A trip to the Dentist

A few weeks ago, my younger daughter randomly decided that she wanted to check out a book about dentists. We wound up pulling a few off the shelf and it turns out that they were absolutely fabulous! Some children have a major fear of going to the dentist, but that has never been an issue in our house. We have been very fortunate to have an absolutely wonderful pediatric dentist and my girls both look forward to their appointments. If you do have a child who is a bit concerned about going to the dentist these books are a wonderful way to calm nerves. For the curious child, these books are a great way to learn about teeth, hygiene and dentistry.

The Tooth Book – The classic Dr. Seuss ode to teeth never gets old. As he says,  Teeth come in handy when you chew, so take care of them!  This awesome book for the youngest readers will make them laugh out loud as they find out all the things teeth can do and how to take care of them so they last a lifetime!

The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist – We have a strong love of the Berenstain Bears. In this story Sister Bear gets her first lose tooth and needs to visit the dentist for the first time. Mama Bear takes Brother and Sister to the dentist. Brother Bear goes first and the dentist finds a cavity. Of course, watching it get filled scares Sister Bear.  She informs the dentist of the lose tooth and fears that it is going to be painfully yanked out. The dentist gently pulls the tooth out and to her surprise it didn’t hurt at all. The dentist gives Sister Bear the tooth and she puts it under her pillow that night and finds money the next morning. This story focuses on preconceptions that kids can have especially something like going to the doctor or dentist only to realize that their fears were blown out of proportion.

Open Wide: Tooth School Inside – This laugh-out-loud book is a great way to learn about teeth. Tons of facts are given as you read along during a day in Dr. Flossman’s class at tooth school. Of course, there is the constant theme of reminding kids to brush and floss, but they will also learn the various teeth, their names, the parts of the tooth itself as well as how cavities are formed and why baby teeth are important. There are also some great historical facts about teeth and dentistry as well as two quizzes at the end of the book. An incredibly fun book that my girls read over and over again.

ABC Dentist – As the front flap says, “A trip to the dentists office doesn’t have to be scary. This book explains the ABCs of a dentist appointment so you’ll know exactly what to expect.” This is a wonderful book to help kids understand all of the aspects of a dentist office and what happens when they are getting their teeth cleaned. The book not only explains details about your teeth, but also explains key items found in a dental office – why you wear a bib, what the x-ray looks for, what a hygienist and orthodontist are, and various things needed to care for our mouths and teeth. While not as comical as Open Wide, the great pictures mixed with aspects of collage make this a great learning tool.

You Wouldn’t Want to Live without Dentists – Recently our library got in a number of new books in the series, “You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without.” These great books talk of modern inventions and professions and how they have improved the quality of our lives. It is hard to imagine what it was like before modern dentistry, electricity or running water. A great thing about these books is that they can be read on a variety of levels of understanding, going into further details depending on the child’s age and interest level.

In the dental book, you get to see the interesting history of modern dentistry. The book keeps kids engaged by talking about some of the more disgusting issues that people had to live with before there were dentists – rotten teeth, pain, teeth falling out, bad breath, and even death from infection. The book also gives great information on what our teeth do, why we need them, and why we need to keep them healthy.

In terms of history, the book does a great job of showing how dental issues were dealt with in the past. Once the book moves into modern dentistry, it focuses on the benefits of prevention, orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry. A great look into the world of dentistry and potential career options.

There are tons of great books about teeth and dentistry, but these have been ones that we really enjoyed.

While I’m at it, one of my blogging goals for this year is to get more active with the book blogging community. One big goal is to participate in this year’s non-fiction picture book challenge (#nfpb2016). The goal is to read and blog about at least one non-fiction picture book each week and it is hosted by Alyson Beecher at KidLitFrenzy. I’m going to join in on the notion of aiming for Wednesdays for this post. To see some amazing books that are coming out this year, that I’m going to have to start pre-ordering, check out this great post of Alyson’s.