Section 9 Healthy Teeth and Gums

Section 9Healthy Teeth and Gums For Use with the KS2 Science Curriculum Topic 3A Adapted by Oral Health Promotion, Devon 2014

Plaque • Remember what we said last lesson about plaque.

Plaque on teeth

Are these teeth clean ? We should clean our teeth twice per day. But do we always do it properly?

Disclosing tablets Plaque is the same colour as the teeth and hard to see. These tablets can be used to stain the plaque a different colour.

Disclosed plaque plaque on teeth plaque between teeth plaque on gums

Plaque can cause two problems • Plaque on teeth -> tooth decay. • Plaque on gums -> gum disease. • This time we are looking at the gums.

Gum disease ( gingivitis ) 1) pink gums become red 2) swollen 3) bleed when brushed These are the 3 main symptoms of gum disease.

Gum disease ( gingivitis ) blood swollen gums

To prevent gum disease • Use a medium to soft small headed toothbrush. • Change your toothbrush when worn out. • Brush effectivelytwice a day. • Brush for longer. • Brush all surfaces of the teeth. • Brush your gums and your teeth.

Tooth brushing How many times a day should we brush our teeth ? What are the best times ?

Morning and night • The two best times are………… This is because the teeth are at their most dirty at these two times of the day. This is your best chance of removing most of the plaque.

Choosing a toothbrush • Soft to medium bristles. • Small head. • Remember to change when worn out after about 3 months.

Toothpaste • Standard family fluoride toothpaste. • 1350ppm to 1500ppm fluoride. • Use a pea sized amount only. ppm = parts per million

Toothbrushing • Brushing our teeth with a ‘family fluoride toothpaste’ helps with two things. • 1) The act of brushing removes the plaque from our teeth and gums. • 2) The fluoride in the toothpaste helps make the enamel on our teeth stronger and more resistant to tooth decay.

Activity • The large mouth model can be used to demonstrate how to brush. • Remember teeth have several surfaces. • Remember to brush all the teeth and the gums to remove all the plaque.

Process of decay • When you eat sugar • plaque + sugar -> acid • This acid can attack the teeth

Food and Drinks High in Fat or Sugar These foods are high in added sugars and can damage teeth. Sticky foods can be more damaging as the sugar sticks to the teeth.

Safer snacks • fruit • vegetables • salads • cheese • bread • pasta • rice • meat • fish

Be cool in school • Water is important. • Children should switch to drinking water with meals instead of less healthy sweetened soft drinks which can damage teeth. • Water promotes hydration and has no calories.

Un cool drinks • coke • diet coke • fizzy drinks • milk shake • cup drinks • Sports drinks Most contain lots of sugar. ( 5 to 8 teaspoons full ) Did you know that diet drinks contain citric acid, which is also not friendly to teeth ? These drinks can cause ‘acid erosion.’

Acid erosion Different from tooth decay, erosion is caused by acids in drinks. The tooth enamel is softened and then worn away by chewing.

The 3 most important things to remember 1) Brush your teeth and gums twice a day. 2) Save all sugar to mealtimes. 3) Visit the dentist for a check up at least once a year. (Children may be advised to go more often.)

Thanks to • Graeme Jones, Liverpool Dental Health Promotion

Section 9 Healthy Teeth and Gums