Now that I have all my teeth, it’s important that I take good care of them. Every day I brush my teeth two times. But every once in a while, I need to go see a dentist to make sure my teeth are healthy. One day, not too long ago, Daddy and I got on the bus and went to the dentist’s office. When we got there, the receptionist gave Daddy a big stack of forms to fill out, and I got to play with toys and read books. Then someone came and said it was my turn to see the dentist.

When I went into the dentist’s office, I sat in a big chair. It was orange. It lifts up high. It maked a funny noise when I tipped back like this. Then the dentist came in. He showed me a book about what would happen during my visit. It was like the books we got from the library to help me understand what goes on at a dentist’s office. The dentist said, “Open wide,” and he put a mirror in my mouth. I don’t know what is the other thing besides a mirror. He used a mirror to count my teeth. He looked at all the teeth in my mouth, and he used a little mirror at the end of a metal tool to look at the backs of my teeth. He also looked at my gums. He used a little pointy tool to scrape clean a few of my teeth.

Then it was time for the dentist to clean my teeth. He had two flavors of toothpaste to choose from, bubble gum and blueberry. I choosed blueberry. The toothpaste was really yummy, and the little electric toothbrush made a funny noise and tickled the inside of my mouth.

The dentist said my teeth were really clean and healthy, and he told me to make sure I brush my teeth two times every day. But I already knew to do that! He handed me a little bag with a small tube of toothpaste, dental floss, stickers, and a little toothbrush that is just my size. And before I knew it, it was time to go. Daddy said that my appointment lasted only 12 minutes, which, according to him, is pretty short for a dental visit. Then we went across the street to the playground, which was the best part of the day, in my opinion.

I was a little nervous about visiting the dentist, but it ended up being pretty fun. It was too exciting. I didn’t want to go there. It was too exciting and too surprising. And I figured out and then I comed in and it was okay. I’m going to keep taking good care of my teeth so that my next visit to the dentist is just as fun.

This article appeared on page 7 of Issue 12 | October 2013.