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Does Tea Stain your Teeth?
Science project
Grade Level: 6th - 10th; Type: Chemistry
Objective:
Discover how long it takes to stain egg shells with coffee, tea, and cola.
Research Questions:
Teeth are structures in the mouth that are individually squares or cubical-shaped with grooves intended for use in breaking down food for consumption. Teeth are naturally white or off-white in color, but build-up from foods and drinks such as coffee and tea over time can stain the white color and turn teeth yellowish and discolored. In this experiment, we'll use egg shells in order to explore how teeth are stained by drinking coffee, tea, and cola.
Materials:
- Eggs, hollowed out following these instructions.
- Coffee
- Tea
- Cola
- Three large plastic containers
Experimental Procedure:
- Fill three separate large containers with coffee, tea, and cola.
- Put at least one hollowed-out eggshell into each container.
- Every day, fish them out and observe the progress of discoloration.
- Take some photos of gradual changes. On the day when you really start to notice discoloration, note that day.
- Record your results and compare the effects of the three liquids.
Suggested Chart
Day #1 | Day #2 | Day #3 | |
Coffee | |||
Tea | |||
co*ke |
Terms/Concepts: Teeth; Enamel; Teeth Staining
References:
- http://mistupid.com/health/teeth.htm
- http://www.ehow.com/how_15776_hollow-egg.html
- Teaford, Mark F and Smith, Moya Meredith, 2007. Development, Function and Evolution of Teeth, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-03372-1, 9780521033725, Chapter 5.
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