Visiting the dentist can be intimidating, even for adults! But children often struggle even more than adults with new experiences. Did you know that reading books helps your child process their emotions ? Characters in books can help to name emotions they don’t understand, model appropriate behavior, and normalize your child’s experience. They can also help take the mystery out of a new experience to help your child prepare themselves for unexpected situations. We’ve found 7 books that will help you start conversations with your child about experiences they might have at their next dental appointment, and how to handle them.

This book does a great job of modeling the behavior you want to see in your child. Little Critter has a regular dental check-up, which includes X-rays and shows what kids can expect at their visit. Little Critter also ends up getting a cavity filled and handles the situation with bravery and some humor. The illustrations are simple but effective and Little Critter is relatable as always.

Mix-ups and slapstick humor get kids laughing in this classic story. Up to his usual mischief, George brings levity even in his fear of the dentist. He ends up overcoming his fear and learning lots of important oral hygiene lessons. This book is great for showing what experiences to expect at the dentist, and that there is nothing to fear.

Taking an informative approach, this non-fiction book is full of real photographs of diverse children. In proper non-fiction style, it offers a table of contents, chapters by topic, and a glossary to introduce new words. It covers all aspects of a dental visit, including getting a cavity filled and mentions a prick before the filling. This book doesn’t address emotions as some of the others on our list, but is a great informative book.

In this book, Vera struggles with anxiety on her first visit to the dentist. She has older sisters who model how normal visiting the dentist can be, and how it’s not scary. However, she still has to learn how to manage her fear in her own way. She ends up leading the dentist on a run around the block. When the dentist catches up to her, she realizes he’s not as scary as she thought as they have a reassuring chat. She eventually agrees to let him examine her, and by the end of the book Vera has conquered her fear. With humor, the author shows that your dentist has your best interest at heart and isn’t someone to fear.

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