Thinking about teeth

In view of an upcoming dentist visit, we decided to have a look at teeth.

First, we counted and yes, Miss Belle has three more teeth than her brother who is two years younger.

Then we talked about the sorts of drinks that might or might not be good for teeth. Using egg shell as a surrogate for teeth, we put pieces of egg shell into jars of milk, water and coco cola (the proper stuff-none of this diet or zero stuff). We hope to see what will happen over the next few days.

We made models of the three different types of teeth

• incisors, at the front, for biting
• pointy canines for tearing
• large flat molars for chewing

We used pieces of egg carton as jaw and glued on foil shapes for each type of tooth. In case of doubt, from the left, molar, incisor and canine.

At bedtime, after the tooth cleaning, the children used disclosing tablets to see how effective their cleaning had been. I must say, disclosing tablets are quite messy with little ones. I did double check the packet to see if there was a label saying "not for use under x years" but no. From experience now, I don't really think they are suitable for under fives although using them with a five year old worked. 

The good side effect has been the increased interest in tooth brushing; hope it lasts!