Armed with an oversized plastic model of teeth and a toothbrush, Kalispell dentist Cameron Clark of the Northwest Center for Dentistry was prepared to teach oral hygiene to Edgerton Elementary School kindergartners on Friday.

The dentist's visit was in observance of National Children's Dental Health Month.

Clark quizzed the students in Kim Bennett's classroom about their dental knowledge.

"How long do you brush your teeth?" Clark asked. He handed over the large toothbrush to a student and timed them for two minutes while they brushed the plastic model of teeth.

"Getting bored over there?" he asked the rest of the class. "Two minutes can seem like forever but it's important to brush each side, top and bottom, for 30 seconds," Clark said.

Students talked about cavities caused by food and beverages that contain sugar, like candy and juice.

"I'm a dentist. Do you think I eat these kinds of food?" Clark asked. Students responded with a resounding "no."

"I do, but not a lot. You can eat this food sometimes, but you don't want to eat it all the time," he said.

Clark lined up a candy bar, bottle of water, yogurt, soda, flavored water, fruit juice and cereal on a desk and asked students to stack how much sugar they thought was in each item, providing a visual learning experience.

Teaching kindergartners the importance of brushing and flossing is the first step to teaching lifelong dental habits, Clark said. Parents should brush their children's teeth while they develop good eye-hand coordination up to the age eight, unless the child demonstrates good brushing techniques earlier.

A child's first dental visit should be scheduled six months after their first tooth grows in or no later than age 1, according to the American Dental Association.

And, since dental visits are not complete without a goody bag, Clark handed out bags of toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss to the students.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].