The Reading / Listening - White Teeth - Level 5

White teeth are widely sought after. Hollywood, advertising, and social media have made ultra-white teeth a must-have, and an obsession. People have long-used peroxide-based whiteners to try to get perfectly white teeth. However, these chemicals can damage the teeth and gums. Help is now near for those who have stained or off-white teeth. Researchers have tested a teeth-whitening ceramic powder. Researcher Min Xing said it is "a safe, at-home teeth-whitening strategy integrating whitening, enamel repair…for long-term oral health".

The researchers described how their powder works. It is activated by electric toothbrush vibrations, which create small electric fields over the teeth. These break down stain-causing molecules. The researchers said their laboratory trials were very promising. They tested human teeth that were discoloured with tea and coffee. After four hours of brushing, there was visible whitening. After 12 hours of cleaning, the teeth were 50 per cent whiter than those brushed normally. The researchers said the next step is to add the powder to toothpaste.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    White Teeth - Level 4 or  White Teeth - Level 6

Sources
  • https://dentistry.co.uk/2026/01/27/toothbrush-activated-powder-developed-for-at-home-whitening/
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/toothbrush-activated-powder-whitens-repairs-and-protects-teeth/ar-AA1V280L
  • https://scitechdaily.com/whiter-teeth-without-the-damage-this-new-powder-could-change-oral-care/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. white teeth are widely
  2. ultra-
  3. a must-
  4. peroxide-
  5. damage the teeth
  6. stained or off-
  7. a teeth-whitening ceramic
  8. long-term oral
  1. and gums
  2. based whiteners
  3. powder
  4. white teeth
  5. white teeth
  6. have
  7. health
  8. sought after

Paragraph 2

  1. researchers described how their
  2. It is activated by electric toothbrush
  3. create small electric
  4. These break down stain-
  5. their laboratory trials were very
  6. teeth that were discoloured with
  7. there was visible
  8. the next
  1. tea and coffee
  2. promising
  3. vibrations
  4. whitening
  5. fields
  6. powder works
  7. step
  8. causing molecules

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

White teeth are (1) ________________________________________________. Hollywood, advertising, and social media have (2) ________________________________________________ teeth a must-have, (3) ________________________________________________. People have long-used peroxide-based whiteners to try to (4) ________________________________________________ teeth. However, these chemicals can damage the teeth and gums. Help is now near for those who have (5) ________________________________________________-white teeth. Researchers have tested a teeth-whitening ceramic powder. Researcher Min Xing said it is "a safe, at-home teeth-whitening strategy integrating whitening, enamel repair...for long-(6) _______________________________________________".

The researchers described how their powder works. It (7) ________________________________________________ electric toothbrush vibrations, which create small electric fields over the teeth. These break down (8) ________________________________________________. The researchers said their laboratory trials were very promising. They tested human teeth that were (9) ________________________________________________ and coffee. After four hours of brushing, there was visible whitening. After 12 (10) ________________________________________________, the teeth were 50 per cent whiter than (11) ________________________________________________. The researchers said the (12) ________________________________________________ to add the powder to toothpaste.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Whiteteetharewidelysoughtafter.Hollywood,advertising,andsocial
mediahavemadeultra-whiteteethamust-have,andanobsession.Peo
plehavelong-usedperoxide-basedwhitenerstotrytogetperfectlywhi
teteeth.However,thesechemicalscandamagetheteethandgums.Hel
pisnownearforthosewhohavestainedoroff-whiteteeth.Researchersh
avetestedateeth-whiteningceramicpowder.ResearcherMinXingsa
iditis"asafe,at-hometeeth-whiteningstrategyintegratingwhitening,
enamelrepair...forlong-termoralhealth".Theresearchersdescribedh
owtheirpowderworks.Itisactivatedbyelectrictoothbrushvibrations,w
hichcreatesmallelectricfieldsovertheteeth.Thesebreakdownstain-
causingmolecules.Theresearcherssaidtheirlaboratorytrialswerever
ypromising.Theytestedhumanteeththatwerediscolouredwithteaand
coffee.Afterfourhoursofbrushing,therewasvisiblewhitening.After12
hoursofcleaning,theteethwere50percentwhiterthanthosebrushedn
ormally.Theresearcherssaidthenextstepistoaddthepowdertotoothp
aste.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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