Open wide…dentist Jeremy Kaufman taught children how to care properly for their teeth when he visited Tuffkid Nursery this week.

The children took turns brushing the teeth inside the huge mouth with an enormous toothbrush. Dr Kaufman told the children to brush for two minutes and suggested they used an egg timer to check they were being sufficiently thorough.

He explained that sweets, sweet drinks and too much dried fruit were bad for their teeth, and entertained the children with fascinating facts from the animal kingdom.

Snails have 250, while elephants’ tusks are actually teeth, he told them.

Dr Kaufman brought along a toy dragon called Charlie. The children watched as he opened his mouth wide for his teeth to be checked.

He visits the school each year giving the children an invaluable, and much loved, lesson in oral hygiene.