Children are brushing up on their dental care

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“How many times should I brush my teeth?” asked students in Maria Barba's first-grade class at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School in Hoffman Estates.

Sink your teeth into this — in the last 10 years kids have brushed up on their dental health. Today, there are 10 percent fewer cavities in kids ages 6 to 19 than were seen a decade ago.

What are the dos and don'ts of teeth brushing?

”It is very important to brush your teeth twice a day,” said sisters Kate and Betsy Wojcicki, students from Itasca who are attending Creighton University School of Dentistry in Omaha, Neb.

“Most people think the opposite, but you want to always brush before you eat in the morning,” the Wojcickis said. The second time should be before bedtime.

More is not better when it comes to brushing. Brushing too many times, or using a very hard bristle, can damage tooth enamel or injure gums.

“You can brush a third time a day, but it really isn't all that necessary,” the students said.

Much of the dental students' time is spent at the Creighton University dental clinic.

“We advise the kids in the clinic to floss once each day, preferably at night. You want to make sure you get all the food out from in between your teeth, and the only way to do that is to floss,” the Wojcickis said.

The toothbrush is “long in the tooth,” an expression that means very old. Archeologists discovered a 5,000-year-old chewstick — a stick with a frayed end used to clean teeth — and toothsticks were discovered buried with other treasures in ancient pyramids.

The National Museum of Dentistry, based in Baltimore, Md., offers information about the first toothbrushes and the development of the science of dental care on its website, www.dentalmuseum.org.

Click on the link “Mouthpower Game” for fun learning activities in English and Spanish.