Teeth: Day Three

Keeping Teeth Healthy

Purpose:
Learn ways to keep teeth healthy such as:

• brushing/flossing
• eating healthy food
• visiting the dentist
  

Work with child to complete this healthy smiles book.


Use this lesson from the ADA as a guide to discussing ways to keep teeth healthy.

Keeping teeth clean is one of the ways we keep them healthy. We want to brush our teeth everyone morning and every night to brush away plaque and keep away cavities.

Give each child a tooth brushing chart to help keep track of their brushing schedules.

Sing some brushing songs to help children practice proper brushing/flossing techniques.

Are Your Teeth Clean and White?
(Tune: "Do Your Ears Hang Low?")

Are your teeth clean and white?
Do you brush them every night?
Do you brush them in the morning?
Do you brush them right?
Do you brush them side to side?
Are your teeth clean and white?
Do you floss them good
To remove the bits of food?
Do you floss them every day?
Like you know you should?
Do you take good care of
The teeth that are there?
Do you floss them good?

Got My Toothpaste
(Tune to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star")
Got my toothpaste, got my brush,
I won't hurry, I won't rush.
Making sure my teeth are clean,
Front and back and in between.
When I brush for quite a while,
I will have a happy smile!

Brush Your Teeth
(Tune: "Jingle Bells")
Brush your teeth,
Brush your teeth,
Give your teeth a treat.
Brush up and down and all around,
To keep them clean and neat!
Brush them once,
Brush them twice,
Brush three times a day.
Brush up and down and all around,
Keep cavities away!

I've Been Brushing
(Tune: "I've Benn Working on the
Railroad")
I've been brushing with my toothbrush,
Brushing everyday.
I've been brushing with my toothbrush,
It's how I fight decay.
All my teeth are gonna sparkle,
How proud I will be.
Every time I want to smile,
My teeth will Shine for me!
Always brush your teeth,
Every Single day.
Keep those cavities away!
Use your brush and paste,
Just the way you should,
Keep your smile a looking good!


Tooth Brushing/Flossing Model
Materials: empty egg carton, shaving cream, large dishwashing brush, dental floss

Give each child an egg carton, turned upside down to use as a model for teeth. Help them practice flossing between the "teeth."

Use a large brush, such as one for washing dishes, and shaving cream to let children practice brushing the "teeth."


DENTAL HEALTH GAME (Science/Memory)
On a tray, place items that promote good dental health, such as a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, a container of dental floss, a small bottle of water, and a hand mirror. Also include a fresh fruit and a fresh vegetable, such as an apple and a carrot. Sit with your children around the tray and talk about how each item helps to keep teeth healthy. Then ask the children to close their eyes while you remove one of the items. When they open their eyes, have them try to guess which item is missing. Continue the game, each time rearranging the items on the tray and removing a different one.

Eating healthy food is another way to keep our teeth healthy.


SMILEY TOOTH, FROWNY TOOTH (Science/Classifying)
Cut tooth shapes out of white paper. On half of the shapes, glue a small picture of a food item that promotes good dental health, such as a fruit, a veggie, a glass of milk, and a slice of cheese. On the other half of the shapes, glue sugary food items that can cause cavities, such as a piece of cake, a cookie, a bottle of cola, and a candy bar. Divide a large piece of posterboard in half vertically to form two columns. Draw a smiling tooth at the top of one column and a frowning tooth at the top of the other one. Discuss the pictures on the tooth shapes and how they can affect dental health. Then mix up the shapes and let your children place them in the appropriate columns on the posterboard.


HEALTHY DENTAL SNACKS (Food Preparation)
Invite your children to help wash and dry a few apples, carrots, and celery stalks. Core the apples, cut them into wedges, and then cut the carrots and celery stalks into sticks. Help the children sweeten plain yogurt by adding fruit juice to taste. Then let the children enjoy their fruit and veggie snacks with their yogurt dip. (Talk with your group about how it’s all right to eat sugary snacks once and a while, just not all the time.)

Toothpaste Finger "Painting"
Put samples of several types/colors of toothpaste on a paper plate. Let children finger paint or use toothbrushes to paint with the toothpaste. Just monitor to make sure they don't eat it!


Let's keep our smiles healthy and white by taking care of our teeth!!!