Dental Lesson
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Introduction:

Narrator:  Hello, we work for RDI and we are back to tell you more about health and hygiene.  Do you remember what we talked about last time?  Yes, we talked a lot about water.  Before we begin a new lesson, let’s review what you learned last time.  How many glasses of water should you drink everyday?  How many minutes should you boil your water before drinking it?  What goes in the special drink if you have diarrhea?  When are the two times you should always wash your hands?  

 Today we are going to talk about something very different – our teeth.  We want to begin our program by singing along with our favorite song about Ticklish Reuben.  Do any of you remember who he is?  He is that man that likes to be tickled by all types of animals and bugs.  So everyone listen and laugh along with Ticklish Rueben and his friends. 

 SONG:  Laughing song

 Narrator:

Well everyone was that fun all laughing together?  Many of you have beautiful smiles and today we want to teach you how to keep your teeth strong and healthy.  It is very important that we take good care of our teeth, because they not only give us beautiful smiles, but they help us to eat.  As many of you already know humans have two sets of teeth. You get your first set around 1 to 6 years old, what do you call that set of teeth> Then you get your second set of teeth, what are those teeth called? Permanent teeth. If we loose our permanent teeth what happens then?  They will be gone for the rest of our lives.  We cannot get them back. 

 Did you know that teeth are a very important part of being healthy?  Your teeth are the first step in what we call digestion.  Digestion is the way your body breaks food down into different parts that your body uses to give you energy and build muscles and bones.  Digestion starts by grinding your food up while the saliva, the liquid in your mouth, begins dissolving the food.  It is very important for you to chew up all your food real good so that your stomach can digest the food easier so it can break down the food into small parts.  If your teeth aren’t strong enough to do this, it would be very hard for you to digest your food.

 Picture game:  Picture of person with good teeth and then picture of bad teeth ask students how does a person go from good teeth to bad. 

Narrator:

So now we are going to talk to you about different ways to take care of your teeth. 

We are going to start by teaching you two ways to prevents Cavities.  The first way is by eating the right kinds of food. Believe it or not eating the right kinds of food help to build strong healthy teeth. Some foods have vitamins in them that help strengthen your teeth. Your teeth are made up of a substance called enamel. (Hold up pictures showing different parts of a tooth and point it out to the children.)  Did you know it is the hardest substance found in the human body?  It is very similar to bones.  Calcium and phosphorus are essential in making your teeth strong.  Calcium and phosphorous can be found in foods like milk, dhraacoon, spae and other green leafy vegetables. Vitamin A and C are also an important part of staying healthy.  They can be found in foods like carrots, green leafy vegetables and other yellow colored fruits and vegetables. So as you can tell, eating the right kinds of foods is essential in building strong healthy teeth.

 Pictures:

(Show a tooth with a cavity)

 What is wrong with this tooth? do you really think its a worm eating out your tooth? do you think this tooth ate alot of fruits and vegetables or sugar?

Now I would like for you to hear about Aki the dog and how he got a cavity.

Puppet:  Aki (the dog), Tidah (little girl) and Plok (tooth)

 Aki:                 Dog cries!

Tidah::            Oh Aki, what’s wrong?  Do you have a thorn in your paw?

Aki:                 Dog Cries (shakes head)

Tidah:             I know!  You got in a fight with the neighbors cat again and got scratched up.

Aki:                 Dog cries! (shakes his head)

Tidah:             Have you been eating bees again?

Aki:                 Dog cries! (shaking head)

Tidah:             I give up.  I just do not know what wrong with you Aki.

Plok:                I will tell you what is wrong.

Tidah:             What????

Aki:                 Aki barks excitedly over Plok.

Tidah:             Calm down Aki.  It’s a tooth, well at least I think it is a tooth.

Plok:                That’s right, I am Plok the tooth.  And I know what is wrong with your dog.

Tidah:             You do?  What is it?

Plok:                Well Aki has a really big cavity in his mouth!

Tidah:             A cavity.  You mean a hole in his tooth?

Plok:                That’s right!

Aki:                 Dog cries.

Tidah:             Oh no.  I did not know dogs could get cavities.

Plok:                Neither do they.  That is why they will eat any amount of candy or sweets you give them.

Tidah:             Candy?

Plok:                Sure.  Dogs do not brush their teeth like humans do.  They just eat.  They especially like to eat candy.

Tidah:             Are sweets any worse than anything else?

Plok:                Yes they are.  You see, during the day a film builds up on your teeth.  It is called plaque.

Tidah:             Plaque?  What is that?

Plok:                It is a sticky layer of harmful bacteria that is always forming on your teeth.

Tidah:             Oh, but where do the sweets come in?

Plok:                Whenever you eat sugar, it gets together with the plaque and makes acid.

Tidah:             I see.  And the acid eats into your tooth.

Aki:                 Dog cries.

Plok:                Exactly!  That is why Aki is crying.  The acid has eaten into his tooth.

Tidah:             Well, what can I do about it?

Plok:                For your dog?  Not much.  You can take him to a vet and have his tooth pulled.

Aki:                 Dog cries.

Plok:                And stop feeding him candy.

Tidah:             Is that all?

Plok:                Yes.  Like I said before, dogs do not brush their teeth.

Tidah:             I see.

Plok:                But there is lots you can do for your own teeth.

Tidah:             Me? Well I do not have any cavities.

Plok:                Why wait until it’s too late?  Start taking care of your teeth now and you may never get one.

Tidah:             What do I need to do, Plok?

Plok:                First, cut down the amount of candy you eat.  If you do eat them, make it at meal times.

Tidah:             And brush my teeth.  Well, that is easy.

Plok:                Wait; Tidah brushing will not do it all.

Tidah:             It won’t?

Plok:                No.  You need to take care of your body, too!  Remember, the best way to have healthy teeth is to have a healthy body.

Tidah:             And that means to eat right and get plenty of rest and exercise.

Plok:                Now you have got it.  But do not forget to brush at least once every day.

Tidah:             I won’t Plok.  Thanks.  Come, Aki lets go see about that tooth of yours.

 Narrator:

Well I hope you learned something by hearing about Aki’s tooth problems.  Now I know each of you is far smarter than any dog and now I would like to tell you how a cavity is formed.

A cavity is when your tooth decays (rots) to the point that a hole goes through the enamel.  Well maybe you are wondering how the hardest substance in your body can get a hole through it.  Well the answer is plaque.  Plaque is made up of different kinds of bacteria that live in your mouth.  These harmful bacteria form a colorless sticky coating between your teeth. When you eat food that contains sugar, like candy and sugar cane, plaque changes the sugar into an acid that sticks to the surface of your tooth and will eat away at the enamel on your teeth. Now I do not know about you, but it really hurts when you get a cavity.  Without proper care the tooth will get infected and have to be pulled.  And if you have a missing tooth it can really mess up your beautiful smile.  (question: What is a whole in your tooth called?) Do you know what else a missing tooth can do?  That’s right it can affect the way you chew up your food.  As I said earlier, chewing food up completely is important for good digestion. 

Now i have a friend name sugar and she wants to tell you how to much of her is not good.

Sugar Monster: 

Do you know who I am?  My name is sugar and everyone likes me because I am so sweet. I make sugar cane, candy and cakes taste good.  I make them sweet.  Well do you know the saying, “ Too much of a good thing is bad”?  For example rain is good and we need it for plants and trees to grow but too much rain causes a flood that can destroy the same plants and animals that need the rain to live and grow.  Well let me tell you, too much of me can be bad for you too.  I know I taste good and boy do you feel good when you are eating me, but I want you know when I am in your mouth there are bacteria there that change me into something that is really bad.  They convert me into ACID.  Do you know what acid is?  It is the stuff that is in car batteries and if you spill it on you it will eat a hole in your skin or clothes.  Now the bacterium converts me from this sweet little sugar to THE ACID MONSTER!!!!!!!  I can begin to eat holes in your teeth and cause cavities!  If you only eat a little of me it is not a problem, but if you eat a lot I WILL DESTROY YOUR TEETH and you will be in pain and have to buy medicine and maybe even have your teeth pulled out by a Dentist. So remember too much of a good thing can be bad for you.  So be smart and control what you eat or I will eat your teeth!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Narrator:

 Wow that sweet sugar girl sure turned into quite a monster didn’t she?  But, you know, the choice is yours; you have to decide what goes into your mouth and how you let it affect you. 

The first way you prevent cavities is by eating the right foods. The second way to prevent cavities is by brushing you teeth.  Brushing helps clean the plaque off your teeth. Do you know when you should brush your teeth?  Well you should brush your teeth as soon as possible after you eat a meal and every night before you go to bed.  Don’t think that just because you are sleeping that plaque sleeps too.  Plaque can be at work destroying your teeth even while you sleep if you don’t brush your teeth before you go to bed.  Now how does brushing your teeth work?  Well I have an example that I want you to think about.  How do you get dirt off the floor?  You sweep it of course.    (Demonstrate sweeping the floor slowly).  As the bristles of a broom moves across the floor it pushes the dirt away.  Well that is just what a toothbrush does, but instead of moving dirt off the floor it moves the coating of plaque off your teeth.  Let me show you what I am talking about.

Pictures:

Show a tooth that has plaque on it and a brush removing plaque.

Dialogue:   You see this tooth with this sticky film on it.  Well, in order to remove it you will need to brush it off. 

Narrator:

Another thing that is important for your teeth is to exercise your mouth everyday.  At the end of a meal and during the day it is good to eat hard foods like green mangos.  This will strengthen your jaws and teeth but can also help clean them.  Eating hard fruits will help to loosen and remove plaque from your teeth.  So if you are at school and cannot brush your teeth maybe you could eat hard fruit to help clean them.  (ask questions: So, can you all tell me again the two ways we can prevent cavities? When should brush your teeth? and what can you eat to help clean you teeth is you cannot brush them?) Hey, I know a story about a rabbit that loves to eat hard foods.

Puppets:  Rabbit, Dog

Dog:                Hey Rabbit what are you doing over there.

Rabbit:            I am brushing my teeth.  Every night before I go to bed I always brush my teeth.

Dog:                Brush your teeth! Why?

Rabbit:            Well brushing your teeth helps make them strong and that is important.  You know I really like eating hard foods like apples and carrots.

Dog:                Well as for me I think getting to bed is more important than staying up to brush my teeth.  I am really tired at night.

Narrator:

I hope your not to tired to brush your teeth at night.  If you want to keep a beautiful smile you have to remember to brush your teeth or you may not have them very long.  Also, it is important to use toothpaste like Pepsodent, if you can afford it. It contains Fluoride and calcium which helps clean and strengthen your teeth.  If you cannot buy toothpaste, it is still good to brush with just water. But taking care of your teeth properly is cheaper and easier than the pain and the cost of doctors to repair or remove them.  So be smart and take care of your teeth and save yourself pain and money.

Did you know it is not only important to brush your teeth but it is important to brush them the correct way?  You know I can remember when I was young my little sister always wanted to sweep the floor the only problem was I always had to sweep up after her because she missed spots and really was not very good with the broom.  Well now she does a better job.  It just took some time to practice to get better at it and also someone who knew how to show her the right way.  Brushing your teeth is the same way, it will take a while to get the hang of it.

Dialogue:  The proper way to brush your teeth is to start at the gum-line and away from your gums..  This will get food that is stuck in between the tooth and gums out.  Make sure you get the back teeth too. It’s also good to brush behind your teeth and on top of your teeth. To help make you gums strong its good to brush them too. Don’t worry if your gums bleed, if you keep brushing properly they should stop someday.

Demonstration:   Have a student brush their teeth. Help them along the way and show them what to do.  Tooth puppet with large toothbrush is used to demonstrate proper brush techniques.

 Now lets see what happened to that little dog who was too tired to brush her teeth.

Scene Two

Rabbit:            Happy birthday dog.  I have a special gift for you.  That’s right it is your favorite a bone.

Dog:                OUCH! OUCH! (In pain)!

Rabbit :            What’s wrong dog?

Dog:                My tooth my tooth it just broke off.  I want my tooth back

Rabbit:            Dog I am sorry I guess your teeth were not strong enough to eat the bone. And well as far as getting your tooth back once it is broken it will never be the same.

Dog:                Rabbit you really are wise.  I guess I should have listened to you and taken care of my teeth by brushing them and not eating too much candy.

Rabbit:            Dog it may be to late for your broken tooth but you have other teeth.  You better start taking care of them by eating right and brushing them every night.

Magic trick:  Stiff rope trick. 

Dialogue:   I want to demonstrate to you how important it is to eat foods that contain calcium. Just like this rope, bones and teeth are weak.  But if we eat the right kinds of foods that contain Calcium they will be strong and healthy.  Generally ropes like to bend and move around but this rope is special because unlike any other rope, it is strong enough to hold itself up.  Your teeth can be that strong too!! If you take care of them properly by eating foods like dhracoon, spae and green leafy vegetables and milk!

Narrator:

Well did you know your mouth is also very powerful in many other ways?  As a matter of fact your mouth and what you say has the ability to help or hurt people.  One of the most powerful weapons a person has is their mouth.  It can either make someone feel good or bad.  (rope makes smiling face and sad face) What you say can either build someone up, or tear them down. (rope trick!) Have you ever noticed that when you say something good to someone, it can put a smile on their faces, but if you say something mean, it can really hurt them.  We have someone here today with us that can give us some advice on how we can “watch what we say”.  So let me ask the Book to come out and tell you things about the mouth.  You know, if you want the answers you should go to the Book, he knows a lot.

Book:

Greetings everyone!  You know me, I am the book and within my pages are the answers to all your questions.  Now I am no ordinary book I am a special book sent to each of you in order that you may know truth.  I am full of very important information that can help you in life. I was just asked to tell you about the mouth and its power so let me quote to you from some of my pages. 

The tongue is a small thing, but it can do a lot of  damage.  Just like a little match can set a forest on fire, so can the tongue ruin lives.  People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue.  Sometimes it praises people, and sometimes it curses people.  So blessing and cursing come flowing out of the same mouth.  This really isn’t right!  Can fresh water and bitter water come from the same water source?  Can you pick mangos from a banana tree?  No, and you can’t get fresh water from a salty pool. 

So lets take this good advice and only speak good things.  When you are angry and want to say something cruel it is better to not say anything at all than to say something that may hurt someone.  I look forward to seeing you again and reading to you from my pages.  Remember to speak kind words – goodbye!!!!

Narrator:

We hope you learned a lot today.  Most importantly we hope you remember all of it.  To see whether you do, we have some questions for you.

Questions:

1)      What is it called when you get a hole in your tooth?

2)      What are two ways you can prevent getting cavities?

3)      When should you brush your teeth?

4)      So, what if you are at school and can’t brush your teeth, what can you do?

 Well we really have enjoyed teaching you today and hope you have learned something. We would like to leave all of you with something to help you protect and take care of your teeth - Pepsodent toothpaste and toothbrush.  Remember it has Calcium and Fluoride to build and protect strong teeth.

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