By Jean Saxby.
Illustration by Ponyo Nguyen (ponyolaconca)
“Hurry up and eat your biscuits,” Cat said, cleaning her whiskers. “We have an appointment with Dr Munch, at 10 o’clock.”
“How could I forget?” Rat said. “My front fang is killing me.”
“You don’t die from a sore tooth, silly,” Cat said.
Dog dropped his bone onto the floor. “Well, I think I have a cracked tooth.”
“Serves you right for chewing on my lamb bones last week.” Cat glared at him.
The morning sun warmed Rat’s fur as they trotted down the pavement to Dr Munch’s Happy Clouds Dental Surgery. Rat sang at the top of his voice:
We are Cat, Dog and Rat all three,
We are going to the surgery,
To have our teeth checked by Dr Munch
Who always makes sure
We can bite and crunch.
They tiptoed into the waiting room and went to the counter.
“Cat, Dog and Rat!” the secretary said.
Dr Munch and the nurse came out wearing shower caps and beckoned them all into a large white surgery with a minty smell. The nurse told them to sit on a plush sofa.
A high-pitched drill sounded next door. Rat gritted his teeth, and Dog covered his ears with his paws.
“Would you like a ride in my chair?” Dr Munch asked Dog.
Dog grinned and leapt onto the chair. It lifted him up into the air, then the dental nurse tied a bib around his neck.
“Open wide,” Dr Munch said. “What big teeth you have, Pup!”
“All the better to chew my bones with.” Dog dribbled on the dental nurse’s arm.
“You need a tooth clean,” Dr Munch said.
The nurse held Dog’s paw as the dentist whizzed around his teeth and gums with an electric toothbrush. Dog giggled so much he nearly fell off the chair.
The nurse patted his head. “All finished pup.”
Dog bounded out to the waiting room to look at the fishing magazines.
“Now it is puss’s turn,” the nurse said.
Cat stretched out in the chair and opened her mouth.
“What sharp teeth you have!” the dentist said.
“All the better to bite you with,” Cat spat.
Dr Munch nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Only kidding,” Cat said.
Dr Munch checked her teeth with a mirror. “All good, but don’t forget to floss. You can get down now.”
Cat padded out to the waiting room. “I need to keep an eye on your patients.”
Rat perched on the edge of sofa, moaning and holding his cheek.
“Now it’s your turn, Rattie dear,” the nurse said.
Rat took care the nurse didn’t tread on his paws as he scurried across the room and hopped onto the ride-on chair.
The chair rose up and up towards a huge round circular globe. It was like riding in a spaceship. A dazzling light shone into his eyes, and strange tools lay on tiny tables all around him.
“Open wide, Rattie.” Dr Munch said. He poked a silver tool inside his mouth.
“What a large hole you have, Rat. You’ve been eating too many sweeties.”
Rat blinked with shame. “What am I to do?”
“You’ll need a filling in your fang.”
“Will it hurt?”
“Not much after a little spray on your gum, and a prick with an injection.”
Dr Munch nodded to the nurse, who passed him a needle.
Rat squeezed his eyes tight.
“Just wriggle your claws and you won’t feel a thing,” the nurse said.
Rat wriggled his claws and before he knew it, the filling was done.
“Remember to clean your teeth, Rattie,” the dentist said, as he lowered the chair. “And cut down on the sweeties.”
“I’ll try. Can I have two more rides in the chair?”
“One more.”
The nurse gave Cat, Dog and Rat a new toothbrush each and they all went home singing:
We are Cat, Dog and Rat all three,
We like going to the surgery.
Dr Munch will be pleased if we brush each day,
To keep our teeth from any decay
That night, after dinner, Rat couldn’t find the sweetie jar because Cat had hidden it. But he did try out Dr Munch’s new toothbrush.
The End
***
If you want to sing Rat’s songs use the melody to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and repeat the first two lines at the end.
CBCA Anthology