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Pupils at Airth Primary were brushing up on their dental skills during a visit careers day as part of the school’s health and wellbeing month.

Some of the staff from Falkirk Courtyard Dental, part of the Portman Dental Care group, made class visits and had a stall to teach pupils about working at a dental practice, as well as the importance of looking after their teeth.

Practice manager Cheryl Black and dental nurses Charlie Chernouski, Ciara Murphy and Sinead Alexander gave children the chance to role play being a dentist and took part in brushing demonstrations, as well as lots of fun activities during the day.

Cheryl said: “Having the chance to talk to young children about our job and inspire future generations of dental nurses and dentists felt so rewarding. We know that not all children have visited a dentist before so it was the ideal chance to show them what happens during a visit, explain what they would see in a dental surgery so it’s not a scary experience and help them really understand the importance of visiting a dentist and looking after their teeth.

Cheryl, Ciara andCharlie from Falkirk Courtyard Dental at Airth Primary School. Pic: Submitted

“Props were used on a model to make the experience as realistic as possible. Children got to see a dental mirror and probe, safety glasses, dental bib, and impression trays for making gumshields, to get a real insight into the instruments used.

“A key message we wanted to communicate was that although we should all go to the dentist twice a year, children should also tell their parents or carers if they experience toothache in between visits so they can book a check-up appointment to sort it out.

As part of the careers day, the school also arranged visits from community police officers, a GP, a scientist from NHS Forth Valley, LH Wellness which offers yoga and mindfulness, the school’s catering team and the local Active Schools sporting initiative, to name a few.

Principal Teacher at Airth PS Scott Johnstone said: “The team from Portman Dental Care engaged our learners in a range of activities helping them understand more about looking after their teeth. Our children really enjoyed having them in our school and responded positively to the knowledge and enthusiasm of the staff.”

Careers day jobs at Airth Primary. Pic: Submitted

The Courtyard Dental team stressed how teeth are cared for during a child’s early years has a strong impact on the health of their mouth in adulthood. The health of baby teeth set a precedent for the future health of adult teeth, and this includes the way the adult teeth grow so establishing good habits early can help to keep the teeth healthy for life.

Falkirk Courtyard Dental’s top tips for good oral hygiene are:

Brush twice a day, using a fluoride toothpaste.

Brush for two minutes. An egg timer will help make this fun.

Don’t forget to brush the back of teeth.

Use a circular motion. Looking in a mirror will help so that you don’t miss any surfaces.

Spit don’t rinse.

Change your toothbrush regularly.

Falkirk Courtyard Dental team visit Airth Primary pupils to brush up on skills