Dental Floss Experiment: Peanut Butter Flossing

Children need to know the importance of oral hygiene, but one way to not just tell them, but show them is through dental floss experiment. Here is a fun experiment you can do with your kids to teach them the value of flossing.

Peanut Butter Floss Experiment

Supplies

• Rubber glove
• Jar of peanut butter
• Spoon
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Dental Floss

Steps

1. Put the glove on one hand. Spread your fingers apart and spread peanut butter between your fingers. Put your fingers together. Your fingers represent the teeth, and the peanut butter is food that will get stuck between them whenever you eat.

2. Use a toothbrush and toothpaste to try to brush the peanut butter away, without moving your fingers apart.

3. Then have a friend try to remove the peanut butter between your fingers by using dental floss.

Which is more effective: the toothbrush and toothpaste or floss?

Then teach your kids that a toothbrush can’t reach all the spots between your teeth like dental floss. If you don’t floss, you leave 35% of each tooth unclean. If food isn’t removed it can cause tooth decay, gum disease and painful cavities. But all this can be prevented by flossing once a day.

But if you as a parent aren’t flossing, it will be hard for your children to think they need to floss too. Make sure you get in the habit of flossing and that your children see you do it every day. If you give your children a good example, they will follow your lead and grow up with great oral hygiene.

Contact Wurzbach Parkway Family Dental today to set up a dental check-up for you and your family.