Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

This comic plays on the common parenting struggle of getting children to brush their teeth. The parent tries multiple escalating persuasion tactics. The child repeatedly refuses ("I don't wanna brush my teeth"). The parent first tries reasoning, explaining that bacteria live in the mouth and will consume tooth enamel. When that fails, the parent resorts to a scary story -- the tale of a kid who didn't brush, was left in the woods, and was eaten by wild animals.

The joke is that the parent's "parenting techniques" escalate from rational explanation to outright terrifying folk-tale-style threats, reflecting the real-world desperation parents feel when children refuse basic hygiene. The final panel's label "Our Best Parenting Tips" frames this as a parody of cheerful parenting advice columns, contrasting their upbeat tone with the grim reality of the methods parents actually resort to.