This document provides information for National Children's Dental Health Month in February 2021. It discusses the importance of drinking water for dental health and contains fun facts about water, teeth, plaque, cavities, and how to prevent cavities. It emphasizes choosing water over sugary drinks, proper brushing and flossing techniques, healthy snacks, and regular dental checkups for good oral health. Images are included to illustrate plaque, cavities, gum disease, and the dental exam process.

1. NATIONAL CHILDREN'S DENTAL HEALTH
MONTH
FEBRUARY 2021
WATER
NATURE’S DRINK!

2. FUN FACTS ABOUT WATER
• WATER COVERS 70% OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE
• YOUR BODY IS MADE UP OF ABOUT 72% WATER
• DRINKING WATER AFTER EATING OR DRINKING SUGARY BEVERAGES CAN HELP
CLEANSE FOOD, BACTERIA, AND SUGAR FROM THE TEETH BETWEEN BRUSHING
• DRINKING WATER THROUGHOUT THE DAY HELPS TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLEAN BY
RINSING AWAY ODOR-CAUSING BACTERIA.
• BY CHOOSING WATER TO REPLACE SUGARY DRINKS, YOU WILL PROMOTE FULL-BODY
HEALTH
• TURNING OFF THE TAP WHILE BRUSHING YOUR TEETH CAN SAVE 8 GALLONS OF
WATER PER DAY
• SALIVA IS MOSTLY WATER-THE AVERAGE HUMAN PRODUCES 25,000 QUARTS OF
SALIVA IN THEIR LIFETIME — ENOUGH TO FILL TWO SWIMMING POOLS!

3. FUN FACTS ABOUT TEETH
• YOUR TEETH ARE HARD ON THE OUTSIDE AND SOFT ON THE INSIDE- ARE THE HARDEST PART OF
YOUR BODY, EVEN HARDER THAN BONES
• TEETH BEGIN FORMING BEFORE YOU ARE EVEN BORN!
• ONLY TWO THIRDS OF YOUR TEETH ARE VISIBLE . THE REST IS HIDDEN INSIDE YOUR GUMS.
• THERE ARE 20 “BABY” TEETH THAT FALL OUT BETWEEN AGES 5-12 & 32 “ADULT” TEETH WILL THAT
GROW INTO THE SPACE LEFT EMPTY BY THE BABY TEETH.
• ADULT TEETH ARE MEANT TO LAST YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!
• YOU USE FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEETH IN YOUR MOUTH TO EAT: INCISORS, CANINE, PREMOLARS
AND MOLARS.
• LIKE A FINGER PRINT, NOBODY ELSE IN THE WHOLE WORLD HAS THE SAME SHAPES OF TEETH AS YOU
— YOUR SMILE IS UNIQUE & SPECIAL.
• GOOD BRUSHING AND FLOSSING DOESN’T JUST KEEP YOUR TEETH HEALTHY BUT ALSO THE GUMS
AND BODY

4. WHAT IS PLAQUE?
• DO YOUR TEETH FEEL FUZZY TO YOUR TONGUE?
THAT FUZZINESS IS PLAQUE!
• PLAQUE IS A LAYER OF BACTERIA AND FOOD
THAT BUILDS UP ON OUR TEETH DURING THE
DAY
• PLAQUE IS SOFT AND STICKY AND CAN BE
EASILY REMOVED AT HOME WITH PROPER
BRUSHING AND FLOSSING
• IF PLAQUE IS LEFT ON THE TEETH TOO LONG IT
BECOMES HARD, CAN’T BE REMOVED AT HOME,
AND INSTEAD IT HAS TO BE REMOVED AT THE
DENTIST OFFICE
• IF NOT REMOVED DAILY BACTERIA IN PLAQUE
CAUSES THE GUM TISSUE TO BECOME INFECTED;
THIS INFECTION IS CALLED GINGIVITIS
• GINGIVITIS CAUSES THE GUMS TO HURT, SWELL,
AND BLEED WHEN YOU BRUSH OR FLOSS
Red and angry infected gums
Soft sticky plaque
Healthy pink gums
Clean teeth with no plaque

5. WHAT IS A
CAVITY?
• A CAVITY DEVELOPS WHEN A TOOTH
DECAYS, OR BREAKS DOWN. A CAVITY IS
A HOLE THAT CAN GROW BIGGER AND
DEEPER OVER TIME. CAVITIES ARE ALSO
CALLED DENTAL CARIES AND IF YOU
HAVE A CAVITY
• CAVITIES CAN BE PAINFUL IF NOT
REPAIRED AND CAN EVEN CAUSE YOU TO
LOOSE A TOOTH
• THE DENTIST WILL REMOVE THE DECAY
AND THEN REPAIR THE TOOTH WITH A
FILLING
• CAVITIES CAN BE PREVENTED WITH
DAILY BRUSHING AND FLOSSING
Decay growing bigger on a front tooth
Decay growing bigger on a back tooth
Repaired back tooth
Repaired
front tooth

6. WHAT CAUSES CAVITIES??
• We start
out life
with
healthy
teeth and
gums
Healthy Mouth
•Bacteria is spread
from sharing
food, utensils,
and drinks with
family/friends
who have
cavities.
Bacteria
•Sugary foods
and drinks eaten
throughout the
day feed the
bacteria.
Sugary
Foods and
Drinks
•When the bacteria
feed on the sugar;
they produce a
harmful acid.
Acid
• The acid eats
through the
hard outer
layer of the
tooth causing
a cavity.
Cavity

7. HOW TO PREVENT CAVITIES
AND
KEEP YOUR GUMS HEALTHY
• VISIT A DENTIST TWICE A YEAR
• PRACTICE GOOD ORAL HYGIENE (BRUSHING & FLOSSING)
• USE A FLUORIDE TOOTHPASTE AND MOUTHWASH TO STRENGTHEN
TEETH
• DRINK MORE WATER!
• LIMIT SUGARY FOODS AND DRINKS-TRY EATING HEALTHY SNACKS
& DRINKING WATER INSTEAD!
• QUIT BAD HABITS-NAIL BITING, THUMB SUCKING, CHEWING ICE OR
BONES.
• DON’T START BAD HABITS- SMOKING, DRINKING ALCOHOL

8. WHAT YOU EAT AND DRINK IS
IMPORTANT!
HEALTHY FOODS & DRINKS
• WATER!
• VEGETABLES
• FRUITS
• CHEESE
• PLAIN WHOLE MILK
• NUTS
• LEAN MEATS (CHICKEN & FISH)
• WHOLE GRAINS (OATMEAL, WHEAT
CRACKERS)
• POPCORN (LIGHTLY SALTED)
UNHEALTHY FOODS &
DRINKS
• JUICE/CHUBBY/KOOL-AID/CAPRI-SUN/SWEET
TEA
• CANDY/CHOCOLATE
• FLAVORED MILK (NESQUIK)
• SODA
• SPORTS DRINKS (GATORADE/VITAMIN WATER)
• COOKIES/PASTRIES (HONEY BUN)
• CHEWY FRUIT SNACKS
• BUBBLE GUM
• FRACO ICEY

9. HOW TO BRUSH & FLOSS

10. BRUSHING & FLOSSING REVIEW
• BRUSH 2X DAILY- MORNING (AFTER BREAKFAST) AND NIGHT (BEFORE BED)
• SMALL CIRCULAR BRUSH STROKES FOCUSED ALONG THE GUMLINE
(WHERE THE TEETH AND GUMS MEET)
• BRUSH ALL SURFACES OF THE TEETH- CHEEK SIDE, TONGUE SIDE, AND CHEWING
SIDE.
• SPEND AT LEAST 2 MINUTES EACH TIME- SING YOUR FAVORITE SONG OR USE A
TIMER.
• FLOSS 1X DAILY
• FLOSS ALL TEETH- FRONT/BACK & TOP/BOTTOM
• DON’T FORGET TO BRUSH YOUR TONGUE- SWEEP FROM FAR BACK OF TONGUE
TO THE TIP
gumline

11. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU GO TO THE
DENTIST
WHEN VISITING THE DENTIST THERE ARE
SOME STEPS THE DENTIST TAKES TO
CHECK FOR CAVITIES
1. XRAYS- SHOW BETWEEN THE TEETH
WHERE BACTERIA LIKE TO HIDE AND
VIEW THE BONE THAT SUPPORTS THE
TEETH
2. CHECK- LOOK AT THE WHOLE
MOUTH; TEETH, GUMS, CHEEKS,
TONGUE, THROAT FOR ANY DISEASE
USING A SMALL MOUTH MIRROR
3. CLEANING- GENTLY USE A SPINNING
“BRUSH” WITH SPECIAL TOOTHPASTE
TO CLEAN THE STICKY PLAQUE OFF
THE TEETH
4. FINISHED WITH A NICE RINSE- ALL
DONE!

12. REFERENCES
• AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION HTTPS://WWW.ADA.ORG/EN/PUBLIC-PROGRAMS/NATIONAL-CHILDRENS-DENTAL-HEALTH-
MONTH#:~:TEXT=EACH%20FEBRUARY%2C%20THE%20AMERICAN%20DENTAL,IN%20COMMUNITIES%20ACROSS%20THE%20COUNTRY
• 7 WAYS DRINKING WATER IMPROVES DENTAL HEALTH- BY DR. KAREN REED PH. D. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2018
HTTPS://WWW.POSITIVEHEALTHWELLNESS.COM/DIET-NUTRITION/7-WAYS-DRINKING-WATER-IMPROVES-DENTAL-
HEALTH/#:~:TEXT=DRINKING%20WATER%20THROUGHOUT%20THE%20DAY%20CAN%20HELP%20TO,THAT%20WOULD%20OTHERWISE%
20WORK%20TOGETHER%20TO%20CAUSE%20CAVITIES.
• 42 FACTS ABOUT TEETH: 10 ARE PARTICULARLY WEIRD!- BY JON LOVE NOVEMBER 13,2019
HTTPS://WWW.ELECTRICTEETH.COM/UK/FACTS-ABOUT-TEETH/
• KIDS HEALTH: WHAT IS A CAVITY- THE NEMOURS FOUNDATION 1995-2021 HTTPS://KIDSHEALTH.ORG/EN/KIDS/CAVITY.HTML
• IMAGES- HTTPS://PXHERE.COM/EN/PHOTO/420056; HTTPS://POCKETDENTISTRY.COM/12-DIAGNOSIS-AND-MANAGEMENT-OF-
DENTAL-CARIES/; HTTPS://WWW.MYCOSTAMESADENTIST.COM/BLOG/COSMETIC-BONDING-AND-DENTAL-FILLINGS/FILLING-
BEFORE-AND-AFTER/; HTTPS://WWW.SCIENCEPHOTO.COM/MEDIA/643751/VIEW/DENTAL-PLAQUE-AND-GUM-DISEASE;
HTTPS://INOVADENTAL.COM/DONEC-QUIS-EX-VEL-TINCIDUNT/; HTTPS://WWW.DEVONSTREETDENTAL.COM/WHAT-IS-GINGIVITIS/;
HTTPS://WWW.MCKINNEYPERIOIMPLANT.COM/GINGIVAL-GUM-RELATED/GINGIVAL-GUM-RECESSION/;