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

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

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

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

5. 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.

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

7. But, if you make poor choices, snacks can cause tooth problems.
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.

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

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

10. 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.

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

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

13. 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; 3rd Edition; 1993

14. 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; 3rd Edition; 1993

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

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

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

18. What are some signs of Gingivitis?
Gums that are:
Red
Sore
Puffy
Bleeding

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

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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

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

25. 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

26. Remember! Choose healthy snacks. Brush twice daily. Floss daily.
See your dentist and dental hygienist twice a year!

27. Thank you for listening and keep brushing!
An additional recommended resource for viewing:
The Haunted Mouth (ADA).
Call (816) 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.