Pre-K · Fluoride & sealants
Super Toothpaste
What makes toothpaste super? A helper called fluoride that makes teeth strong — and the dentist can paint on an extra tooth shield too!
What you'll learn
- Students will repeat that fluoride in toothpaste makes teeth strong.
- Students will show the right amount of toothpaste — a little pea-sized dab.
- Students will state that the dentist can paint a special tooth shield (fluoride varnish) on their teeth, and it doesn't hurt.
Your toothpaste has a secret. Inside that stripey tube lives a tiny superhero called fluoride — say it like floor-ide!
What fluoride does
Fluoride’s superpower is making teeth strong. The outside of every tooth is a hard shell — like armor — and fluoride makes that armor tougher, so teeth can win against sugar bugs. That’s what makes toothpaste super toothpaste!
How much do you need? Just a little dab the size of a pea. Teeny-tiny — that’s the perfect amount for preschool kids. And remember the rule: when brushing is done, spit it out — don’t swallow it down!
The tooth shield
Here’s something cool: at the dentist (or even at your doctor), you can get an extra power-up called a tooth shield — grown-ups say fluoride varnish. The dentist paints it on with a tiny brush — paint, paint, paint — and that’s it! It doesn’t hurt one bit, and it keeps making your teeth strong after you go home.
Strong teeth, super paste, and a shield from the dentist — your smile is ready for anything!
Show your superpowers in the little quiz below with your grown-up or teacher!
Print & go
Printables for this lesson
The educator plan includes objectives, standards, the step-by-step lesson, and a paper pre/post knowledge check with answer key. The family sheet is bilingual — English and Español on one page.
Standards alignment
Sources
Every health claim in this lesson comes from a primary source and is clinically reviewed before publication.
- Source: ADA MouthHealthy — Fluorideaccessed 2026-07-28
- Source: AAP HealthyChildren.org — Fluoride Varnish: What Parents Need to Knowaccessed 2026-07-28
- Source: American Dental Association — Toothpastes (Oral Health Topics)accessed 2026-07-28
Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — free for schools and families to use, share, and adapt with credit (non-commercial, share-alike).
Healthy Smiles. Brighter Futures. · atomicsmile.org/learn
Super Toothpaste — Educator Lesson Plan
Learning objectives
- Students will repeat that fluoride in toothpaste makes teeth strong.
- Students will show the right amount of toothpaste — a little pea-sized dab.
- Students will state that the dentist can paint a special tooth shield (fluoride varnish) on their teeth, and it doesn't hurt.
Standards alignment (NHES)
- NHES 1.2.1 — Identify that healthy behaviors impact personal health. (Standard 1, Pre-K–Grade 2, NHES 2nd ed., 2007)
- NHES 7.2.1 — Demonstrate healthy practices and behaviors to maintain or improve personal health. (Standard 7, Pre-K–Grade 2, NHES 2nd ed., 2007)
Materials
- A tube of fluoride toothpaste and a demonstration toothbrush
- Dried peas, pea-sized pom-poms, or a picture of a pea for size practice
- A superhero cape or shield picture for the fluoride story — optional
- Printed pre/post knowledge checks from this packet (one per child, read aloud, used twice)
Procedure
- Pre-check (2 min): read each question aloud and let children point or answer together. Collect the sheets to compare after.
- Warm-up (2 min): superheroes have shields. Guess what? Toothpaste has a superpower too! It's called fluoride — say it with me: floor-ide!
- Pea practice (3 min): show the pea-sized dab on the brush. Children pick the pea-sized pom-pom from a few sizes — that little is just right!
- Shield story (2 min): at the dentist, kids can get a special tooth shield painted on — a little brush, paint-paint-paint, all done! It makes teeth strong and doesn't hurt one bit.
- Wrap-up (1 min): fluoride makes teeth strong — in your toothpaste every day, and at the dentist sometimes. Spit, don't swallow!
- Post-check (2 min): read the same questions aloud again and celebrate how much everyone knows now.
Knowledge check — photocopy this page
Give the same check before and after the lesson; class totals before vs. after give you a measurable outcome for reports and grants.
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________ ☐ Before the lesson ☐ After the lesson
- What is the superhero inside toothpaste called?
- Glitter
- Fluoride
- Ketchup
- What does fluoride do for your teeth?
- Makes them strong
- Makes them sleepy
- Makes them sticky
- How big is the right dab of toothpaste?
- As big as a snowball
- The whole tube
- Little, like a pea
- What is the tooth shield the dentist paints on?
- Fluoride varnish — and it doesn’t hurt
- Glue
- Rainbow paint
- What do you do with toothpaste after brushing?
- Swallow it down
- Spit it out
- Put it in your hair
Answer key — teacher page
1. b · 2. a · 3. c · 4. a · 5. b
Sources
- ADA MouthHealthy — Fluoride — https://www.mouthhealthy.org/all-topics-a-z/fluoride (accessed 2026-07-28)
- AAP HealthyChildren.org — Fluoride Varnish: What Parents Need to Know — https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/oral-health/Pages/Fluoride-Varnish-What-Parents-Need-to-Know.aspx (accessed 2026-07-28)
- American Dental Association — Toothpastes (Oral Health Topics) — https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/toothpastes (accessed 2026-07-28)
Healthy Smiles. Brighter Futures. · atomicsmile.org/learn
Super Toothpaste
Tonight's healthy habit
Fluoride makes tooth armor strong — it's why toothpaste works. Use a pea-sized dab from age 3 (a rice-grain smear before that), help your child spit instead of swallowing, and say yes when the dentist or pediatrician offers fluoride varnish — it's a quick, painless paint-on shield they can apply a few times a year, starting with the very first tooth.
Try it tonight
At brushing time, let your child squeeze (with your hand on theirs) the pea-sized dab and name it: "Super paste, make my teeth strong!" Then brush together and finish with the super spit.
El hábito saludable de hoy
El flúor hace fuerte la armadura de los dientes — por eso funciona la pasta. Use un poquito del tamaño de un chícharo desde los 3 años (como granito de arroz antes), ayude a su hijo o hija a escupir en vez de tragar, y diga que sí cuando el dentista o el pediatra ofrezca el barniz de flúor — es un escudo que se pinta rapidito, no duele, y se puede poner varias veces al año desde el primer diente.
Pruébalo esta noche
A la hora del cepillado, deje que su hijo o hija apriete el tubo (con su mano sobre la suya) para sacar el poquito tamaño chícharo y diga: "¡Súper pasta, haz fuertes mis dientes!" Luego cepíllense juntos y terminen con el súper escupitajo.
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