Dental library Review: What Does the Tooth Fairy Do With Our Teeth?

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over What Does the Tooth Fairy Do With Our Teeth? by Denise Barry (illustrated by Andy Boerger).

This rhyming book chronicles the many things the tooth fairy could do with our teeth. From keeping them in display cases to turning them into long necklaces, many fantastic ideas are proposed. Every two pages has a new stanza on what exactly she could be up to. The book ends with an open invitation to imagine even more fun things for the tooth fairy to do with her prizes.

We love this story because the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. Kids and adults alike will be entertained by the artistic talent that went into it’s creation. Because of the fun pictures and simple vocabulary, this book is likely best suited for young readers or as a bedtime story. At 34 pages, it is a long enough to fill a car ride or a particularly restless evening. Overall, we really enjoy the fun rhyming, beautiful pictures and fun storyline!

As with all the stories we review, feel free to check it out at your next appointment. We are always happy to do anything we can to get your family excited and educated about dental health topics!

Office Update: Past Team Members Greg, Maggie and Dean

At Thousand Oaks Family dentistry, we have the pleasure of working with a fun, interesting and dedicated group of medical professionals. While most of them can still be found in our office, some have left for new adventures across the country. As such, we would like to take a moment to update you on the lives and times of Maggie, Greg and Dean. You may be surprised to find out exactly what and where they are!

Greg and Maggie

Maggie and Greg in New York

My parents Jerry and Candy and my brother Greg out to eat at Bestia, one of the Reserve restaurants in Los Angeles.

Greg (former office manager/Dr. Kari’s brother) and Maggie (former dental assistant) have always been dear to our office and patients. In October of 2013, Greg and Maggie officially moved to New York to launch and market an exciting new mobile app. The result is Reserve.com- a dining service that allows you to buy reservations to popular/difficult to book restaurants. It is currently available in New York, Los Angeles and Boston and will be opening soon in San Francisco. Take a look at what Forbes, Fortune and Engadget have to say about it!

Dean

Dean and His Girlfriend at his white coat ceremony.

This past you year, you probably encountered our dental assistant Dean. When he wasn't sterilizing instruments or taking impressions, he was going around the country on school interviews. As of September of this year, he is a student at the UC San Francisco School of Dentistry. He is pursuing a DDS degree and should graduate in 2018. Although he loves his classes, he misses the warm weather and family in Southern California. In between anatomy labs and dentistry lectures, he still stays in very close contact with our office!

Dental Library Review- Just Going to the Dentist

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer.

This story is written and illustrated in the familiar style of Mayer’s “Little Critter” series. In this book, Little Critter goes in for his first dental appointment. Although the setting of the dental office was a little strange and uncomfortable, he has a very good experience. His exam, X-rays and filling didn’t hurt him at all, and he even got a treat when it was over. Little Critter quickly learned that dental appointments weren’t scary at all, just tiresome!

Our office recommends this book because it can introduce some of the more intimidating aspects of the dental office before your child’s appointment. Throughout the story, Little Critter encounters many different parts of a dental visit, only to find them fun or (at the worst) uneventful. Even the dreaded “shot” was shown to be nothing but a small inconvenience. If your child has had a bad experience at a medical or dental office, this book will show them that it can be fun and easy!

Given the large illustrations and simple words, we would recommend this book as an early reader or a great bedtime story. As with all the stories we review, feel free to check it out at your next appointment. We are always happy to do anything we can to get your family excited and educated about dental health topics!

Dental Library Review- Franklin and the Tooth Fairy

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over Franklin and the Tooth Fairy by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark.

This book follows the characters and storyline of Franklin the Turtle and his animal buddies. In this tale, Franklin’s best friend, Bear, loses his first tooth. Startled by his friend’s joyous response, Franklin contemplates how and why he doesn’t have any teeth to lose. As he learns about the tooth fairy, he becomes apprehensive about not being able to “grow up” and get adult teeth. However, his parents clear up the confusion, and leave him a small present to celebrate him growing up, since he can’t get a visit from the tooth fairy.

We love this book because it deals with using lost teeth as a measure of “growing up.” Children typically lose their first tooth between ages 5 and 6, a range that can seem like an eternity to young minds. This book helps reassure children that although their friends may be losing teeth before them, they are all getting older every single day. Kinds tend to use lost teeth as a measure of age as it is a very visible milestone. This book is here to remind them that everyone grows up at their own pace, regardless of lost teeth.

Given the content and word count for this book, we would recommend it as a bedtime story or a guided reader for slightly older children. As with all the stories we review, feel free to check it out at your next appointment. We are always happy to do anything we can to get your family excited and educated about dental health topics!

Dental Library Review- Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy by Marc Brown.

This book follows the characters and basic plot line of the popular Arthur books and TV show. In this story, Arthur looses a tooth and wakes up to some money from the Tooth Fairy. His sister, D.W., is both confused and jealous that she hasn't lost a tooth yet. After much deliberation (and a few attempts to prematurely remove teeth), she comes to the conclusion that she can trick the Tooth Fairy into visiting her. After catching wind of his sister's plan, Arthur decides to entertain D.W. by swapping her decoy tooth for a few dollars. 

In addition to being a great story, this book is a part of the Step into Reading learning program. This system categorizes books into five levels to encourage gradual development of reading skills. Being a "step 3" book, Arthur Tricks the Tooth Fairy is generally appropriate for first through third graders who can read on their own. It introduces some new vocabulary and has a fun set of stickers to match the words. A second set of stickers is also included, with instructions on writing your own story about Arthur and his friends. 

We love this book because it is an excellent story with fun additional content. We also feel this book would be great for younger siblings experiencing some "tooth fairy jealousy." As with all the stories we review, feel free to check it out at your next appointment. We are always happy to do anything we can to get your family excited and educated about dental health topics!

Dental Library Review- Tooth Fairy

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over Tooth Fairy by Audrey Wood.

This story follows Matthew, who just lost a tooth, and his sister, Jessica. Jessica decides she can trick the Tooth Fairy into bringing her treats along with her brother by painting a kernel of corn white. She proceeds to have a vivid dream about the tooth fairy and her magic kingdom. As Matthew’s tooth is placed in the hall of perfect teeth, hers is outed as a fake. The story concludes with Jessica waking up to a loose tooth, excited to have her own (legitimate) visit from the tooth fairy.

Being a picture-heavy book with little wording, this story is likely best for preschool and kindergarten aged children. It would make a great bedtime story for a first lost or “wiggly” tooth before the toothfairy actually comes. Our office likes this book because it avoids the concept of “lost teeth = money.” Matthew receives “treasure” for his teeth, including an apple and a toy car. This could be useful for your household, if the tooth fairy decides to bring toys or snacks instead of cash.

As with all of the story books at our office, feel free to stop by and take a look. In addition to this book, we have a collection of toys, stories and gifts all geared towards children’s dentistry. We want to do everything possible to get your family excited and informed about dentistry and oral health!

Dental Library Review- Open Wide

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over Open Wide: Tooth School Inside by Laurie Keller.

On the surface, this whimsical book is a fun collection of collage-style graphics, funny jokes and silly comics. However, it is incredibly informative and engaging for readers over a variety of ages. The book follows the antics of Dr. Flossman's class at the Tooth School, along with his 32 tooth-shaped pupils. Nearly every two pages covers a different topic on dental development, tooth care or the history of dentistry. You will find all kinds of information, from how to react to a getting a cavity to why primary teeth are important. This information is all neatly rolled together with stimulating illustrations, side jokes and fun fonts. 

We love this book for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are a lot of great topics covered by this book- beyond just being informative, it has useful and engaging facts. Topics on brushing, flossing and dental care will follow your young one for life. Additionally, the fun and animated way that this information is presented is sure to engage readers and merit multiple read throughs. Finally, the last pages of the book include a quick test with simple questions to encourage knowledge retention (disclaimer: about half of the questions are silly). With all this combined, we find this book to be a great tool for getting kids excited about their oral health. 

Open Wide is likely most appropriate for elementary school readers. For children on the younger end of the spectrum, we would advise a read through with mom/dad to explain some of the bigger words and concepts. As with all of the books at our office, feel free to stop by and take a look. We want to do everything possible to get your family excited and informed about dentistry and oral health!

Dental Library Review- Baby Tooth Album

The Contents of the Baby Tooth Album

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over The Baby Tooth Album. 

Admittedly, calling this a "book" is quite a stretch. However, it is a great educational tool that doubles as a convenient keepsake. The Baby Tooth Album is a rotating disk with spots for each of your child's baby teeth. The top cover rotates to keep one tooth chamber open at a time, preventing spillages, mix ups and lost teeth. Also included is a small baby tooth chart with some fun information on children's teeth. 

We love this product because it is a very visual way of displaying and learning about teeth. Children can clearly see the differences in tooth size and structure, gaining an appreciation and interest in their own dentition. For parents, this is an easy way to remember the excitement and anticipation of lost teeth. The device itself is small enough to fit in a photo album or scrapbook as well, making it a perfect addition to your existing documentation.

If you would like a closer look at the Baby Tooth album,  feel free to stop by our office. As with everything in our dental library, it is free for you to read and examine. We look forward to getting your family excited about dentistry, home care and oral hygiene!

Dental Library Review- The Berenstain Bears and the Tooth Fairy

Welcome to The Dental Library Review! In this feature, we will be reviewing and highlighting different children’s books we have collected at our office. Our staff have personally used these books with their own children and have had great reception. Today, we will be going over The Berenstain Bears and the Tooth Fairy by Jan and Mike Berenstain.

Like others in the Berenstain series, this is a picture heavy story book that chronicles the antics of a family of bears. This selection follows the story of Sister Bear and the loss of her first two teeth. After loosing the first, she receives a quarter from the tooth fairy. However, she is soon shocked to find out that her friend Lizzy received a whole dollar for her lost tooth. The rest of the book covers how the tooth fairy pays for teeth and how this price can go up or down ("like the price of gas," as noted by Papa Bear).

This is book is mainly geared towards young readers around the time of their first lost tooth (around 6-7 years old). We like this book because it helps manage expectations on how much the tooth fairy pays, and how to react if a friend gets more from the tooth fairy than you do. The main focus of this story is more towards how and why the tooth fairy visits us, rather than the actual process of loosing teeth. This can really be helpful in keeping the legend alive and avoiding difficult conversations.  

As with any of the books in our library, feel free to stop by our office to take a look. We want you to have the best tools available to educate your family and get them excited about dentistry. We hope you find this book as enjoyable as we did!

Happy Birthday Michael!

Michael looking sharp on his wedding day

At Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry, we would be lost without our amazing front office manager, Michael. Between contacting insurance companies, fielding patient calls and staying on top of inventory he is one busy man. If you have had an excellent experience at our office, it was in-part due to his incredible efforts. He truly embodies our patient centric practice model. Happy birthday Michael, we hope you have a great day- you deserve it!