Today, JJ’s school organized a field trip to the dentist (Damansara Heights Dental Care, DHDC). They have been doing a series on dental care in school and this field trip was a follow up. For many children, the word dentist brings to mind some scary thoughts. These are often associated with pain and it is sometimes made more scary by the stories adults tell them about dentists.
Learning is very much dependent on our emotions. Think about some of your favorite subjects in school. They were most likely your favorite because you had a pleasant learning experience. We learn better when we are in a positive mood.
Given that dental care is such an important topic, especially for young children, my husband and I have been very careful of what we tell JJ and DD about dentists. We have always been extra careful to paint the dentist in a positive light, choosing instead to make bacteria the villain. We might say something like,
“JJ, each time you eat something sweet, the bacteria monsters attack your teeth and eat your teeth away. That’s why some children have black teeth or their teeth might hurt.
When that happens, we need the help of the dentist to fight the bacteria monsters. We can’t do it ourselves because we cannot see our teeth. The dentist has superhero powers that can fight the bacteria monsters away and make your teeth better again.”
Mila’s big toothache by Malaysian author Marlina Yusoff is a great book that explains this idea to children in a simple and engaging way.
Another way to help children feel comfortable with a dentist is to bring them along on your regular checkup. Do make sure your dentist is patient with children and won’t mind having your child tag along. The first time I brought JJ along, my dentist made her a hand glove balloon and let her sit on my lap to watch while my dentist worked on my teeth. JJ was still nervous during our subsequent visits to the dentist but she has never resisted going and is not afraid of dentists.
Knowledge is one thing, practice is another. Good dental care habits are very important and will go a long way in helping any individual have a better quality of life, physically and socially. For me, whenever it comes to something that is related to practical life, doing is the best way of learning. I was very impressed by the activities organized by DHDC during JJ’s field trip. First they introduced the children to the topic through this super cute Doc McStuffins video.
Then, they had a little activity to show the children what happens to their teeth when they don’t brush properly. At the same time, they demonstrated the right way of brushing teeth to the children.
 |
| Adding cocoa powder to their tooth to demonstrate the effect of eating chocolate on their teeth. |
 |
| Adding on play dough "gummies" on their tooth. |
 |
| Trying to brush their tooth clean, especially the dental fissures. |
It can be quite difficult for young children to grasp the idea behind why they need to brush a certain way or why they need to brush their teeth at all because they can’t see for themselves what is happening in their teeth. With this activity, they get to see and the abstract idea becomes concrete.
Don’t be too worried if your child’s kindy doesn’t have a field trip to the dentist. This activity can be done at home. All you need is some plaster of Paris or moulding clay to make the tooth. Remember to poke a hole in the center and use a toothpick to draw some “cracks” that represent dental fissures (see picture below).
Once your model of the tooth is ready, you will need some cocoa powder, a toothbrush, toothpaste and some water. For added effect, you could add some play dough to represent bits of meat or larger particles of food (think gummies) that gets stuck on the teeth.
Just to recap our post today, paint a positive image of dentists to remove fear and take a hands on approach to practicing tooth brushing skills. That’s a wrap for our visit to the dentist today. Hope you had fun learning as much as we did.
Comments
Post a Comment