Sugar Bug Sweep

Little levels (ages 4 to 6)

1. Sugar bugs! A lollipop brings six bugs; scrub them all off.
2. Brush all around Front, inside and tops: switch views and clean every side.
3. Brush along! Two minutes with a real toothbrush, one corner at a time.
4. Snack sort Sugar bug party or tooth friend? Sort eight snacks.
5. Night, night, teeth Brush the bugs off before bed so they can't party all night.

Big levels (ages 7 to 9)

1. Plaque and cavities Two days without brushing starts a hole; decide what happens next.
2. Floss the gaps Slide floss into five gaps the brush can't reach.
3. The sugar clock Five candies spread out or all at once: which is worse?
4. Pick a drink Water and milk any time; sweet drinks only with meals.
5. At the dentist Check every tooth, take an x-ray, paint on fluoride.

The big ideas

• Sugar bugs are real: they are bacteria. Plaque is a sticky film of bacteria on teeth. When they get sugar, they make acid, and acid dissolves the hard outside of a tooth. Enough acid, and a hole (a cavity) forms.

• Brush twice a day, two minutes, every side. Morning and night, front, inside and chewing surfaces, with a fluoride toothpaste. Children usually need a grown-up's help until about age 7 or 8.

• Floss reaches where the brush cannot. Bugs hide between teeth. Floss or little brushes clean those gaps once a day.

• How often matters more than how much. Every sugary snack or drink starts an acid attack that lasts about half an hour. Sweets with meals mean fewer attacks than sweets all day.

• The dentist finds what you cannot see. Regular checkups catch holes early, x-rays see between teeth, and fluoride varnish makes enamel harder.

Try it at home

1. Disclosing tablets Chew a plaque-disclosing tablet from the pharmacy before brushing. It stains the plaque so your child can see where the bugs were hiding, then brush until the color is gone.
2. Egg in vinegar Leave an egg (a tooth stand-in) in vinegar overnight and feel how soft the shell gets. That is what acid does to teeth.
3. Sugar count Look at the labels of three drinks and spoon out the sugar they contain into a bowl. A can of soda has about ten spoons.
4. Brush-along song Play a two-minute song at every brushing. Change corners every time the chorus comes round.

Ask after playing

• What do sugar bugs make that hurts teeth?
• Which sides of a tooth need brushing?
• Why is one dessert better for teeth than snacks all day?