How to Make a Dentist Social Story for Your Child

A dentist social story is a short, personalized book, written as if your child is telling it, that walks through exactly what happens at a dentist visit and what they can do if they feel worried. When it shows your real dentist's office, the real chair and the real people, the visit stops being a mystery. Your child has already "been there" many times by the day of the appointment.

Why make a dentist social story about your own child?

A personalized dentist story shows your child their actual dentist, their actual waiting room, and the steps their actual appointment will follow. Generic books about the dentist are lovely, but they can't show the fish tank in your office's waiting room or the sunglasses your hygienist hands out.

Social stories were developed by Carol Gray, and the idea is simple: describe what usually happens, in calm and literal words, from the child's point of view. Our guide on how to write a social story explains the format. A dentist visit is a good fit because it is predictable: most cleanings follow the same order every time.

What should a dentist social story include?

Include each part of the visit in the order it happens, plus a plan for worries. Most dentist stories cover:

• Getting there. Who takes them, and what the building looks like.
• The waiting room. Checking in, sitting, waiting, and what they can do while they wait.
• The people. The dentist and the hygienist or assistant, by name if you know them.
• The big chair. It moves up and tips back, and that is part of the plan.
• The light and the tools. The bright light, sunglasses if your office uses them, the little mirror, and the counting.
• Cleaning and polish. The brushing, the gritty tooth polish, the water and the straw that slurps it up.
• What I can do if I feel worried. Raise a hand, squeeze a toy, take deep breaths, look at the ceiling.
• The end. All done, a new toothbrush or sticker if your office gives one, and something nice afterward.

Leave out steps your child won't have. If your child isn't having X-rays at this visit, don't add a page about them.

A page-by-page outline you can copy

This 14-page outline is written in first person, present tense. Replace the words in brackets and remove anything that doesn't match your dentist.

1. Cover: "[Name] Goes to the Dentist", with a smiling photo of your child.
2. Why I go: "I am [Name]. I go to the dentist to help keep my teeth healthy and strong."
3. Getting there: "[Mommy] drives me to [Dr. Name]'s office. It is on [street]." Use a photo of the building.
4. The waiting room: "First we check in. Then I sit in the waiting room. I can [look at a book / watch the fish] while I wait."
5. My name is called: "[Name of hygienist] calls my name. [Mommy] comes with me."
6. The big chair: "I sit in the big chair. It goes up and tips back. It feels a little funny, and that's OK."
7. The bright light: "There is a bright light so the dentist can see my teeth. I can wear [sunglasses] or close my eyes."
8. Open wide: "I open my mouth wide like a [lion]. I try to keep it open."
9. Counting teeth: "The dentist uses a little mirror and counts my teeth. I have about [number] teeth."
10. Cleaning: "[Hygienist name] cleans my teeth. Then comes the tooth polish. It tastes like [strawberry] and feels a bit gritty."
11. Water and the straw: "A little sprayer squirts water. A straw slurps it up. It is noisy, and that's OK."
12. If I feel worried: "If I need a break, I raise my hand. I can squeeze [my bunny] and take three big breaths."
13. All done: "When we are done, I get [a new toothbrush / a sticker]. The dentist says my teeth look [great]."
14. After: "Then [we go to the park]. I did it. I went to the dentist."

Words that help on the hardest pages

The chair tipping back, the noise, and the "I feel worried" page tend to matter most. Keep the words literal and use "sometimes" and "might" rather than promises you can't keep. Sentences like these work well:

The chair tips back so I am lying down. The dentist is right next to me. I am safe.

Some of the tools make buzzing or slurping sounds. Sounds can be loud and still not hurt. If the sound is too much, I can raise my hand.

I might feel nervous. That's OK. Lots of kids feel nervous at the dentist. I can hold [Daddy's] hand and count to ten.

When I raise my hand, the dentist stops and waits until I am ready.

Only include that last sentence if your dentist agrees to it. Many offices are happy to set up a hand signal if you ask ahead of time.

When and how should I read a dentist social story?

Read it once a day for about a week before the appointment, and bring it with you. Repetition is what makes the steps feel familiar.

• Before the visit: read it at a calm time, not right before bed if dentist talk makes your child anxious.
• Play it out: take turns being the dentist with a toothbrush and a small mirror, counting a stuffed animal's teeth.
• In the waiting room: read it one more time, page by page, while you wait.
• Show the office: some families share the book with the dental team, so they know which words your child uses.
• Afterward: change anything that turned out different, so the next visit's book is accurate.

This book helps your child know what to expect. It isn't therapy or medical advice, so if your child has a therapist, teacher or dentist with a plan for them, follow their guidance.

How to make it on makeabook.fun

makeabook.fun is a free picture-book maker that works in your browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no sign-up.

1. Start a blank book. Open "A blank book", which gives you twelve empty pages, and add pages to fit the outline.
2. Gather photos. Your dentist's website may have pictures of the office. You can also ask if it is OK to take a few photos at a check-in.
3. Write one step per page. Upload a photo and drag to reposition and zoom it. "Picture with words below" is a clear layout for walk-throughs.
4. Fill gaps with drawings. No photo of the polish? Your child can draw it on the built-in drawing pad with a finger, mouse or stylus.
5. Choose a clear font. Andika, designed for children learning to read, keeps the words easy to follow.
6. Read it through in the flip-through reader, then print.

Printing your dentist story

The free print-at-home PDF prints in full color on US Letter or A4 paper. If your child will carry it to every checkup, the Keepsake edition ($2.99 once per book) gives you print-shop quality at the exact book size, no makeabook.fun mark, and a fold-and-staple booklet layout, with free re-downloads after edits. See how to print a picture book at home, and make a matching doctor visit social story using the same steps.