Dental Health Month: Resources and Activities for Your Classroom

Did you know that February is Dental Health Month? Crazy as it seems with all the other holidays that it is! I love that it's Dental Health Month because it gives me an excuse to teach dental hygiene to my students. Sadly, a lot of my students have not been taught how to properly take care of their teeth. Here are some of my favorite Dental Health Month: Resources and Activities for Your Classroom!

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Books:

               

Throw Your Tooth on the Roof is a favorite as it shares traditions from around the world of what happens when a tooth is lost. The other two are fictional stories that are just fun reads.  

Activities:

Flossing - Not the silly dance...actual flossing! Here's what to do...

1. Cut a large "mouth" out of a large piece of construction paper. 
2. Tape the bottom of egg cartons around like teeth. (It's definitely best to use white egg cartons, yellow ones don't look so great! 😉) 
3. Then tear pieces of paper to put in between the "teeth." 
4. Show students how to wrap the yarn like floss and practice going back and forth between the teeth.

Egg Experiment - This experiment shows students why they need to brush their teeth.

1. Hardboil eggs (enough for each student). 
2. Students place them in cups of pop. Let them soak overnight. 
3. The next day, take the eggs out and brush them...with real toothpaste and toothbrushes. (I get mine at the dollar store 4-6 for $1 and I reuse them each year until they are gross.) 

It's amazing what the pop does to the egg. We use this to talk about why we should avoid sugary beverages! I think this experiment, more than anything else, helps my students realize the importance of taking care of their oral health.

Want to have printables for this experiment? Click on the pic above to see more.

Writing Activity - Have students write a how to on brushing their teeth. You can be extra mean and actually have all the materials ready and really brush your teeth the way the students write the directions. This means when students write to put toothpaste on their toothbrush, you actually put the tube of toothpaste on the toothbrush. Students need to be explicit in stating that the toothpaste needs to be opened before squeezing it on the toothbrush. 

Apple Smiles - If you are allowed to have food in the classroom, cut apples into slices and add peanut butter to the top of a piece. Use marshmallows as the teeth. These turn out pretty cute and are yummy!

What do you do with your students for Dental Health Month?