Tooth Talk
The choice of words used and how they are phased greatly impacted a young dental patients experience. For this reason we ask that you allow us to work our magic in explaining things to your child, and request you keep your explanations to a minimum. Using silly, fun, kid-friendly words to describe our dental procedures helps your child feel more relaxed. Our goal is minimizing fear and anxiety!
Friendly words we use to create Words we ask you NOT to
a positive experience: use because they cause anxiety:
sleepy medicine needle or shot
water washer drill
wash a tooth or stain drill a cavity
wiggle a tooth pull or yank a tooth
stain cavity, decay
count teeth examination
tickle the teeth cleaning
vitamins for teeth fluoride
pictures of teeth X-rays
tooth counter explorer
raincoat rubber dam
tooth ring rubber dam clamp
silver star silver filling
white paint sealant or composite filling
space air, happy air nitrous oxide
tooth chair mouth prop
tooth pillow cotton roll
bandaid cotton roll (after an extraction)