Celebrate National Children’s Dental Health Month With Your Children
When Dr. Silberman and Barbara’s children were losing teeth, sometimes the tooth fairy brought money, and sometimes Lauren or Joel found a book the tooth fairy left.
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month and a great time for us to suggest excellent books about dentistry for young children. Cuddle up and enjoy reading about the importance of maintaining good oral health. Enjoy these fun-filled stories! Don’t hesitate to ask which books are our favorites. Please let us know which stories you and your child / grandchild like the most! If you have any other titles about dental care that you’d like to pass along, please share the titles with us and our Facebook friends.
“A Visit to the Dentist” by Eleanor Fremonth — If you’re not familiar with a character named Little Bill, your child can probably inform you. “Little Bill” is an American children’s television show, produced for Nick Jr., that is based on a book series about a kindergartener in Philadelphia. “A Visit to the Dentist” is an excellent tool for any child who will be seeing the dentist for the first time. This book is noteworthy because many children’s books relating to dentistry are solely about losing the primary teeth (baby teeth). But in this story, Little Bill has some anxiety about his first dental visit, which he discusses with his family the night before his appointment. The next day he encounters a young girl in the waiting room of his dentist’s office who is very fearful, so Little Bill comforts her by pretending to be a dentist and uses the girl’s teddy bear as a patient. “A Visit to the Dentist” is effective in its ability to help the child know what to expect during his or her first dental appointment.
“How Many Teeth?” by Paul Showers — Even books about teeth can reach a sort of classic status, if they stand the test of time, and this is one such book: First published in 1962 — and revised in 1991 — “How Many Teeth?” is a rhyming, counting, educational book that teaches kids why babies don’t need teeth, the purpose and function of teeth, how many teeth children need and why they fall out, and of course, the reason it’s crucial to care for your teeth. It also has illustrations that depict what a tooth looks like inside and a chart that illustrates the inside of the gums, where the adult teeth push out the primary teeth.
“Brush Your Teeth Please” by Leslie McGuire — There’s something almost magical about the way animals can hold a child’s attention. In Leslie McGuire’s instructive pop-up book, small children can learn about proper dental hygiene from a lion, a chimpanzee and a hippopotamus that are all good teeth-brushers and a shark who’s a daily flosser.
“Open Wide: Tooth School Inside” by Laurie Keller — If you’re a fan of the humorous book “The Scrambled States of America,” you’ll be happy to know that its author, Laurie Keller, also wrote “Open Wide: Tooth School Inside.” This book targets young readers between 5 and 8 years old, and it teaches about the physical composition of teeth, the function of primary teeth, causes of tooth decay, the importance of dental hygiene and trivia.
“Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth Traditions From Around the World” by Selby Beeler — Children enjoy learning about people who do things differently. This whimsical book is a great opportunity to raise an awareness of varying cultures, while also addressing healthy smiles. Beautifully illustrated by G. Brian Karas, this book takes your child around the world to discover some surprising things that children do when they lose a tooth. The author spent years gathering these interesting tooth traditions, assembling them from across the globe and delivering them into your home with this enjoyable book.
“Who Needs Teeth?” by Sally Huss — Here is an amusing, funny book about teeth and who needs them. It has adorable rhymes, and it’s a fun way to teach kids about the necessity of good oral health habits. From a rabbit to a dog to a cow to a horse, we all need teeth to stay healthy and strong. What would you be deprived of without teeth? You couldn’t eat all the things that make you strong and bright. It’s full of whimsical, colorful illustrations. Who needs teeth? We all do!
