Our Oral Health Educator Jo and Dentist Yatisha visit a Local Infant School in Swadlincote to Deliver the Importance of Brushing!

Jo and Yatisha were invited by a local infant school to present a talk to the children. The relevance of the talk was to help the children feel more comfortable when going to the dentist (as we all know it is not anyone favourite place to go) and to understand what happens during a visit to the dentist. The importance of brushing their teeth two minutes twice daily was also an essential part of the talk.

The morning was planned specifically for the age group 4-5 years to make the visit fun but to still explain the relevance of brushing teeth and the need to visit the dentist. Throughout the morning Jo and Yatisha presented there talk to three classes, consisting of 30 children per class.

Fun morning for foundation stage pupils

To kick things off Jo explained to the children that they should brush their teeth every morning and night so that they do not get any ‘holes’ in their teeth! Following on from this, Jo carried out a demonstration using a large model of a mouth and toothbrush to show the children the correct way to brush their teeth. The demonstration was carried out alongside a two minute egg timer, specifically designed for the use of children whilst brushing so they know exactly from start to finish how long they should spend cleaning their teeth. During the demo to keep it fun, Jo would ask the children to keep an eye on the two minute egg timer and ask the children “Have I done yet?” and also tell them “My arm feels like it’s dropping off!” to which the children found amusing, but even to an adult brushing for two minutes can feel like a long time! The children yelled out to Jo “STOP!” when the two minutes were over. All of the children were surprised at just how long two minutes take!

Any school that our Oral Health Educator visits is made fun for the children so that they are fully engaged and the key messages are conveyed to the children. The next part of the visit gave the children an opportunity to dress up and pretend to be a dentist. The room was full of excitement as one of the children eagerly began to put on a dental coat (which was slightly oversized!), face mask, goggles and of course gloves. It was the Jo’s turn to be a patient for once as the ‘young dentist’ was given a dental mouth mirror to inspect Jo’s teeth. The importance of this part of the visit was not only to make it entertaining for the children but to also demonstrate what a dentist wears and what happens when having a check-up. Jo wanted to show the children what to expect when going to the dentist for an examination and that it doesn’t have to be a frightening experience.

At the end of the session it was question time where the children were given the chance to ask Jo and Yatisha any questions. Questions were asked such as “The older children have wobbly teeth, why?” to which Yatisha explained “When the big teeth are growing the baby teeth become wobbly and fall out so that the big ones have room to grow!” In turn Jo and Yatisha asked the children some questions about their selves such as “Does anybody drink any fizzy drink?” A little voice shouted out in reply “My Dad drinks beer!” Not quite the answer Jo and Yatisha were expecting but the children took the opportunity to spill the beans about their parent rather than their selves which was all part of the fun.

Before leaving Jo and Yatisha handed out goody bags for all of the children which was a lovely end to a fun and eventful morning. In return the children made Jo and Yatisha a thank you card with a lovely message inside “Thank you for helping us look after our teeth. Love from Foundation Stage.”

How we help children

Alexandra Dental Care endeavour to educate children about oral health from infants to teenagers. Occasionally we hold oral health education session in house to inform children how to look after their teeth and the importance of brushing. We are also happy to visit local schools and provide a talk according to the particular age group.

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