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Dental Hygiene Science Ideas
Healthy and Unhealthy Foods
Have the children categorize the different foods.
Stained Tiles
Scrounge some small white
ceramic tiles (from construction sites, tile stores, parents
who
are remodeling, etc). Provide children with a variety of food products to smear
on the
tiles such as: jelly, ketchup, syrup,
peanut butter etc, have children brush
the teeth with toothbrushes
and real toothpaste. Which tiles are stained?
Dental X-Rays
If possible, ask your dentist for some old
dental x-rays. As you hold the x-ray up to a light,
encourage the children to talk about what they see. Help
your child realize that the dentist
takes x-ray pictures to look for cavities that are hidden inside and
between teeth.
Oreo Residue
We
all eat an Oreo (while discussing the sticky sugary foods that
stick to
teeth and
cause cavities) and then use small mirrors to examine
our teeth.
The children
record their findings by coloring all the black stuff
they see
stuck in their teeth
on a picture of their teeth. Then, we all eat
a slice
of an apple, and then look
to see how some of the residue has been
removed.
Again, we draw to record!
Filling Cavities
Mix gray powdered tempera paint with white glue or paste. Have
children create
holes in Styrofoam blocks. Then fill cavities with paste
mixture using craft sticks.
What Happens If We DON'T Brush Our Teeth
Allow the children to examine two hard boiled
eggs. Let them touch and feel the eggs to see how
hard they are. Explain that the hard shell of the egg protects the
soft egg inside. Point out that
teeth are covered with a hard shell called enamel that is similar to the
eggshell. The enamel
protects the soft part of the tooth that is inside. Next, place each
egg into a clear plastic jar.
Cover one egg with water and the other with sugar sweetened cola.
Set the jars aside and
allow the eggs to remain in the jars for several days. Each
day check the eggs to discover
any changes. The egg in the cola should begin to show some changes.
The sugar should
begin to eat through the eggshell. This is similar to what happens
when sugary foods,
such as sweet beverages, candy, and other foods, are not brushed
away. To prevent
this from happening, explain that we must brush our teeth after every time
we eat.
Red Disclosing Tablets
Disclosing tablets are made of a harmless vegetable dye
that stains plaque bright red. Get them
from your dentist or you can purchase these tablets at any convenience
stores like Kroger and
Wal-mart. Have you kids
brush their teeth and then take the tablets and let them see where
they missed.
Pre-K Fun Theme Pages are
for educational reference only!
No copyright infringement is intended.
I do not claim any of these as my own ideas.
They are shared from friends and fellow group
members.
Thanks for sharing all your great ideas!
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