Dentist Games for Kids

Going to the dentist can be scary for anyone but especially kids. Help kids to learn about the dentist and what the dentist does by playing some fun dentist games to get them prepared. Not only will they learn about cavities and teeth but what each professional does at the dentist's office.

Clean the Tooth

Cleaning your teeth is an important part of going to the dentist. Not only does the dental hygienist use the scaler to get the plaque and grim off, they show kids how to clean their teeth. Give them a head start on this portion by playing clean that tooth.

What You Need

Most of the materials for this game you'll be able to find around the house.

• 2 pop bottles cut in half and placed upside down to look like a tooth.
• Popsicle sticks
• Toothbrushes
• Shaving cream
• Napkins or towels

Instructions

To play this game, you're going to need two or more people. Before getting started, you'll also need to cover the bottle in shaving cream.

1. Each child should be set in front of a tooth and given a popsicle stick and toothbrush.
2. At the word "go," they should try to clean the tooth as fast as they can.
3. The first one to remove all the shaving cream wins.

Scape the Teeth

Let your child become a dental hygienist by removing the food and debris from teeth. Not only will this give them an idea of what the hygienist is going to do, it'll make going to the dentist interesting.

Materials

This game will require a printout of a mouth. You can easily print the one available below by right clicking on it and hitting print.

• Printable mouths
• Food magazines or construction paper
• Scissors
• Tape
• Popsicle sticks
• Timer optional

Getting Started

Before playing this game, you'll need to set up the mouths. Either cut out food images or construction paper food particles and tape them to the mouth in various places. For two or more children, you'll need to set up two game boards. With just one kid, you can use a timer and have them try to beat their time. Now that the boards are set up, it's time to play.

1. Set the children in front of the game board.
2. On your "go," each child will use the popsicle sticks as a scaler to remove the food.
3. The first one to remove all the food wins.

Dentist Pictionary

Put a dental spin on the old game of Pictionary. Not only will it be fun, but educational as well.

Supplies

Materials for this game are going to vary based on what you have at home. You can play with:

• Whiteboard or paper
• Dry-erase marker or pencil
• Slips of paper with the words: teeth, dental scaler, mouth mirror, suction machine, dentist, cavity, missing tooth, tooth x-ray, bib and dental chair
• Hat or bag to hold slips of paper
• Timer

Let's Play

This game works best for teams but you can do it with just two kids or kid and a parent. The rules and way you play will vary based on how many you have. For example, if it is just you and your child, you can time them and if you can guess it in under a minute, they get a point. With teams, if the team can guess in under a minute, the team gets a point.

1. To get started, the drawer will pull a slip of paper from the hat.
2. They will draw their word and try to get you to guess what it is in under a minute.
3. If you don't guess in under a minute, the person or team does not get a point.
4. Continue until all the words are gone.
5. The player or team with the most points wins.
6. Extra points can be given if the child or team knows what the word is used for.

Find That Cavity

A big part of going to the dentist is getting checked for cavities. Help kids to learn how to find cavities through this fun and interactive game.

Needed Supplies

Checking for cavities isn't going to require much. Hopefully, you can find most of these supplies around the house.

• Several small white cups (20 or more)
• White construction paper
• Popsicle sticks

Game Time

For this game, it is going to be a race against another person to find the cavity, so you will need a few kids. Prior to getting them going, you're going to need to set up 10 cups in a row. Most of them should be upside down, but a few will be right side up. These are your cavities. Cover the cups with the construction paper.

1. Set each kid in front a line of "teeth."
2. Using the popsicle sticks, they will gently poke at the construction paper trying to find the construction paper that sinks.
3. If they find a cavity, they should scream cavity.
4. The first to find all the cavities in their row wins.
5. Extra points if they can say what causes cavities.
6. Set it up again and give them another try.

Name that Professional

This is a fun game that will give kids a list of questions that they will need to answer with dental office person, dental hygienist, dentist and orthodontist. All you need to play is the printable with the questions.

Playing the Game

With 2 or more kids, you will start asking the questions that are listed on the printable. You can either ask them both and the first to answer is the winner or ask them one at a time and assign points. Run through all the questions. The one with the most points is the winner. To download the printable, just click on it and print or save. If you have any trouble, the Adobe guide can help.

Going to the Dentist

Going to the dentist can be stressful for any kid that doesn't know what to expect. Help alleviate their stress by playing a few games at home that will tell them what a dentist and dental hygienist do and prepare them for the big day.