Emilia's Big Firsts · Story 2
About “Emilia Goes to the Dentist”
- Ages: 2-5
- Season: Emilia's Big Firsts, story 2
Emilia has her very first dentist appointment. Gentle Dr. Hippo shows her every tool before he uses it, counts her teeth with her, and leaves her smile gleaming.
A first check-up is full of unknowns for a small child: a chair that tips back, a bright light, odd tools, and someone new looking in your mouth. This story meets each of those one by one. In the waiting room Emilia makes a quiet, worried wish that the dentist will be kind, and Dr. Hippo answers it by letting her see and hear about each tool first. The light comes with sunglasses, the mirror is for peeking, the polishing brush tickles, and the suction straw ends with a silly burp. Counting teeth from one to ten turns the exam into a game your child can play at home.
- first dentist visit
- brushing teeth
- worries before an appointment
- counting
This story comes out on YouTube on October 8. You can read it below and print its coloring page now.
The three big words
- appointment
- A time that's saved just for you.
- gleaming
- Shiny, sparkly, and bright.
- bristles
- The soft little hairs on a brush.
Tips for grown-ups
- Practice 'open wide' before the visit. Take turns being Dr. Hippo with a small mirror and count each other's teeth; MouthHealthy suggests practicing opening the mouth and talking about the visit in a positive way.
- Book the appointment for a time when your child is usually rested, not at naptime, as the ADA's MouthHealthy site recommends.
- If your child worries the way Emilia does in the waiting room, name the feeling, then point to what helped her: a dentist who showed each tool first. You can ask your dental office to do the same.
- Bring a stuffed animal along. Pip comes to Emilia's appointment, and Dr. Hippo looks at his two big teeth before hers.
- Use the word bristles at brushing time. The AAP suggests a soft brush with a small head, brushing twice a day, and a rice-grain smear of fluoride toothpaste under age 3 or a pea-sized amount from 3 to 6.
- Let your child have a turn brushing, then finish the job yourself, top, bottom and 'way underneath.' The AAP says children usually need help brushing until about age 8.
Talk about it
After watching, ask:
- What did Dr. Hippo give Emilia for the bright light?
- How many teeth did Dr. Hippo count?
- What sound did the tickle brush make?
- What did Mr. Thirsty do after his big slurp?
- What color are the bristles on Emilia's new toothbrush?
- Can you open wide like Emilia?
Try this together
Set up a pretend dentist's office with a chair, a flashlight and a spoon for a mirror. Take turns as dentist and patient, counting teeth out loud, then brush a stuffed animal's teeth with a dry toothbrush.
Free coloring page
Dr. Hippo the Dentist: print it (US Letter or A4) or color it on screen.
Read the story
Brush, brush, brush! Emilia brushes her teeth,
on top, and on bottom, and way underneath!
Her toothbrush has bristles, so soft and so small.
They scrub-a-dub-dub, and they clean them all!
But today was not just any old day.
Today was a dentist appointment! Hooray?
An appointment is a time saved just for you,
to visit a helper. And Pip could come too!
The dentist's office had a tooth on the sign,
a big smiling tooth, all sparkly and fine.
In the waiting room, fish swam by. Swish, swish!
Emilia watched them, and wished a small wish:
Please let the dentist be gentle and kind.
A worried little wish was on Emilia's mind.
Then out came the dentist, as big as a bus!
Dr. Hippo! He smiled. No need for a fuss.
His smile was so wide, and his voice was so low.
Come in, Emilia! I'll show you as we go.
She climbed in a chair that went up, up, UP,
then leaned way back, like a tippy teacup!
A big light shone down. So bright! Oh my!
So Dr. Hippo gave her sunglasses to try!
Sunglasses! Emilia giggled. So did Pip.
His tiny ones kept sliding. Slip, slip, slip!
Dr. Hippo showed her each tool, one by one.
First, a tiny mirror! Peeking is fun!
He peeked at Pip's teeth. Two big ones! Hooray!
Now open wide, Emilia! Can you open that way?
Let's count your teeth! said Dr. Hippo. Here we go!
One... two... three... four... five...
six... seven... eight... nine... ten, in a row!
Ten happy teeth, all healthy and strong!
And the bottom ones too! You can count along!
Next came the tickle brush. Bzzz! Round and round,
it tickled her teeth with a giggly sound!
The toothpaste tasted like strawberries. Yum!
Bzz, bzz! went the brush. This was fun!
Then a squirt of water, and a straw that went SLURP!
Mr. Thirsty drank it all up... then went BURP!
All done! said Dr. Hippo. Now look, if you please!
Her smile was gleaming! So shiny! Say cheese!
Gleaming means shiny, and sparkly, and bright,
like the moon, and the stars, and the morning light!
Dr. Hippo gave her a brand-new brush,
with soft purple bristles, as soft as a plush!
And a sticker: a tooth with a twinkly star!
You were so brave! Look how brave you are!
Her very first check-up! She did it! Let's sing,
and clap, and dance, and do the She-Did-It thing!
Then home to her chart, to spot number two,
went the sparkly tooth sticker, shiny and new!
Two big firsts, done! Is she proud? Oh, yes!
Seven spots to go! What's next? Can you guess?
Big words today! Say them with me!
Appointment!
A time that's saved just for you.
Gleaming!
Shiny, sparkly, and bright!
Bristles!
The soft little hairs on a brush.
Every big first starts out wobbly and new,
then one day you do it! Hooray! Look at you!
Next time, Emilia gets a haircut. Bye-bye!
Questions parents ask
When should my child first see a dentist?
MouthHealthy (ADA) says the first visit should come after the first tooth appears and no later than the first birthday, and the AAP gives similar advice. If your child hasn't been yet, it's not too late to call a dentist and ask about a first visit.
How much toothpaste should a toddler use?
The AAP suggests a smear of fluoride toothpaste about the size of a grain of rice for children under 3, and a pea-sized amount from ages 3 to 6, twice a day.
Will my child's visit look just like Emilia's?
Every office is different. The story shows common parts of a check-up, such as a reclining chair, a light, a small mirror and a polish, but your dentist can tell you what to expect so you can describe it to your child ahead of time.
Sources
Our tips follow these pages. They are general information, not medical advice: ask your child's doctor or dentist about your child.
- Your Baby's First Dental Visit, American Dental Association (MouthHealthy.org)
- Toothbrushing Tips for Young Children, American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org)