Fun Questions About Teeth for Kids
Kids, Teeth, and Fun
You’ve got questions too, like how to get your kids excited about teeth. Getting your kids excited about and interested in teeth topics, that may otherwise seem anything but exciting, requires some creativity and excitement on your part. If your kids see you excited and interested, they won’t want to miss out on the fun and will get on board. So how do you do that?
You can help your kids learn through play by making a fun game out of almost anything. In fact, learning through play is important for childhood development. Do you need a little help in discovering fun ways to talk to your kids about teeth, oral hygiene, and visiting the dentist? We’ve got you covered.
Check out this fun online kid dental trivia game. With fun quizzes, activities, movies and interesting articles, it will surely provide some entertainment for you and your children.
If your kids are into crafts and coloring, be sure to check out our coloring sheets here. We do have frequent contests for fun prizes and you can even download and print these at home to color anytime.
Crafts are a great way to encourage development skills in your toddler, and it’s fun for everyone—so older kids will enjoy the fun trivia too! And while you’re on a mission to pique their interest in dentistry, you can share these fun questions—and their answers—about teeth with your kids.
Question 1: Did kids teeth in prehistoric times have cavities?
A: Research says likely not, because grains and sugars weren’t part of their diet.
Question 2: What is the strongest substance in the human body?
A: This may come as a surprise to you that the answer is tooth enamel. Tooth enamel is the hard outer layer of your teeth that protects against decay. Using products approved by the American Dental Association is important to make sure your tooth enamel isn’t damaged and stays strong.
Question 3: What did ancient cultures use to clean their teeth?
A: Many cultures would chew on tree bark or sticks to clean their teeth. The History Channel reports that ancient Egyptians made a paste from pulverized eggshells and oxen hooves to clean their teeth. Sound gross? Luckily toothpaste materials (and flavors) have improved. Find out which brands the American Dental Association recommends for your kids’ teeth, and add them to your shopping list.
Question 4: When did brushing teeth become common practice?
A: Not until after World War II. While people have been cleaning their teeth for centuries (see above answer), daily teeth cleaning didn’t become regular practice until later. The first toothbrush was developed for mass production and distribution in 1938, but only after the war did America at large begin adopting the practice of daily toothbrushing. Bonus question: How often should kids brush their teeth? I think you can guess the answer!
Question 5: What protects teeth from cavity-causing bacteria?
A: Tooth enamel for the win again! This hard outer layer of your teeth protects them from decay. Think of enamel like a house that protects you from the elements outside. Plaque build up can wear down your enamel over time, which leads to cavities. This is why it’s so important to maintain good oral health habits like brushing twice daily, flossing daily, eating nutritious food, and avoiding excess sugars. Sugar is a prime culprit in tooth decay.
Question 6: Can teeth repair themselves like bone, muscle, and skin?
A: No kids, the fact is that teeth are incapable of self-repair which is why getting fillings and other dental work is necessary to protect teeth from further damage and to maintain the integrity of the tooth. Cool science fact: Teeth contain stem cells and some researchers are using dental stem cells to regrow human teeth. Maybe one day dentists will be able to regrow your tooth!
Question 7: Are cavities contagious?
A: Yes, sort of. The bacteria that causes cavities—mutans streptococcus—is transmittable from person to person. This means that the spit of someone with this bacteria can pass along a cavity-causing bug to you, which is why Pediatric Dental Specialists encourages parents to avoid transmitting this to their children by following these guidelines.
- Don’t use your mouth to test the temperature of your baby’s bottle
- Don’t use your mouth to clean a pacifier.
- Don’t share utensils or drinkware.
Question 8: Which land mammal has the most teeth?
A: The giant armadillo, which can have up to 100 teeth! They can weigh between 41 and 72 pounds full grown, and the largest giant armadillo ever weighed tipped the scale at 180 pounds! Imagine hitting that armored rodent with your car! It might leave a dent.
Question 9: Which ocean animal has the most teeth?
A: The great white shark has 300 teeth! These giant creatures of the sea certainly have a lot of teeth, but check out the size of the teeth on the prehistoric shark called a Megalodon—EEK! We’re glad we won’t encounter the biggest shark of all time during our next beach vacation.
Question 10: How much saliva does the average person make each day?
A: Between 2 and 4 pints. And about 53 bathtubs full in a lifetime. Saliva contains electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and enzymes that help digest food. And mutans streptococcus for those who have cavities!
Dental Trivia Craft
Are you looking for a better way to share all of this fun trivia with the kids? Here’s a cool craft idea that will do the trick.
Materials needed
- Cardstock paper
- Coloring sheets or print outs of teeth, smiles, toothbrushes, and toothpaste etc.
- Crayons
- Glue stick
- Scissors
What to do
- Cut cardstock into four equal parts so you get 4 cards per 8×11 paper.
- Use crayons to color the teeth other images.
- Cut out the shapes.
- Glue shapes to the cards.
- Print out or write the wacky facts on the other side of the card.
- Have fun playing the trivia game!
- Rinse (or brush!) and repeat.