Use activities to teach kids about their teeth.
By the age of 6 most kids have all of their baby teeth (for a total of 20). Permanent teeth replace these baby teeth and, if they take proper care of them, kids will have all 32 permanent teeth for the rest of their lives. Dental activities are a fun and useful way to teach kids about caring for their teeth.
Stained Egg Experiment
Since drinks such as colas and tea can stain teeth, which can lead to tooth decay, it's important to brush soon after drinking these items. In this easy experiment from Education World, you'll show kids how soaking in cola will stain a hard-boiled egg in the same way. You'll need to prepare two hard-boiled eggs and fill two cups with cola and water (one drink in each). Place one egg in each cup and let the cups sit on a counter overnight. The next day, drain out the liquid and have kids observe the differences in the eggshells. After they notice that one is darkened while the other stayed the same, tell them that regular brushing can help prevent that same type of staining on their teeth.
Tooth Model
Before they start losing teeth, kids have molars (last two on both sides), canines (third from the back on both sides) and incisors (the two middle teeth and the teeth right next to them on both sides). Molars are for chewing teeth while canines and incisors are for tearing food. To illustrate the different types of teeth, you can make this model of teeth from A to Z Teacher Stuff. You can just illustrate the 20 deciduous teeth (baby teeth) kids have until they start losing them. For the top teeth, you'll need 10 large marshmallows and a pipe cleaner. Start pushing the marshmallows on the pipe cleaner making sure they're all close together. If you want, A to Z Teacher Stuff suggests shaping the marshmallows to resemble real teeth. Flatten the incisors, make the canine teeth pointed and put a wad of paper on top of the molars to get the rough top surface. Do the same thing for the bottom teeth, then let them dry out overnight. If you want, you can even use some yarn to show kids floss on your tooth model.
Toothbrush Painting
Kids can instantly turn a "stained" tooth into a shiny white one with this craft from PreschoolRock.com. Provide kids with a tooth-shaped cutout made from yellow construction paper. Explain that not brushing can lead to stained teeth, even yellow teeth like their paper. Pour some white paint onto a paper plate and give kids a toothbrush to use as a paintbrush. They'll dip the brush into the paint and cover the whole tooth cutout with white paint by "brushing" it until it's all white.
Tags: baby teeth, both sides, kids have, their teeth, kids about
