When I was a child, we couldn’t afford to go to the dentist. I think I went once as a kid. I am sure if we had the money we would have gone regularly but with only one income and 3 kids that was not a priority for my parents. Our dental health was a priority to my parents but not professional dental appointments.
When I got asked to participate in Colgate’s Oral Care Baskets (#ColgateTotal4Health) For the Needy Campaign I was excited to be able to make baskets for kids who probably have not had dental health education and much less a dental appointment. We filled our baskets with Colgate oral care items and lots of great kid friendly information on oral hygiene . Here are some interesting facts we discovered from Colgate, they are spreading awareness on all facets of oral dental hygiene via Colgate Total website and their store displays. “People with diabetes get gum disease more often than people who do not have diabetes. Gum infections can make it hard to control blood sugar. Once a gum infection starts, it can take a long time to heal. If the infection is severe, teeth can loosen or even fall out.” Did you know that? I had no idea.
I was seriously excited about these baskets. Not only did I learn more on dental hygiene tips from Colgates website but I also get to help someone in need and my children will be a part of it. I am going to share with you our dental health activities, crafts and recipe: Mouth Model, Rotting Teeth Treat, you can view the Oral Care baskets shopping trip here . Our family does an outreach activity called Operation Brown Bag where we fill lunch bags and give them to street kids. For our next outreach, what we will do instead is make some Oral Care gift bags for the street children.
What I love about this activity is you can also use it for your classroom or at home with the kids to teach dental health.
Dental Health Activity
Mini Mouth Model:
This model is great to help kids practice correct brushing skills, in, out, up and down and all around. Did you know that proper brushing will prevent bad breath. Colgate Total shares with us: “Bad breath caused by dental problems can be prevented easily. Daily maintenance calls for brushing your teeth, tongue and gums after meals, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwashes approved by the American Dental Association (ADA).”
- Pink play dough
- Marshmallows
- Tooth brush and floss
- glue- I found that my marshmallows needed to be glued in so they didn’t move when doing the brushing techniques.
Dental Health Treat:
This image will forever be etched in their mind “rotting teeth”, so brush daily. We also bought Colgate Total toothpaste to place in the kids baskets which has a 12 hour germ fighting formula to help them get through the day before their nightly brushing routine.
A treat with a message “Brush your teeth daily to keep them from looking like this.” The printable link below is a chart to help them remember to brush twice a day.
Rotting Teeth Treat
- Apple
- Caramel
- mini marshmallows
Tooth Gift Bag:
Our gift bag is filled with a tooth brush, fun toothpaste, floss, mouth wash, tooth brush reminder, Colgate Brush Chart, How to brush and floss chart ( it’s in Spanish and English!)
Tooth Brush reminder craft:
Cut out construction paper shaped like a toothbrush and then in the bristles part add some tips.
All opinions are my own but I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Colgate. #CBias #SocialFabric.
