Brushing Teachers at Royal Oak Elementary School

Calgary Orthodontist

Yes, you read it correctly: "Brushing Teachers."

The kids really got an experience they could take a big bite out of!

Here's the backstory…

The team

This was a joint effort.

Practitioners from AV Orthodontics in Calgary were one half of the team.

A hygienist from The Smile Team (pediatric dentistry) was the other.

The game plan

The team wanted to discuss which foods are good for our teeth and which are not.

They also wanted to demonstrate brushing and flossing in an interactive way. So, Royal Oak Elementary School teachers were asked to volunteer to wear tooth costumes.

The kids could then line up and practise brushing their teacher in costume.

The audience

The audience that day were kids aged 5-8, which is when AV Orthodontics recommends visiting an orthodontist for a first evaluation.

The team spoke to Kindergarten (classroom 122), Grade 2 (classroom 127), and Grade 3 (classroom 126).

All the teachers attended, and the team members spent the whole day moving from classroom to classroom to talk.

On occasion, parent volunteers come to listen in, but this time they didn't.

The teaching

The team started by introducing themselves and explaining what they do in their offices.

AV Orthodontics in Calgary explained what a healthy bite is and why it's so important. The practitioners also told the students that they put braces and appliances on teeth.

She explained to the students that she cleans teeth and looks for sugar bugs, and then teaches the children how to brush and floss their teeth properly .

The questions

Then, it was question time to get the kids talking. The team asked things such as

• Who's been to a dentist?
• What did the dentist do?
• At what age did the kids think someone should go see an orthodontist? The correct answer is '7,' by the way.
• Why should a child go then? Just so you know, it's to help with growth correction, crowding issues that make it tough to eat or clean teeth properly, enlarging airways, and checking for missing or stuck teeth.
• How many baby teeth do we have? 20
• How many adult teeth? 32
• Why don't we need wisdom teeth? Back in the caveman days, humans had larger jaws and needed them to chew our food. As we have evolved, our jaws have gotten smaller and our diet has changed.

The experience

The team showed examples of how much sugar is in drinks such as apple juice, chocolate milk, etc., and why water is the healthiest drink.

They talked about good foods that help clean the teeth while we eat them, such as apples.

The students saw actual braces and learned how to clean around them and other orthodontic appliances.

Plastic models of teeth were handed out, giving the students a chance to play orthodontist. The team guided them, asking: "Can you tell me what you see and what should we do?"

And, of course, there was lots of brushing of teachers!

The prezzies

Each student got a swag bag with all the info in it, toothbrushes, etc. Needless to say, that was a big hit!

The takeaway

AV Orthodontics finds that students always love these visits. The kids have so much to share with the team about their personal experiences or those of someone they know.

You might say it's always an experience everyone can sink their teeth into.