First Visit

If you forego reality and embrace your imagination, you can partake in a fun-filled experience that may possibly transport you to another world. When you sign up to the Tooth Brigade it's a commitment to a lifelong battle against the evil forces of The Count of Decay. I expect the best from my cadets and that begins from their initial training in the Space Station. Depending on your rank and age, ideally your first visit should consist of a collection of data about what makes you special in order to formulate a mission plan.  That includes, but is not limited to, how you brush your teeth, what foods you like and how many and how clean your teeth are. Moving forward, I may utilize high tech invisible beams to detect pre-existing invasion by cavity hordes or unusual space anomalies like extra teeth. Together we will clean your teeth and possibly protect them for interstellar flight with a flavored serum. Throughout you may feel free to ask any questions on the way and I'm keen on showing off and explaining my stations gadgets and gears before we actually use them. Finally, upon completion of your initiation to The Tooth Brigade you can request a Photo ID of your time with us, a planetary toothbrush and a token of my appreciation from The Best Prize Shelf in the Milky Way.

 A Parent's Introduction to your First Visit to Smile Galaxy

• Parents may choose whether or not you board the ship with your wee cadet. However, quarters are cramped and I ask that only one parent or senior Admiral per flight. Exceptions can be made; usually on first flights only, but please ask permission first.

• Wee cadets under the age of three will often need to use their parents lap as a booster seat unless they prove themselves completely at ease in this space travel. The Captain or his crew will guide you to your assigned seat. Otherwise, I ask that parents relegate themselves to an assigned blue booster seat.

• Please try and be a silent observer. The Captain may ask your child questions like how old are you Timmy or when was the last time you were at the dentist Kimberly which you may be so proud of to know the answer to, you may find yourself spontaneously blurting out “He’s five!”,  or “He was at the dentist four months ago!” Young enlistees will normally listen to their senior officers instead of a stranger new Captain and may not hear The Captain’s guidance. Furthermore, you may give incorrect or misleading information. The Captain has a limited amount of time to develop a relationship with your cadet while simultaneously ascertaining their abilities and limitations. I assure you every exchange has a meaning or serves a purpose. So please keep interjections to a minimum.

• Try to avoid using words both before and during the appointment that may give your cadet reason to panic. You may say in jest the doctor is going to pull out all your teeth, but think for a second how this puts The Captain behind the eight ball before he’s even started. Other hot button words I would like you to avoid are shots, pain, needles, hurt, drill, yank, pain, despair and terrible terrible trouble. 

• If your cadet is being referred by a different dentist, please make every effort to bring pre-existing x-rays to aid in analysis. Depending on their clarity and how recently they were taken, we may or may not need to supplement them with our own depending on need and your cadet's behavior. Furthermore, The Captain may need you to return on a subsequent day to begin initiation of treatment once I have completed my initial evaluation and mission planning.
   

• I do not have the resources to put your cadet to sleep for his dental work today. Nor can I fix all ten of their cavities during a mere 30 minutes voyage. What I will try to do is get them to have some fun, laugh and leave healthier mentally and physically than when they came.  I will strive to teach them how to be a professional patient, brave what can be a stressful experience or new environment and prove to themselves not to fear difficult situations in the future. We are building future Captains here at Smile Galaxy.

• Every cadet is an cosmic snowflake and where one will be calm and collected, another will crack under warp drive conditions.  The reasons run the gamut from feeding off parental anxiety to school yard gossip. Never the less, you’re asking the Captain to get them from Mars to Jupiter in 30 minutes without permanently scarring their psyches so please understand he’s doing his best and often will jump through hoops or tear himself in emotional two to accomplish a mere tooth cleaning. Other times he has the foresight to know exactly in the first two minutes if your cadet is having a bad day. If so he will be strong enough to provide the leadership to get them past being lost in the Black Hole of Despair during a procedure.

• When he was six years old, The Captain knew he wanted to be a Pediatric Dentist. He genuinely likes children and has what he considers the patience of a Spotted Plutonian Snail and the empathy to billow a thousand cosmic sails. Still, his humor tends towards the sarcastic, metaphors feed tangents and he’s still working on being as comfortable with parents as he is with their kids. He asks for your forgiveness if these small imperfections arise and hope you’ll launch with him again.