Science Experiment

Whitley's Science journal filled with research and observations

Abstracted teeth specimens line the counters in various cups. One row is filled with lemon juice (an acid) and the other pop (sugar).

HELP!!!! My kitchen has turned into a science lab. For over a week now, abstracted teeth have lined my counter in little cups; EEEeeewwww!!!

Daily, my little scientist dons safety glasses and rubber gloves and scours each labeled tooth with a particular cleaner ranging from fluoridated toothpaste to baking soda. Two teeth serve as controls and are washed with water only. The goal is to see which type of toothpaste works best on acids or sugars.

In our research however, we predicted some problems that may obscure our data. For example, the teeth come from various donors at an oral surgeon's office and each of those donors may have varying degrees of healthy enamel on their teeth. As a result, some teeth may hold up better in certain conditions than others. We tried to atleast match the same donor one per acid and sugar to alleviate some of the variables.

Another problem is that my kitchen is going to be a mess for almost a month and requires extra sanitizing after each and every brushing. I have thought intensely about what led up to this experiment and about how to ensure this never happens again. My solution????

Never EVER buy your child the Playdough DR. DRILL N FILL unless they have promised to go to dental school!!!!!

I'll close with one last informative message: Brush daily and floss only the ones you want to keep!