Most kids understandably have a bit of anxiety about a stranger poking and prodding around in their mouth. However, regular visits to the dentist are absolutely crucial to overall oral health and hygiene, especially in childhood, so it is important that moms and dads help to alleviate this anxiety.
Check out these iconic characters from beloved TV series and books that can help to prepare your child for the dentist:
“Dora the Explorer”
Luckily for parents of “Dora the Explorer” fans, there is an entire episode of this series dedicated to the dentist. Dora visits the dentist and has an excellent experience, learning tons of useful things she never new about her teeth. It is a great way to not only alleviate a child’s dentist anxiety but to actually get him or her excited about an upcoming cleaning.
“Sesame Street”
This highly educational kids’ series actually has a whole online tool kit that can help parents to prepare kids for a visit to the dentist. The toolkit, called “Healthy Teeth, Healthy Me,” comes complete with videos featuring the “Sesame Street” characters, helpful articles, fun songs, and much more.
“Berenstain Bears”
This iconic children’s book series boasts a special book dedicated to the dentist. Brother Bear and Sister Bear must pay a visit to the dentist for tooth removal. While they are initially pretty scared, they end up having a great experience and look forward to their next visit. It is a great pre-dentist bedtime read.
“SpongeBob SquarePants”
Most kids will instantly recognize this iconic yellow sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. While there isn’t a “SpongeBob Squarepants” episode dedicated to the dentist, there is a SpongeBob book that addresses the topic, in which SpongeBob heads off for his six-month annual checkup (even sponges need to practice good oral hygiene).
“Dr. Rabbit and the Tooth Kingdom”
Colgate has put out a whole video series chronicling the adventures of Dr. Rabbit and Dr. Brushwell, featuring characters who transform into Super Dentists and Tooth Defenders in order to protect Tooth City from Placulus and his evil plaque monsters. These 10 mini-episodes are guaranteed to get kids excited about fighting plaque and visiting the dentist.