We Don't Bite the Dentist

8 pages · 6 min · ages 5+

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Cold, minty seaweed paste prickled on Finn's tongue. The young shark clicked his two hundred pearly teeth with a loud clatter. "I really want the shiny gold starfish sticker today," Finn said, wiggling his tail. "Then you must sit still," Mum said, pointing to the clam chair. "If you chomp, you get no sticker." Finn knew his teeth were very snappy when he felt nervous. CHOMP! Finn bit the waiting-room magazine clean in half. Mum patted his fin and said, "Finn, we do not bite the dentist."

Doctor Pearl floated near on tiny fluttering fins. "Big shark, brave shark, open wide!" Finn whispered to himself. Finn thought holding his breath would keep his snappy mouth shut tight. He squeezed his lips and puffed his cheeks until they turned bright purple. WHOOSH! A giant blast of air blew Doctor Pearl across the room like a prickly beach ball. Startled by the gust, Finn's jaws snapped. CHOMP! He bit the fish-shaped reading lamp. Doctor Pearl bobbed calmly back. "A breezy start," she said. Mum sighed, "Finn, we do not bite the dentist."

Doctor Pearl wiped her tiny mirror on a smooth sea towel. "Big shark, brave shark, open wide!" Finn told himself with a nod. Finn wanted to keep his mind busy, so he decided to count floating bubbles. "One bubble, two bubbles, three bubbles," Finn said, leaning back against the soft clam chair. Doctor Pearl hovered close to his open snout. "Show me tooth number one, please," Doctor Pearl said. Finn kept counting as the wet bubbles brushed against his sensitive nose. "Four bubbles, five bubbles, six bubbles!" Finn giggled loudly.

A prickly tickle wiggled right under Finn's nostrils. Finn felt his nose twitching faster and faster. "Seven, eight, nine... TEN!" Finn shouted. AH-CHOO-CHOMP! Finn sneezed a mighty blast of bubbles and slammed his jaws shut. CRUNCH! His sharp front teeth snapped Doctor Pearl's little wooden clipboard into two neat pieces. The tiny doctor took her pencil back from between his teeth without blinking. "My notes are now in halves," Doctor Pearl said. Finn flattened his dorsal fin with embarrassment. Mum patted his shoulder and said, "Finn, we do not bite the dentist."

The smell of salty clover soap filled the room as Doctor Pearl washed her fins. "Big shark, brave shark, open wide!" Finn announced bravely. Finn liked singing when he was scared, so he decided to hum a grand sea tune with his lips pressed together. "MMMM-HM-HM-LALALA!" Finn sang, buzzing the whole coral chair with his loud song. Doctor Pearl tapped her tiny mirror on her belly. "I need an open mouth, not a humming clam," Doctor Pearl said. Finn hummed even harder to prove he could be brave.

Finn tried to open just one tiny corner of his mouth while humming at full volume. The loud vibrations tickled his tongue, and his jaws snapped wildly. SQUEAK-CHOMP! He bit Doctor Pearl's squeaky yellow rubber duck right off the tray. Finn dropped his heavy snout into his fins. Finn felt sure he would never earn the shiny gold starfish sticker. Then he heard Doctor Pearl tap her tail in a steady beat: tap, tap, tap. Finn looked up. He realized he could wiggle his own tail to dance away his jitters.

Finn sat tall in the big clam chair. "Big shark, brave shark, wiggle wide!" Finn called out happily. He opened his mouth as wide as a barn door: AAAAH! As Doctor Pearl floated in with her shiny mirror, Finn swished his big tail fin to a jolly beat. Swish, swish, swish went his tail, keeping his jaws completely still. "Tooth one, tooth two... tooth two hundred!" Doctor Pearl cheered. Finn felt so proud of his sparkling smile. Doctor Pearl handed him the sparkling gold starfish sticker.

Doctor Pearl pressed the sticky, smooth starfish sticker right onto Finn's gray snout. "A perfect visit for a brave shark," Doctor Pearl said. Finn stood up proudly and admired his sparkling reflection in the glass cabinet. Then Doctor Pearl turned toward the bench. "Now it is Mum's turn for a checkup," Doctor Pearl said. Mum's gills turned bright pink, and her eyes went wide. CHOMP! Mum nervously bit the wooden reception desk right in half. Finn patted her fin and said, "Mum, we do not bite the dentist."