Create a Healthy Dental Craft and Snack

This healthy dental craft and snack let's your kids create their own healthy mouth, that is edible too!

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 30 minutes to one hour

Here's How:

1. Select a large, Red Delicious apple of your choice. Using a red apple will help to create pretty lips for your mouth, but if a red apple is not available, any color will do. Depending on the number of people creating their healthy snack, one apple generally will yield enough segments for four people. Give each person one disposable plate or napkin.
2. With the assistance of an adult, use the apple corer, and remove the apple's core. Using a sharp knife, slice the apple in half. Then continue to slice the apple into segments that are approximately a 1/2 inch wide.
3. Once you have the apple divided into segments, give each person that is creating their own mouth two segments of apple.
4. Check with all participants to see if anyone has a peanut allergy or treenut allergy, then select the appropriate spread for the apple -- which can be either peanut butter, or a peanut butter alternative. If an alternative is not available, apricot jam or marmalade will work just fine as well. Using the small serving cups, give each person 1 Tbsp. of spread.
5. Using the butter knife or Popsicle stick, evenly spread the peanut butter, or the alternative, on one side of each apple segment. Place each segment next to each other, with he spread side up.
6. Each person should then be given five to six mini white marshmallows each. Using one apple segment, place the marshmallows along the edge of the apple, where the skin and flesh meet. The marshmallows should appear to curve with the shape of the segment.
7. Once all of the marshmallows have been placed on the spread, take your other apple segment, and carefully place it on top of the marshmallows. Make sure you try to align the apple as evenly as possible. Then, press down on the fleshy part of the apple that is opposite of the skin.
8. Voila! You have now created a healthy dental craft and snack of your own.

Tips:

1. As you are creating your healthy dental craft and snack, discuss with the children how making healthy food choices, that are low in sugar, helps to prevent cavities and gum disease.
2. Ask the children questions regarding dental hygiene as you create the craft. "How often should you brush and floss your teeth?" and "Is soda good or bad for your teeth?"
3. Talk about how cavities are formed. As they create their craft and snack, explain to them how the tooth decay process works.
4. While they place each marshmallow "tooth" on the apple segment, ask the children if they would like to have white teeth, like their new apple mouth. Discuss how regular brushing and flossing will help them achieve a white and bright smile, similar to their newly created mouth.

What You Need:

• One large Red Delicious Apple per every four people
• One disposable plate or napkin per person
• One bag of mini white marshmallows
• One jar of smooth peanut butter
• People with nut allergies may use a nut-free alternative to peanut butter
• One small serving cup per person
• One apple corer
• One sharp knife
• one butter knife or Popsicle stick per person
• Adult supervision

By Shawn Watson, About.com Guide

Your teeth are an important part of your smile

Q: What part of your body helps you to digest your favorite foods, say "cheese," and look great in pictures?
A: Your teeth!

It's true. Your teeth are an important part of your smile, and they also help you chew foods like crunchy apples or yummy pizza. Brushing and flossing are important, but you also need to visit your dentist regularly to keep your teeth strong and healthy. Read this article to learn more about what happens at the dentist's office.

What Does the Dentist Do?

The dentist is a doctor who is specially trained to care for teeth. When you visit for a checkup, your dentist will look at your teeth and gums to check for any problems. The dentist also wants to make sure your teeth are developing properly as you grow. It's important to visit your dentist every 6 months to make sure you're taking good care of your teeth and that your teeth and gums are healthy.

What Happens at the Dentist's Office?

After your name is called in the waiting room, you'll go into an exam room and sit down in a big, comfortable chair that is like a huge recliner. The chair will have a place to rest your head and lots of room for you to stretch out your legs. Next to the chair may be a little sink with a cup that you can use to rinse out your mouth as your teeth are being cleaned.

During the exam, your teeth will be cleaned, flossed, and checked for cavities.

Cleaning and Flossing

One of the first people you'll meet at the dentist's office is the dental hygienist (say: hi-jeh-nist). A dental hygienist is a person who knows all about keeping teeth and gums clean and healthy.

The dental hygienist will look inside your mouth to make sure your teeth are growing properly and your gums are healthy. A bright, overhead light will shine down into your mouth like a giant flashlight so the dental hygienist can get a good look inside your mouth.

The dental hygienist will clean and polish your teeth, using tiny dental tools like a tooth scraper, mirror, and special toothbrush. The tooth scraper removes plaque (say: plak) from your teeth. Plaque is a thin, sticky layer that coats your teeth and contains bacteria (say: bak-teer-ee-uh) that grow on your teeth over time. Plaque that isn't removed from your teeth can cause decay, or a cavity (say: kah-vuh-tee).

Next comes brushing and flossing. The dental hygienist will brush your teeth with a special toothbrush and toothpaste. The toothbrush has a small, round tip that moves around and around to clean your teeth. The toothpaste might taste like your own toothpaste at home, but it will feel a little grittier — almost like sand.

Then the dental hygienist will floss your teeth and show you the proper way to brush and floss your teeth at home. Flossing involves using a piece of waxy string called dental floss to get in between your teeth and remove food particles that your brush

Checking for Cavities

During your visit, the dental hygienist will take X-rays, or pictures, of your teeth. X-rays are like superhuman vision. They can show cavities hiding between your teeth and problems beneath your gums. A cavity is a decayed, or rotted, part of a tooth.

It does not hurt to get an X-ray and it takes only a few seconds. The dental hygienist will place a thick blanket over your chest (to protect your body from the high-energy waves) and put a piece of plastic (that holds the X-ray film) into your mouth. As you gently bite down on the plastic, you'll have to be very still for a few seconds while the dental hygienist snaps the picture.

Fluoride Treatments

Next it's time for your fluoride (say: floor-ide) treatment. Fluoride is a natural mineral that makes your teeth strong and helps prevent cavities. At the dentist's office, a fluoride gel or foam will be applied to your teeth. Most dental offices offer fluoride treatments with flavoring, like bubble gum or grape.

The fluoride treatment will take about 1 to 4 minutes. The dental hygienist will probably tell you not to eat or drink anything (including water) for 30 minutes after the fluoride treatment.

Meeting the Dentist

The dentist will look at all of your teeth and check your gums to make sure they're strong and healthy. The dentist will also check the way your top and bottom teeth work together. This is called your bite. If he or she thinks you have a problem with your bite, you may be referred to an orthodontist (say: or-tho-don-tist). This is a doctor who specializes in correcting the shape or positions of all your teeth through orthodontia, or braces.

The dentist will study your X-rays (looking for cavities or other problems) and ask if you have any questions about your teeth. Your dentist may also prescribe fluoride drops or tablets for you to take every day at home.

Presents From the Dentist!

When your checkup is over, the dentist usually will have a present for you! The gift is often a free toothbrush or dental floss to use at home or some sugar-free gum.

What Happens If I Have a Cavity?

If you have a cavity, you'll probably have to come back to the dentist's office for another visit. At that time, the dentist will remove the decayed part from your tooth with special dental tools. Then the decayed area will be filled with materials that will keep your tooth strong and healthy, like tooth-colored or silver fillings.

As soon as you sit down in the dental chair, the dentist will give you a tiny shot of an anesthetic (say: ah-nus-theh-tik), a medicine that numbs the area around the tooth. Your mouth may be numb for a little while after you leave the dentist's office, but the anesthestic will soon wear off and you'll be left with a beautiful smile!

Dental Words

Some words used at the dentist's office might be new to you. Here are a few and what they mean:

• bacteria — tiny organisms that live on your teeth and are found in plaque
• cavity — the decayed, or rotten, part of a tooth
• dental hygienist — a person with special training about the proper way to keep teeth and gums clean and healthy
• dental X-rays — pictures of your teeth and gums that will show a dentist whether there are any cavities
• flossing — involves using a piece of waxy string called dental floss to get in between your teeth and remove food particles that your toothbrush can't reach
• fluoride treatment — a gel or foam applied to teeth that makes them strong and helps prevent cavities
• orthodontist — a doctor who specializes in correcting the shape or positions of your teeth
• plaque — a thin, sticky layer containing bacteria that grow on your teeth

Reviewed by: Lisa A. Goss, RDH, BS, and Garrett B. Lyons Sr., DDS
Date reviewed: April 2007

The first dental visit

Many children are unsure about their first dental visit, but they don’t have to be. Our KidsDental facilities are custom-designed to spark excitement about the dentist’s office. Follow the hints below to make your child’s first visit with us more enjoyable.

HINT: Your child should visit a pediatric dentist by his/her first birthday.

HINT: The less buildup to any dental visit, the better. Inform your child about the visit and let him/her know the dentist and his staff will explain the routine and answer any questions.

HINT: Refrain from using words that might create unnecessary anxiety, such as needle, pull, drill or hurt. The office makes a practice of using more kid-friendly terms that convey the same message.

HINT: If your child is over the age of 3, we ask that you allow him/her to accompany our staff through the dental experience so that we may have his/her undivided attention. Studies and experience have shown that most children over the age of 3 react more positively when allowed to experience the visit on their own and in an environment designed especially for children.