By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – Montevallo Elementary kindergarteners learned the importance of healthy teeth for National Children’s Dental Health month.

Calera dentist Dr. John Allen Baggett of Family and Cosmetic Dentistry laughed as he said he thought his daughter, MES kindergartener Lydia, volunteered him to speak to her grade.

Four classes of kindergarteners watched Baggett with rapt attention as he taught them how to floss and properly brush their teeth.

“What does floss do?” Baggett asked.

“It helps you get your teeth out,” one kindergarten boy answered.

The MES students learned the difference between “anytime food,” which is safe on teeth, and “sometimes food,” which includes sugary junk foods and citrus fruits.

The students then practiced flossing by partnering up and using string to “floss” between each other’s fingers to imitate flossing teeth.

Nyasha McMillan volunteered to act as a dental hygienist and Blaine Graham pretended to be a patient to help Baggett demonstrate what happens at a dentist’s office.