Teach Your Child About Potholes To Educate Them On Cavities
Posted on: 14 January 2016
When you are trying to teach your little one about cavities, you may find they will learn best if you use a lot of comparisons and descriptive explanations. By comparing a cavity to a pothole, you can help them visualize how cavities are formed so they have a better understanding of why it's so important for them to take good care of their teeth. Learn how to compare cavities to potholes to your little one in this article.
Explain how potholes start
Explain to your child that a pothole usually begins with a foreign substance, such as oil, setting on the asphalt for too long. This substance will eventually cause that area to become weaker and a small hole will be created.
Plaque on your teeth works just like the oil works on the asphalt. When it builds up, it will chip away at the enamel and eventually cause a small hole. This hole in the tooth is also known as a cavity.
Go over how the pothole grows
When there is a small hole in the asphalt, it allows more dirt and debris to make its way into the hole where it will chip away at the surrounding asphalt. Also, the asphalt near the hole will already be weak and this means added stress put on it from people walking on the asphalt or cars driving on it. This can cause the hole to get bigger at a fast rate.
When the small hole in your teeth continues to be exposed to more plaque, it too will continue to get larger. The stress from chewing and biting will be much like the stress of traffic on the pothole and will help the cavity to grow in size.
Give them an understanding of how potholes are repaired
Explain how the pothole will be cleaned first, removing debris out of it. Some of the edges of the pothole will also be removed, since they are already weak. The repair material will them be put in the pothole and used to fill it up until it is level with the rest of the street.
A dentist, such as Adams Dental Center, will also clean out the cavity and they may grind away some of the enamel around the edges of the cavity. They will then put filling compound in the cavity until it is flush with the rest of the tooth.
Once your child understand that cavities are like potholes in their teeth, they may have a whole new appreciation for their dental care products and you might find it much easier to persuade them to take good care of them.
Share