#1
LET’S READ!
What do you use to chew your food, or to say the letter T? What do you use to smile, or bite into a yummy candy bar? That’s right–your teeth!
Babies are born with no teeth. As they age, their first set of teeth grows in. We call these “milk teeth” or baby teeth. These teeth start coming through when a child is 6 months and are normally done growing by the age of 3.
But these milk teeth only last two or three years. When kids like you are 5 or 6 years old, they start losing their teeth. As the milk teeth fall out, permanent, adult teeth replace them. But here’s the thing: we only grow 20 milk teeth. When we get our adult teeth, we get 32! That’s because babies don’t have molars–the big teeth in the back of our mouths that we use for chewing tougher things. Babies mostly drink milk, which is why their teeth are called milk teeth. They don’t need molars yet because they don’t have to chew!
LET’S TALK!
1. Show your child your molars and explain to them why they don’t have any yet.
2. Tell your child about the teething process. If they’ve already been through teething, tell them what they were like during the process. If they haven’t been through it yet, explain what will happen.
3. Do you remember losing your teeth? Was it fun or weird?
#2
LET’S READ!
Just like there are doctors for your heart (cardiologists) and doctors for your eyes (optometrists), there are doctors for your teeth! These doctors are called dentists, and they help us keep our teeth in tip-top shape so we can keep them for as long as possible. Dentists clean our teeth, teach us how to take care of them, and fill any cavities we have. Cavities happen when bacterias chew little holes into our teeth, and they can be very painful. If they get bad enough, the tooth can even fall out! Back before dentists existed, it was much more common for people to lose teeth earlier in life. Now, we don’t have to worry about that as much!
But a big piece of keeping our teeth healthy is taking care of them at home. This involves brushing them with a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean the bacteria off of them and flossing between each tooth so food doesn’t get stuck in there. If we don’t regularly brush and floss, we’re more susceptible to cavities and other problems with our teeth.
LET’S TALK!
1. Do you like flossing and brushing your teeth? Why or why not?
2. Why is it important to see a dentist?
3. How do you keep your teeth healthy at home?
#3
LET’S READ!
In an ideal world, everyone’s teeth would grow in straight, in a neat little row. But unfortunately, most people’s don’t. Some people have crooked teeth that overlap, others have big gaps between some teeth, and some have an under or overbite (which is what it’s called when your top teeth go too far in front of or behind your bottom teeth). Some people have all of these things. And did you know that some people’s teeth just don’t grow in at all? Yup, they sometimes get stuck in the jawbone.
Fortunately, there’s a solution! Braces. You may have heard of or seen them before. They’re made of metal brackets that are applied to your teeth and attached to each other by a wire. Every six weeks, the orthodontist (the doctor in charge of your braces) adjusts these brackets and wires until they either space your teeth apart or bring them together! They also use bands to adjust your bite if you need help with that. Braces can be painful and make your mouth sore, but they fix issues that could cause lifetime problems otherwise. Pretty cool! Once you get your braces off, you have to wear a retainer to keep your teeth where the braces put them.
LET’S TALK!
1. What color toothbrush does everyone in the family have?
2. Have you ever had braces or known someone who did? What do you think about them? (If you had the option to get braces and decided not to, tell your child why.)
3. Do you think it looks better to have straight teeth or natural teeth? Why?
#4
LET’S READ!
Did you know that something magical happens when you lose a tooth? What is it? Well, a pretty being called the Tooth Fairy stops by your house the night after your tooth falls out! In order to get something from the Tooth Fairy, you have to put your lost tooth under your pillow. Then, in exchange, the Tooth Fairy will give you a small gift, such as a dollar or a bouncy ball. Sometimes you can tell your parents what you want and they can tell the Tooth Fairy, too!
Here are some toothy fun facts:
Tooth enamel is the hardest part of the human body. It’s even harder than bone! But that being said, teeth are the only part of our bodies that can’t repair themselves; we need the help of a dentist if one of our teeth breaks.
Permanent teeth don’t keep growing once they break through our gums. But did you know that some animals’ teeth keep growing forever? For example, guinea pigs and horses have to constantly wear or file down their teeth by chewing hard things so they don’t become too long!
Aren’t teeth cool?
LET’S TALK!
1. Have you ever gotten something from the Tooth Fairy? What was the best gift you received in exchange for a tooth? Tell your child about it.
2. How often do you brush and floss your teeth?
3. Why are you grateful for your teeth?
VOCABULARY WORDS:
teeth, enamel, toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, brush, bacteria, dentist, gums, cavities, braces, chewing, habit, dentures, fluoride, mouthwash, Tooth Fairy
ACTIVITIES:
• Have your child count their teeth! Do they have any adult teeth yet or do they only have baby teeth?
• Take a trip to the local store and allow your child to pick out a new toothbrush, new toothpaste, and new floss. (Nothing is more exciting and fun than getting something new that they are able to pick out themselves. They’ll probably be more likely to use it, too!)
• Brush your teeth with your child! Doing this together is a great way to show your child how important brushing is–and it provides a great role model: you!
• Make a box or bag for the Tooth Fairy Get a small box, a snack-size plastic bag, or a small paper bag. Have your child decorate the box/bag for them to put their teeth in each time they lose one. Then the Tooth Fairy will have an easier time finding the tooth under the pillow!
RESOURCES:
1. Why Do We Have Baby Teeth? (YouTube Video)
2. How Your Teeth Work? – The Dr. Binocs Show (YouTube Video)
3. Why Do We Brush Our Teeth? (YouTube Video)
4. What Are the Different Types of Teeth? (YouTube Video)
5. Pony Brushes His Teeth by Michael Dahl (Picture Window Books, 2013)
6. The Night Before the Tooth Fairy by Natasha Wing (Grosset & Dunlap, 2003)
7. The Night Before the Dentist by Natasha Wing (Grosset & Dunlap, 2021)
8. The Tooth Book by Dr. Seuss (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2003)
