Fluoride What is fluoride Fluoride is a chemical

Fluoride

What is fluoride? • Fluoride is a chemical What does fluoride do? • It helps make teeth stronger • It helps to fight decay Why is fluoride important? • Without it many people would have holes in their teeth!

Where can fluoride be found? • It occurs naturally in things like tea, fish bones & even beer! • Toothpastes and mouthwashes from supermarkets contain small amounts of fluoride • It is also found in milk & tap water!

How and when can you use fluoride? • Brush your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste • Use a mouthwash too but DO NOT swallow it! RINSE & SPIT!!

What does fluoride do? • It helps weaker teeth to protect themselves from acid & sugar

Session Activities: • A super science experiment! • Design and colour a poster to encourage people to use a fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash

Experiment: • You will be investigating fluoride to see if it actually DOES help teeth to be stronger. • Instead of real teeth, you will be using boiled eggs! • You will test to see if using fluoride prevents acid from attacking the teeth (eggs). • What do you think will happen?

Equipment: • Boiled eggs (1 person) • Fluoride toothpaste (any brand) • Empty egg boxes • Clear jam jars • Vinegar • Stopwatches • Pencils • Observation Sheets • Permanent marker pen

Setting up the experiment: Day One 1. Put fluoride toothpaste into the egg box where the eggs usually sit. 2. Use a permanent marker to draw a line around the middle of your egg. Write an ‘F’ on the bottom section. 3. Dip the egg into the fluoride, making sure the bottom half is covered by the toothpaste. 4. Leave overnight (24 hours)

Completing the experiment: Day Two 5. Remove the egg, rinse with water & dry with a paper towel. 6. Pour some vinegar into the jar so that it will just cover the egg – DO NOT OVERFILL. 7. Put the egg into the jar of vinegar for 2 minutes. Use a stopwatch to measure the time. 8. Remove the egg and observe what has happened.

Concluding the experiment: The fluoride treated area of the egg has not broken down as much because it was protected from the acid by the fluoride.

Does anyone have any questions…?