Sweet, Sweet Smile A look at teeth & dentistry

Human beings have an interesting relationship with our teeth. We're born with none, cut a few as babies, lose about 20 during the grade school years, and then get a permanent set that need to stick around for the duration.

Sadly, considering how important strong, functioning teeth are to our overall health, children often have a fear of the dentist. It probably doesn't help that the tools of the trade feature things like "drill", "pick", "probe", & "bur". I can only imagine the images that a child's mind conjures up when reclined back in that chair...

"Whoo...whoo...whoo...whoo!"

Fortunately, growing up with a dentist father rendered me a lot less scared of dental checkups. As a youngster, my Dad cleaned my teeth and taught me the basics of oral hygiene. To me, going to the dentist was a reward, not a punishment!

Of course, not everyone can have a parent, family member, or friend gently convey the "dental arts" to them like I did. As such, I've collected some titles here to help children (mostly on the younger end, who are first being introduced to the dentist) learn to appreciate and take care of their teeth. As the old saying goes: "They're the only ones you get!"

As usual, let's start with "the basics" about teeth (human or animal!) and how to take care of them...

9781515739852; Grade PS-2
9781683423133; PS-2
9781620316900; K-3
9781489651587; 3-5
9781467752152; 1-3
9781633221239; 1-3

In addition to general tooth care, regular checkups at the dentist are a must (especially during the younger, formative years). These titles will help kids understand what a trip to the dental office is all about...

9781628324877; PS-1
9780766080966; PS-1
9781489642219; K-2
9781512433517; PS-2

To hammer home the oral hygiene message with humor and heart, here are some fun picture/easy book titles...

9781482445572; PS
9780545891462; PS-1
9780375973680; K-2
9781632902900; K-2
9788416733309; 1-3
9780553497519; 1-3

After reading the above titles, some students may be inspired to make a career of fixing teeth and perfecting smiles...

9781770857865; PS-2
9781422237977; 7-12

Finally, here are some titles for older readers that go a bit more in-depth into dentistry and the history of oral hygiene...

9781620971444; 11-Adult
9780691160535; 11-Adult
9780500519110; 12-Adult
(My Kindergarten classroom, Career Day 1991, in which my Dad is demonstrating a dental checkup on me. Assisting the procedure in the white robe is my younger sister, who is now married to a dentist!)
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Mackin Collection Management
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