Show Me Your Smile!: A Visit to the Dentist (Dora the Explorer Books)

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Editorial Reviews
Product Description:

It's time for Dora's checkup at the dentist. Dora explores the dentist's office, gets her teeth cleaned, and more! She even gets a special treat for being such a good patient!

Product Details
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon (January 6, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0689871694
ISBN-13: 978-0689871696
Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces

Customer Review:

My son hasn't visited a dentist yet, and he was quite afraid of the prospect. Thanks to Show Me Your Smile!: A Visit to the Dentist, he's not nearly as anxious.

This book follows Dora and her Mom as she goes to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned. The beginning of the story shows Dora in a waiting room playing among other children as they wait for the dental assistant to call their name.

Once inside the dentist's room, Dora points out the chair and the light--explaining the purpose they serve. Dora then explains the process of taking an X-ray...and how the assistant will take a picture of her teeth to make sure they're healthy. She even describes how the assistant covers her with a heavy apron.

Once the X-ray is taken, Dora points out some pictures on the wall...and on the next page are black-and-white X-rays corresponding to the pictures (so children can match the X-ray with the character). The dentist comes in the room, and Dora explains the different instruments on the tray (such as the mirror, floss, dental pick, and so on.). Dora explains how the dentist cleaned her teeth and relates the hygienic advice given ("brush after breakfast and again before bedtime").

The dentist finds a cavity on the X-ray, and shows Dora the hole in the tooth (my son balks at this part). Dora explains that there's a "tool" that gets her tooth ready for the filling...and that it makes a "whirring" sound. (The "tool" is, of course, a drill. And not wanting to scare the child, they don't explain that they may have to get a shot to numb it...and that drilling sometimes causes discomfort.)

Dora receives a new toothbrush and a sticker--and even Swiper the fox makes an appearance (his appointment is after Dora's). Understandably, a children's book can't get into the gory details of a visit to the dentist...but at least a book like Show Me Your Smile! will help make the first visit seem less threatening. This book also shows the importance of dental hygiene and why it's important for a child to brush and floss their teeth.

By : Janet Boyer