Power of

Teaching Points

Grades K-2: Dentists are important to our community because they help us take care of our health, our teeth and mouths, just like our other doctors take care of other parts of us. Talk to students about good hygiene through brushing, flossing, and care of teeth.

 

Grades 3-5: Dentistry as a career can be tied to the studying of the digestive system and types of teeth.  Studies are showing that oral health care has a huge impact on the rest of our body’s health. Reemphasize good hygiene through brushing, flossing, and healthy snacks.

 

Grades 6-8: Students could look at specialties of dentistry, i.e., orthodontics, periodontics, as possible careers as well as how they affect their personal lives and those of their friends. February is dental health month.

 

 

Suggested Reading

1. The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist, Stan & Jan Berenstain

2. Searching for My Destiny (American Indian Lives), George Blue Spruce

3. Just Going to the Dentist: Golden Look-Look Book, Mercer Mayer

4. Open Wide: Tooth School Inside, Laura Keller

5. Doctor De Soto, William Steig

6. Throw Your Tooth on the Roof, Selby Beeler

7. The Right Bite: Dentists as Detectives, Elizabeth Siris Winchester​

8. Exploring Careers in Dentistry, Jessica Rickert

 

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Career Web Links 

1. Explore Health Careers. Great site to explore all careers in medicine and health

2. U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook: Dentist

3. American Dental Association. Career information and resources

4. National Institute of Health-educational resources for K-12 teachers

5. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research