Pupils are brushing up on dental hygiene

KAYSVILLE — A group of students from the Davis Applied Technology College went on a cavity-curbing crusade last week.

Several dental hygiene students from the college celebrated the close of February, National Children's Dental Health Month, by touring local elementary schools last Tuesday and teaching young students about cleaning their pearly whites.

"We're here to show you guys how to keep your teeth healthy so you guys can have them when you are really, really old," 19-year-old Amanda Nielsen told two morning kindergarten classes in Mrs. Alder's room at Kaysville Elementary, 50 N. 100 East.

Recently, the students have been learning how to clean their teeth and were eager to answer the dental assisting students' questions. Several of the kindergartners had their own ideas on how to keep their teeth healthy, ranging from eating apples and bananas to brushing their tongues.

"Are they going to brush our teeth?" one young student said nervously before the DATC students' demonstration began.

The dental assisting students didn't brush the kindergartners' teeth. However, with a larger-than-life set of fake choppers in hand, Mallory Washburn, 18, used a toothbrush to show how to brush teeth and gums in small circles.

"We already know how to brush," one of the kindergartners said proudly.

Washburn told the students to make sure to open their mouths and brush all the teeth.

"Don't forget to brush your front teeth, and don't forget your tongue," she said.

Nielsen said that brushing the tongue can get rid of a lot of germs.

"My dad, he just calls them black bad guys," one of the kindergartners said of the germs.

Nielsen showed the children how to floss with the fake mouth.

"When flossing your teeth you want to have a small area to control," she said while holding up a small section of floss. She said to make sure to go down in between the teeth, but not too far or else it may hurt the gums.

The dental assisting students showed the youngsters their mask, goggles and gloves they use during a cleaning. They also taught the students new brushing-friendly lyrics to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

Each kindergartner was given their own colorful Oral-B toothbrush and a coloring book on brushing.