|
One of Supertooths innovative teaching aids is a simple glass model of a fissure (bottom)that shows how food is left trapped on teeth after every meal or snack.
Two identical pieces of glass about 20 mm square with sharp edges removed by rubbing with a fine stone or old diamond drill from the dentist and the centre of each of the 4 edges on one side of each square ground away at about 30 or 40 degrees so when these sides of each square are clamped together with a Celco fold back paper clip, they form a groove similar to a fissure in a tooth.
The glass model is pushed into food to see how food is trapped under chewing pressure displacing previously trapped food and identify the foods that are difficult to displace and how brushing cannot reach.
Even though 95% of trapped food is packed between teeth, yet over 80% of cavities occur inside pits and fissures in grooves on chewing surfaces.
Place a drop of red food dye on the groove and see how surface tension sucks it in.
Brush with toothpaste showing that brushing has no access.
Push into a slice of peach or orange, which will displace the red dye.
Push into toothpaste and see the paste has poor access. Try again with different mediums like a strip of foam plastic. Note how chewing can control what is trapped in teeth.
YouTube Shows how food is trapped and brushing cannot reach inside the glass model of a fissure in chewing surfaces click here
Make your own glass model of a fissure and film your experiment and post it on YouTube. |
