To teach K-2 children that cavities are nearly 100% preventable. ... Summary: An apple provides a visual reminder why ch
Delta Dental of Colorado | P.O. Box 5468 | Denver, CO 80217-5468
Lesson Plan Lesson Plan Ideas & Activities Purpose To teach K-2 children that cavities are nearly 100% preventable. They can take an active role in keeping their smile healthy by eating healthy foods, brushing and flossing daily and seeing their dentist regularly. At the end of the lesson, students will understand: • Why do we need teeth? • Why it’s important to brush your teeth twice a day and how fluoride toothpaste helps keep your teeth clean and healthy. • What foods to eat for healthy teeth. • The definition of cavities and how to prevent them. In addition to the DVD, the teeth brushing chart, the poster and any or all of the activities below will help convey key dental health messages. At the end of the lesson, you can present each child with an award certificate from the Tooth Fairy. (See accompanying materials.) Activity #1: Show the Delta Dental animated DVD “The Cleaning.” Why was it important for Chopper and Tooth Fairy to go through the house and “clean” it up? What in the house might have contributed to the boy’s rotten tooth? What would you change about your house to make it a healthier place for your teeth? Activity #2: Fluoride Experiment Materials required: Three hard-boiled white eggs, a cola or root beer, three cups and fluoride toothpaste. Summary: Get three white hard-boiled eggs. Coat one egg’s shell with fluoride toothpaste. Put one egg in a cup of water as the control (you’ll need to explain the need for a control group), one in a cola and the other one with toothpaste coating in another cup of cola. Leave for a day or two. The cola egg will turn brown, but the toothpaste coated one will be protected. This experiment shows how important it is for children to brush their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste to help prevent cavities. Activity #3: No Fuss Floss Materials required: A rubber glove, a jar of peanut butter, something to spread it with, a container of dental floss, a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Summary: Put the glove on one hand and make a high-five sign with your fingers pointed up, but held tightly together. Spread peanut butter between your fingers, deep between your finger joints. Tighten your fingers together again. Your fingers represent your teeth and the peanut butter between them is the food that gets trapped when you eat. Put your fingers tightly together again. Use the toothbrush and toothpaste to try to scrub the peanut butter away. Don’t move your fingers apart! Have a volunteer try to remove the peanut butter using the dental floss between your fingers. Which does a better job – the toothbrush and paste or the floss? Then demonstrate how real floss is used and have the children practice on each other.
www.deltadentalco.com
Activity #4: Cavity Apple Materials required: Two apples and a pencil used to poke holes in one of them. Summary: An apple provides a visual reminder why children need to brush their teeth. Display two apples, comparing the skin on the apples to the enamel of teeth. Poke a few holes in one of the apples to represent cavities. Leave the other apple untouched. Put both apples on display for a couple of days. Have the children observe what happens to the apple with holes as compared to the untouched apple. Hold a discussion on what happens to a tooth that has a cavity. Activity #5: Look Who’s Smiling Materials required: Digital camera, printer, poster or bulletin board. Summary: Take a close-up picture of each child’s smile. Create cutouts of smiles big enough to fit each smile picture. Glue the pictures onto the smiles. Have each student come up with a saying to say how they will keep their teeth healthy, such as, “I brush my teeth twice a day,” or “I eat fruit instead of candy.” Post the smiles on a poster or bulletin board and see if parents can guess their child’s smile on back-to-school night. Key Messages for Dental Health • We need teeth. Teeth help us bite, chew, talk, sing, smile and whistle. • Eat healthy snacks. Instead of cookies, juice and soda pop, which have a lot of sugar, eat raw veggies, plain yogurt or fresh fruit, whole grains, milk and cheese. Avoid sticky foods, such as chewy candy. They aren’t easily washed away by a drink or saliva, and can increase the risk for cavities. Starchy snacks like white breads, hamburger buns, syrup and honey also contain sugars. Have your parents check the labels on foods. • Sugars attack your teeth and can lead to cavities. Invisible germs called bacteria live in your mouth. Sometimes the bacteria form a sticky plaque on the surface of your teeth. When you put sugar in your mouth, the bacteria in the plaque turn the sweet stuff into acids. These acids can dissolve the hard enamel covering your teeth. If the decay process continues unchecked, you can get a hole in your tooth enamel, called a cavity. • Brush your teeth at least twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and floss once a day. It’s important to keep the plaque off your teeth. Fluoride in toothpaste and tap water toughens tooth enamel, making it more difficult for acid to penetrate. Flossing removes food trapped between teeth. Brushing & flossing help prevent cavities. • See a dentist twice a year. A dentist will check to see if your teeth are OK, will clean and polish your teeth and apply fluoride sealants. It’s good to go to the dentist. • Your smile makes you unique. Take time to take care of your teeth! Ask your mom & dad to help.
www.deltadentalco.com
