Twenty Teeth and a Sparkly Smile
Today was Priya's very first dentist day. In the waiting room she held Meera's hand tight, and Rabbit sat snug in the crook of her arm. The room smelled like mint. Priya's tummy felt a little fluttery, but she kept it quiet inside.
A big fish tank glowed on the wall. "Let's count them," said Priya. "One orange! Two stripy! Three, four, five tiny silver ones!" The purple fish came last. "Six! Purple is my favorite." Her fingers stopped feeling so tight.
The door opened. "Hello, Priya. I'm Dr. Lee, the tooth doctor," said a woman with round glasses. "I count teeth. Would you like to see my room?" Priya looked at Meera. Meera nodded. Priya nodded too, and off they went.
In the exam room stood a big blue chair. "It leans back like a slide," said Dr. Lee, "but you just lie there." Above it hung a round light. "And that's my little sun. It only helps me see." Priya stared up at it, very still.
Dr. Lee went to wash her hands and get ready. Priya's tummy fluttered again. She held Rabbit close and took a slow breath. There was a moment to fill, and it was all hers.
Priya tipped her head back and looked at the little sun. It was white and round and shiny, like a giant button. "It's very bright," she told Meera. "But it's not a real sun. It won't make me hot."
Dr. Lee bent the silver arm and the light swung gently. "Want to see it wink?" The little sun clicked off and on again. Priya giggled. A light that winked was hardly scary at all.
"Ready?" asked Dr. Lee. Priya looked at the big chair. It looked very tall. "I want to climb up by myself," she said. "Mom can be right beside me." Meera stepped close, and Priya put one foot on the little step.
Up she climbed, one, two, three, and plopped into the seat. The chair hummed and leaned back, slow as a sleepy slide. Priya's eyes went wide, and then she smiled. "Whee," she said, which was a word she said, not the chair.
Meera held her hand. Priya opened her mouth just a little, the way you do for a tiny yawn. "One, two, three," Dr. Lee counted out loud, slowly, like counting fish. "Four, five, six. Wonderful."
"Seven, eight, nine, ten," Dr. Lee went on, and all the way to twenty. It felt strange, like a tickle with no laugh in it. But it did not feel scary. "Twenty teeth," said Dr. Lee. "All present and shiny."
The chair sat up again. Priya hopped down all by herself. Dr. Lee held out a basket of shiny stickers, purple and gold and green. Priya looked at every one. At last she chose, and it was the purple one with a tiny bunny on it.
Out on the sunny sidewalk, Priya stuck the sticker on her shirt and grinned the biggest grin she had. She showed it to a man walking by, and to a woman with a stroller. "Look, my teeth are all counted!"
Everyone smiled right back. Rabbit twitched his nose at the sparkle. Meera squeezed Priya's hand. "Your smile is the shiniest on the whole street."
Priya skipped ahead, then turned around, beaming. "Mom, I did it by myself, and you were right beside me. Can we get pancakes now?" Meera laughed. "Pancakes it is, my brave tooth counter."
