February is Dental Health Month and this year’s theme (2017) is about the importance of drinking tap water. At first glance you may not see the connection between water and teeth, but sweet, sugary drinks promote tooth decay. Listed below are activities and some resources to help you teach.

How about starting out with the proper way to brush those pearly whites?

Video The is a 2 minute clip from Colgate about proper brushing.

Nothing quite helps with discussing the effects sugar has on teeth than an experiment!

SCIENCE Experiment

You will need: 1 jar, 1 can of dark soda, and 1 egg (not hard boiled)

Empty the contents of the soda into the jar. Add the egg and cover the jar. Have your daughter predict what is going to happen to the egg. Write down the prediction. Ask her how long she thinks it will take for something to happen to the egg. Record this as well.

Check the egg after one day. What has happened to the egg? Write down observations.(You will notice that the egg is slightly discolored. No change with the shell.)

Check the egg in one week and take the it out of the jar. Write and/or draw what has happened to the egg. (You will notice that it is getting darker, but the shell is not softening yet.)

Check in two weeks and take the it out of the jar. Write and/or draw what has happened to the egg. (Egg continues to darken, but the shell is not soft.)

Check in three weeks and take the it out of the jar. Write and /or draw what has happened to the egg. (Egg continues to darken, and the shell might be showing signs of softening.)

Check in four weeks and take the it out of the jar. Write and/or draw what has happened to the egg. (Egg is very dark and some, if not all, of the enamel should be worn off. (Eww!)

 

How about a game or art activity to help with dental health?

Eat This! Not That! Game  Cut out pictures of food from magazines or grocery flyers, or images from the internet . Ask your son to find healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables and milk. Then look for unhealthy foods, such as candy and soda. Put all these pictures into a large pile. Take two small brown bags and draw a “happy tooth” on one bag and a “sad tooth” on the other. Together, sort out the pictures and place them in the correct bag. (source: http://www.colgate.com)

Art project: Older students can create a a collage of pictures showing good and bad choices.

Here are some worksheets. 🙂

American Dental Association has some worksheets for elementary students. Just scroll down the page to download them.

Oral Health Made Easy You could use some of these worksheets when you watch the brushing video.

Teeth Printables for preschool and early kindergarten at Mama’s Learning Corner look like fun for younger students. The packet includes a maze, dot-to-dot, writing pages, and the alphabet.

What happens when people see actual teeth that have been soaked in soda?

Video  This is an interesting and funny video about young adult soda drinkers. I am not sure they changed their minds, but hopefully they did!