Oral Health Making Snack Time Fun Time Third

Oral Health Making Snack Time Fun Time! Third Grade Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Oral Health Program

Snacking! • • • Do you eat between meals? What is your favorite between-meal snack? When do you like to have a snack?

Snacks between meals are a way for you to get all the food you need each day to: Grow • Help you think • Have energy • Help you learn and be your best • Have healthy bones, skin, and teeth •

Now let’s learn or review two words. Diet and Nutrition

Your diet includes all the food you eat each day whether the food is healthy or not (junk food). Your diet needs to include a variety of foods in order for you to have good nutrition.

Nutrition Is the way your body uses the foods you eat! With good nutrition your body, including your teeth, will grow and work right.

At your age, foods eaten as snacks can be an important part of your diet. But, if you make poor choices, snacks can cause tooth problems.

What kinds of snacks cause tooth problems? Sugary snacks and drinks (soda pop) • Sticky snacks • Snacks that stay on your teeth •

Let’s talk about why these snacks are not healthy for our teeth!

Everyone has germs called bacteria in their mouth. • Each day a thin film called PLAQUE forms on your teeth and gums. It’s filled with bacteria. • Bacteria are very small --- you need a microscope to see them. • Sticky, sugary foods left on your teeth are a meal for bacteria.

Bacteria in the PLAQUE turns food on your teeth into acid. Missouri Show – Me Your Smile; 3 rd Edition; 1993

To understand an acid attack on your teeth, we need to first look at the tooth structure.

The Enamel is… The outside layer. • A hard protective cover. • It is the hardest substance in our body, even harder than bone. • Missouri Show – Me Your Smile; 3 rd Edition; 1993

The Dentin is… Underneath the enamel. • Makes up the largest part of a tooth. • Hard, but not as hard as enamel. • Missouri Show – Me Your Smile; 3 rd Edition; 1993

The Pulp is… The soft space inside the tooth, underneath the dentin. • Has blood vessels and nerves. • Missouri Show – Me Your Smile; 3 rd Edition; 1993

An acid attack: Starts on the tooth’s enamel • Can cause a hole in the tooth called a cavity • Missouri Show – Me Your Smile; 3 rd Edition; 1993

Bacteria attacks your gums too! If this happens to you it is called GINGIVITIS.

What are some signs of Gingivitis? Gums that are: • Red • Sore • Puffy • Bleeding www. doctorfernandofuentes. cl/

What can you do to prevent cavities and gingivitis? Brush your teeth • Floss your teeth • Choose snacks wisely •

When should you brush your teeth? Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Oral Health Program • After eating • At bedtime

How do you floss your teeth? Use 18” of floss • Leave an inch or two to work with • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Oral Health Program

How do you floss your teeth? Gently follow curves of teeth • Slide floss up and down a few times • Go below the gumline • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Oral Health Program

What about those snack choices? A simple way to choose snacks is the way you have learned to choose foods for meals —using the Food Pyramid USDA www. My. Pyramid. gov

Can you name the food groups? • • • Grains Fruit Vegetables Dairy Meat

What are some examples from each group? Grain: − Whole wheat bread, corn bread, popcorn • Fruits − Apples, oranges, grapes • Vegetables: − Celery, carrots, broccoli • Dairy − Milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream • Meat and Beans − Peanut butter, eggs, nuts, tuna •

Remember! Choose healthy snacks. 2. Brush twice daily. 3. Floss daily. 4. See your dentist and dental hygienist twice a year! 1.

Thank you for listening and keep brushing! An additional recommended resource for viewing: The Haunted Mouth (ADA). Call (816) 235 -2100 for loan information from the UMKC dental library Photos: Microsoft product box shots reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. All photos obtained from office. microsoft. com/clipart unless otherwise noted. This presentation has been adapted and used with permission from the Dental Health Program developed by the Clay County Public Health Center.