Held annually at the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry, the activity-filled free event doesn’t just teach kids that mindless brushing may not be enough for a clean bill of dental health—it enlists them in taking responsibility for their oral hygiene.
“Kids are taking the oath to take care of their teeth [when they attend MouthPower Day],” says Beth Cooper, education director for the Baltimore museum.
That certainly goes for the youngsters of Girl Scout Troop 6202 from Waldorf, who eagerly explore the museum’s displays; create masterpieces out of fruit and vegetable stickers; examine George Washington’s dentures; and use a giant toothbrush to polish an enormous set of choppers.
In addition to souvenirs like cupcake-flavored floss, the girls are taking away lessons about how healthy living makes for a healthy mouth.
“If you eat food that has sugar, then Mr. Plaque will come and eat your tooth,” explains Chloe Melanson, 6. “That’s why you have to eat healthy foods.”
Adds fellow scout Rylee Josephs, 7, “Flossing keeps the crud from going in your gums and all of that.”
She’s absolutely right.
Flossing, explains Cooper, is “probably the number-one thing [kids] don’t do at home.”
“Certainly flossing and some sort of brushing is key,” says Dr. Peter Cha of the Family Smile Center in Frederick, especially “brushing at the gum line. It’s hard to get that last bit of plaque” otherwise.
But caring for your smile goes beyond just brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-ups. It’s also about healthy living.
And that’s why the focus of MouthPower Day is on eating nutritious food and avoiding obesity, both of which are tied to oral health.
“Periodontal disease has been found to be much higher in obese populations,” says Cooper, and oral bacteria may lead to such serious problems as heart disease and stroke.
With that in mind, kids (and parents) attending MouthPower Day are encouraged to get up and move. They’re also learning that what’s good for the body is equally good for the teeth.
Still, “Showing that fitness can be fun, nutrition can be fun, healthy foods can be tasty—these are hard things for people to get past,” says Cooper.
The museum is located at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, which is home to the world’s first dental school, the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery.
Jon Bacon, a fourth-year dental student, mans the booth with the fruit and veggie stickers during MouthPower Day. Kids should reach for fruit if they want something sweet, he says, since “the sweeteners in fruit are known to be less cavity-causing than sucrose.”
“Stick to things that are not sticky,” Cha advises, so as to steer clear of cavity-causing residue.
If cavities do develop, Cha says it’s best to catch them early in the dentist’s office; otherwise, even baby teeth may need crowns or extraction. And not having baby teeth as spacers for adult teeth can lead to serious orthodontic issues later on, he adds.
Of course, the best way to treat cavities is to avoid them—and thanks to the lessons learned at MouthPower Day, more kids may be able to do just that.
This year’s MouthPower Day takes place Saturday, October 8, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.dentalmuseum.org.
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