Wiggles, Gaps, and Growing Smiles
How Teeth Change
Module Information
Grades: 3, 4, 5
Oral Health Subjects: Tooth eruption, tooth exfoliation, tooth development, oral hygiene, prevention
Keywords: Consumers, producers, energy, organisms, predators, prey, canines, incisors, molars, serrations, bacteria, cavities
Learning Goals:
- Explain why primary teeth fall out and permanent teeth grow in.
- Describe when primary and permanent teeth usually grow.
- Explain beneficial and harmful habits when caring for both primary and permanent teeth.
Educational Standards
National Health Education Standards:
1.5.1 Explain how healthy habits such as brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits support healthy teeth and gums.
1.5.3 Explain ways to prevent tooth decay and protect both primary and permanent teeth from injury and disease.
1.5.4 Describe health-promoting behaviors that help care for primary and permanent teeth throughout growth and development.
1.5.5 Examine how learning about oral hygiene and tooth development supports lifelong oral health and well-being.
1.5.7 Explain when and why it is important to visit a dentist for regular oral health care and prevention.
National English & Language Arts Standards:
7 – Students use a variety of sources to communicate their discoveries and knowledge from the module
8 – Students use a variety of technological and information resources to gather and synthesize information and create and communicate knowledge by using the online module and provided resources to develop written communication about the knowledge being dispersed and explored in the module
Next Generation Science Standards:
4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.
5-LS1-1 Support an argument that plants and animals get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
Authored by Cailin Trembley, RDH, MPH and Instructional Design by Emma Tillman