I go to the dentist
I go to the doctor when I am well so I can stay that way. And I go to
the dentist when I am well so that my teeth will stay healthy.
I sit in a special chair that goes up and down. It has a headrest that
the dentist moves to fit my head. It has a footrest, too.
The dentist uses small tools when working in my mouth. One tool is a
little
round mirror on a handle. The dentist can see the sides of my teeth with
the mirror. To feel for cavities, the dentist touches each tooth with a
little pick called an explorer. Cavities are little holes in my teeth,
caused by germs.
The dentist has a helper, called a dental hygienist, who shows me the
right way to brush and floss my teeth. The hygienist usually cleans and
polishes my teeth. The dentist and the dental hygienist help my teeth
stay healthy and strong.
If some of my teeth are not straight, the dentist may send me to a
special dentist, called an orthodontist, who straightens teeth. The
orthodontist may put braces on my teeth. Braces are little metal rings
held together by thin wires. The orthodontist uses the wires to move my
teeth until they are straight.
My dentist told me that germs called bacteria live on teeth. The
bacteria make cavities. Once I had a cavity filled.
First the dentist used a drill. A drill is a very tiny wheel at the end
of a shiny thing like a pencil. The dentist held the drill against my
tooth. The tiny wheel went around very fast. It made a buzzing sound and
it stung a little, and it cleaned out the cavity.
Then the dentist mixed a kind of paste called a filling. After using it
to fill the cavity, the dentist rubbed it and scraped it until it was
smooth and hard. Then my tooth was almost as good as new.
Once the dentist took out one of my baby teeth. My grown-up tooth was
ready to come in, but my baby tooth was in the way. It wouldn’t budge.
The dentist took X-ray pictures of my teeth. One picture showed that I
had a cavity. First the dentist cleaned out the cavity, then filled it.
Now my teeth are fine.
The dentist put some medicine into the skin around my tooth. It stung a
little, but then my tooth had no feeling in it. The dentist moved my
baby tooth back and forth. And then out it came, and it didn’t even
hurt. Now I have a grown-up tooth in the place where the baby tooth was.
I take care of my teeth. My grown-up teeth must last for the rest of my
life.
I use my toothbrush to get rid of bits of food that may stick to my
teeth. I put some toothpaste on the brush and move it up and down over
my teeth. I brush the back as well as the front of my teeth.
I go to the hospital. I am worried. Then a nurse comes. She holds
out her hand and smiles at me. I feel better.
