Provide tag board copies of a large tooth and corresponding eyes, nose and mouth. Download them from DLTK's Growing Together (dltk-kids.com/crafts/miscellaneous/mtooth.html). Students cut out and glue facial features -- including a big smile -- on the tooth. They make the tooth a puppet by gluing it to a stick. Students use the puppets to talk about what makes teeth "happy." What makes them happy, of course, is to be brushed and flossed regularly.
Prepare a bar graph labeled "student name" for the columns and "number of teeth" for the rows. When a child works at this center, he counts his teeth and marks the number on the graph. Provide a mirror so students can examine teeth thoroughly.
Place an empty white egg carton on a table. Provide yarn or string and a diagram of how to correctly floss. Students turn the egg carton upside down and use the yarn to practice flossing between the makeshift "teeth."
Stock plenty of dental health books in your classroom. Place a beanbag chair in the reading area, making it an inviting spot for students. You can find a list of books about dental health on websites such as Apples4theTeacher (apples4theteacher.com/holidays/dental-health/kids-books/).
Show students how acid from food eats away at tooth enamel if they don't brush. Place a hard-boiled egg in a jar of vinegar. Students can observe the damage that occurs over a few days. Provide a toothbrush and a model of teeth so students can practice the proper brushing technique.
Draw a picture of upper and lower gums on a poster lying on a table. Instruct students to count out 20 mini-marshmallows and place them on the model as teeth. Later in the year, you can change the amount of teeth to 32 to represent permanent teeth.
Divide a poster board in half, labeling one side "good foods" and the other side "bad foods." Supply several age-appropriate magazines so students can find advertisements or pictures of foods they can deem good or bad for their teeth. The pupils will cut out the pictures and paste them onto what they believe are the correct columns.
Set up a center where students can listen to music through headphones. Use commercial songs on tape that advocate dental health or record the students singing dental songs to well-known tunes. Find lyrics on the CanTeach website (canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems38.html). Songs with catchy tunes are easy to remember, and when students participate in singing these songs, it increases the likelihood they'll retain the information.