Delta Dental of Colorado | P.O. Box 5468 | Denver, CO 80217-5468
Lesson Plan 2
Lesson Plan 2: Ideas & Activities
Purpose
To teach K-2 children that cavities are nearly 100% preventable. They can take an active role in keeping their smile healthy by eating
healthy foods, brushing and flossing daily and seeing their dentist regularly. At the end of the lesson, students will understand:
• Why do we need teeth?
• Why it’s important to brush your teeth twice a day and how fluoride toothpaste helps keep your teeth clean and healthy.
• What foods to eat for healthy teeth.
• The definition of cavities and how to prevent them.
In addition to the DVD, the teeth brushing chart, the poster and any or all of the activities below will help convey key dental health
messages. At the end of the lesson, you can present each child with an award certificate from the Tooth Fairy.
(See accompanying materials.)
Activity #1: Show the Delta Dental animated DVD “The Cleaning.”
Why was it important for Chopper and the Tooth Fairy to go through the house and “clean” it up? What in the house might have
contributed to the boy’s rotten tooth? What would you change in your house to make it a healthier place for your teeth?
Activity #2: Make a Tooth Model
Make a large set of teeth out of large marshmallows as a class project. Assign some students to
flatten marshmallows for incisors, flatten and clip corners of the marshmallows for the canines
and indent the molars by pressing a paper wad in the middle. Attach them in the correct order;
three molars on the side on the ends, one canine on each side and four incisors across the front.
Let dry and use the model to point out how food can get stuck in ridges and spaces. Practice
flossing with some yarn.
Key Messages about Teeth
• My front teeth are for biting.
• My back teeth are for munching.
• My pointed teeth are for tearing.
• My back teeth are for crunching.
• Teeth help you eat, smile and talk. Your smile makes you unique!
Activity# 3: Teeth food experiment
Offer each child a chocolate cookie or two with not drink. Have them look in the mirror after they’ve eaten the cookies. Offer an apple
slice or two and have them look into the mirror again. Teeth should be cleaner. Point out that certain foods stick to our teeth more and
we should brush after eating them. Eating a lot of sweets and stick foods can lead to cavities. You should brush after eating sweet or
sticky foods and only eat them with meals. (continued on back page)
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Key Messages about Cavities:
• E
ating patterns and food choices play an important role in preventing tooth decay and gum disease. Eating too may sweets or
sticky foods can cause cavities.
• Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes to remove sugars and food particles from your teeth.
• Limit snacks between meals. Keep added sugar in your diet to a minimum by making wise food and beverage choices.
• Include dairy, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and water in your diet—they all play a role in your dental health.
Activity #4: Foods that Make Teeth Happy & Sad
Take old magazines and have children tear or cut out pictures of food. Give each child a sheet of paper or work together on a
poster board – each divided into two columns. Ask the children to paste pictures of foods that can make teeth happy on one side
of the poster & foods that make teeth sad on the other side of the poster. Examples of foods good for teeth are apples; foods that
are bad for teeth are sugary sodas. Hang up the poster to help children remember to eat foods that keep your mouth happy!
Activity #5: Dramatic Play
Gather children for a circle time and after reading several dentist stories, ask them what items would be needed if we set
up a pretend dentist office. List all items they suggest and send list home with children asking parents to contribute. Turn a
classroom area into a pretend dentist office only for dolls and stuffed animals. Some suggestions: toothbrushes, an old lamp,
empty clean containers of toothpaste (the kind that pump up not the tube kind), a dental mask (you can ask for some at local
dentist office or find them in hardware or wood working stores), stuffed animals, dolls, empty container of dental floss, mirrors,
small cups, clipboards, pencils, old magazines (for the waiting room), old X-rays of teeth if you can find them, dental posters.
Key messages about a dental visit:
• A dentist is a doctor who helps keep your teeth clean, healthy and strong.
• P
arents and teachers should avoid phrases like, “Don’t be afraid,” or it won’t hurt. Reassure a child that a visit will be fun. See
a dentist twice a year.
• Children should visit the dentist no later than age one or as soon as a tooth erupts.
• D
entists will look at the teeth, gums, jaws, bite and oral tissues. Dentists will count the teeth and check to see if teeth are
growing the correct way. Children may get their teeth cleaned and will receive a topical fluoride polish.
Book Ideas with a Dental Theme
Arthur’s Tooth by Marc Brown
The Tooth Fairy by Kirsten Hall
A Quarter from the Tooth Fairy by Caren Holtzman
When I See My Dentist by Susan Kuklin
No Tooth, No Quarter! by Jon Buller
Dr. De Soto by William Steig
Trevor’s Wiggly-Wobbly Tooth by Lester L. Laminack
Little Rabbit’s Loose Tooth by Lucy Bate
My Loose Tooth by Stephen Krensky
Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist
by Jan and Stan Berenstain
What Do the Tooth Fairies Do with all those Teeth?
By Michel Luppens
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