait to tell all his friends at school tomorrow, especially after he brushed them extra, extra well!
