Let's be honest, every month your child's dental health should be celebrated. Another fact is that not every kid is thrilled about sitting in that big chair surrounded by cords, buzzing tools and masked doctors and hygeniests!
Turn up the excitement in honor of the national celebration at home. With a trip to the library and the list below, you can check out some books that might prepare your little one for what is ahead of them.
Turn up the excitement in honor of the national celebration at home. With a trip to the library and the list below, you can check out some books that might prepare your little one for what is ahead of them.
• Curious George visits the Dentist by H.A. Rey
• The Berenstain Bears visit the Dentist b, Stan Berenstain
• First Time Dentist by Jess Stockham
• Elmo visits the Dentist by Tom Brannon
• Dr. De Soto by William Steig
If you have a seasoned professional on your hands, and are just looking to bring attention back to just how important dental health is, here are some other book suggestions.
• Dear Tooth Fairy by Jane O'Connor
• The Missing Tooth by Joanna Cole
• The Tooth that's on the Loose! by Chris Robertson
• Junie B., First Grader: The Toothless Wonder by Barbara Park
Another idea is to visit www.ada.org for a large selection of fun activity sheets, from certificates to coloring sheets. Maybe even a promised visit to the drug store for some fresh supplies would help ease the anxiety. Fun flossers, bubble gum mouth rinse and a new character tooth brush should certainly cheer up your little one! Picking up some funny teeth from a party store wouldn't hurt the situation either!!
A hands-on experiment can be fun too!
- Placing an egg in vinegar overnight shows how acid breaks down calcium. It is a good example of what soda can do to our teeth; soda being acidic and our teeth having calcium. Having your children feel that firm shell before bed and the gooey shell in the morning might just motivate them to brush the recommended amount!
- Another idea is putting play dough between the spaces of a Mega Block and using thread to "floss" out the stuff that represents food between your teeth.
