The Dentist Episode / Western Animation

Dentist Episodes in Western Animation Television Series

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• The Abby Hatcher episode "Abby's Afraid" has Abby get her first loose tooth on the same day she has an appointment with the dentist Dr. Anna, and she's afraid to see her as she thinks she'll want to pull the tooth out, so she tries to avoid her with Fuzzly emergencies.
• Adventure Time episode "Dentist" plays with this. The episode opens with Finn refusing to "go dentist" to fix his toothache. The show being what it is, it turns out that "going dentist" means "working as a mercenary for an ant colony in exchange for dental work", and the episode focuses on fighting and Teeth-Clenched Teamwork (no pun intended).
• The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius: One of the pilot shorts, "Pain Pain Go Away" begins with Jimmy and Carl at Dr. Pane's dentistry. Carl is afraid of getting his teeth drilled, but Jimmy helps him overcome this fear with his Pain Trasferrence Helmet, which transfers any pain he experiences to someone else. As Dr. Pane drills Jimmy's teeth, Jimmy transfers his pain to Cindy. Cindy soon finds out and gets ahold of Jimmy's helmet, transferring her pain to Jimmy as payback.
• Animaniacs (1993): In "Nothing But the Tooth", Rasputin gets a toothache, and to his horror, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are his dentists. In the Wheel of Morality segment that follows, the episode's moral is "Brush your teeth after every meal. This moral brought to you by the American Dental Association."
• The Atomic Betty episode "Attack of the Evil Space Baby" sees a fearful Betty needing a cavity filled, but before she could proceed with her appointment, she is called to stop Infantor from destroying the galaxy, at the same time, causing worry for her mother and the doctor when they discover she's disappeared from the dentist chair. Betty bravely goes through with her appointment after Infantor is defeated.
• Arthur: "Arthur's Tooth", adapted from a book of the same name, deals with Arthur having a loose tooth. He visits the dentist, who tells him that everyones' teeth fall out at different ages and there's nothing wrong with not having lost a tooth.
• Beany and Cecil: The 1988 episode "Radio With a Bite!" has Cecil at the dentist to treat a swollen and rotting tooth (it's John Kricfalusi, so of course they're going to show the tooth). Dishonest John, disguised as a dental tech, plants a radio receiver in Cecil's mouth and transmits orders to steal a valuable painting from the museum.
• In the Betty Boop cartoon "Ha! Ha! Ha!", after Koko the Clown gets a toothache, Betty takes it upon herself to remove the bad tooth. Since this cartoon takes place on a drawing desk at Fleischer Studios, Betty simply draws a dentist's office for her to use. Unfortunately things go haywire when some Laughing Gas starts to spray everywhere.
• The Big City Greens episode "Hurty Tooth" has Cricket taken to the dentist because of a rotten tooth. He is at first freaked out because of horror stories Gramma told him about doctors taking anything they can, but Cricket eventually relents due to how painful the tooth has become, as well as being scared by the sight of Gramma's dentures.
• Bobby's World: In "Bobby's Tooth or Dare", Bobby goes to the dentist for his first dental check-up, accompanied by Kelly and Derek, his older siblings, and his Uncle Ted. When Bobby finds out about how the Tooth Fairy takes teeth and leaves money from Jackie, he plots to hit the jackpot by stealing his Aunt Ruth's dentures and placing them under his pillow.
• Bob's Burgers
  • The episode "Dr. Yap" sees Bob being heavily medicated after a visit to the titular dentist, mistaking Linda's sister, Gayle, for her.
  • "The Kids Run Away" has all the Belcher kids go in for a dental checkup. After finding out she has a really bad cavity, Louise is terrified of getting it filled and runs away with her siblings to Aunt Gayle's apartment. By the end of the episode with a lot of support (and a bit of action role-playing) she is convinced to get the cavity filled.
• The CatDog episode "Teeth for Two" has the titular twins visiting the dentist for a checkup, but when Dog's teeth come out perfect, Cat's teeth are rotting and decaying. An X-ray reveals after the fact that whatever damage Dog does to his teeth will affect Cat's teeth and vice-versa, and unless Dog changes his diet, Cat will need surgery to control the condition. Soon enough, the two get into a big fight to ruin the other's teeth, from eating other items besides food to physical violence, only to succeed in badly damaging each other's teeth when they collide with a landing plane while fighting on a mobile staircase. The twins eventually get their teeth fixed, but then develop a food allergy from their tooth war and have to be shaved down and dipped in a bath of acid.
• The Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island episode "Fruit Canal" is about Coconut Fred accompanying Bingo Cherry as he visits the dentist to have a toothache taken care of.
• Codename: Kids Next Door combines this trope with a mystery episode. A mysterious villain known as Knightbrace begins attacking the children of Sector V one by one, "evilly" whitening their teeth and providing proper dental care. The kids suspect the local dentist, whose office is right next door to the local candy shop where they go to deliberately ruin their teeth. In a twist ending, it turns out the candy shop owner is Knightbrace—he wanted to be a dentist but was rejected from dental school (for trying to put braces on babies), and being forced to open a sweet shop and watch children eat sugary treats all day has driven him over the edge. And in a further subversion, the dentist ends up being the one to save the kids!
• The Crumpets: The beginning of "Dans tes dents" features Caprice fiercely resisting her trip to the dentist and repeatedly screaming, Triceps has to tie her up. The visit itself is brief on runtime, yet Caprice leaves with braces she's very reluctant to expose to others.
• Dan Vs.: In "Dan Vs. The Dentist", Dan has to see the dentist after breaking a tooth. Dan protests this, believing that all dentists are con men who cause more tooth problems than they solve, for their own job security. And it turns out Dan is completely right. His dentist is, in fact, a tooth-themed supervillain.
• In the Dennis the Menace (1986) episode, "Nothing But the Tooth", Joey has a loose tooth and is afraid of having it fall out. Dennis tells Joey to go to the dentist to have it taken out, but Joey is afraid of dentists. He's even afraid of the tooth fairy when Dennis tells him that he can get money from her for his tooth. Dennis has PeeBee invent a robot to extract Joey's tooth, and when PeeBee tests it on Mr. Wilson by having it take his dentures, this frightens Joey even more. At the end of the episode, Joey overcomes his fear when Dennis accidentally knocks out his tooth at the dentist's office, but when Dennis finds out that he has a dental check-up, he becomes afraid of going to the dentist.
• The Deputy Dawg Show: Deputy Dawg's dentist hires Muskie and Vincent Van Gopher to bring DD in for his annual checkup. Of course DD's is a craven coward when it comes to the dentist, so Muskie and Vince strain a sinew to accomplish the task.
• One "Justice Friends" segment of Dexter's Laboratory, aptly named "Pain in the Mouth", features the Infraggable Krunk getting a corn chip stuck in his tooth and suffering extreme dental pain. Valhallen repeatedly points out that Krunk just needs to see a dentist, but Major Glory, who has a pathological fear of them, insists on increasingly desperate schemes to cure Krunk, including having other Justice Friends attack his mouth and deliberately leaving the giant in the middle of a public square, then announcing to every villain in town that "a single punch to the jaw" would defeat him. After all of these plots fail, Krunk finally agrees to visit the dentist, and the visit is perfectly pleasant—there's even a And Knowing Is Half the Battle moment at the end of the episode where the characters tell the audience that seeing the dentist at least once a year is important, as well as Major Glory needing loads of dental work as a means of paying the price for doing other peoples' jobs and neglecting his own dental health.
• One episode of Doug has the titular Doug getting his first cavity. He starts panicking and has various frightening Imagine Spots, however the actual dentist is quite nice and painlessly fixes his cavity. In addition, after Roger lied to Doug about the dentist earlier in the episode, prompting those imagine spots, karma comes back to bite him in his ass when he happens to be at the same dentist office for a cleaning.
• Eureka! (2022): "Dipply Goes to the Dentist" focuses on Dipply needing to overcome her fear of the dentist to get a toothache checked out.
• The Fanboy and Chum Chum episode "Dental Illness" has Fanboy catching a toothache from the one tooth he never brushes and has to go to the dentist to get it extracted. The dentist he sees is a vampire.
• Harriet the Spy had an episode where Harriet had to go to the dentist to have her last baby tooth extracted by none other than her rival's father (though he's much nicer to her than his daughter is). Harriet, however, is unwilling to part with her tooth, since it's her imaginary friend, General Mouth Washington, and it'd be a sign of her being forced to grow up. Eventually, after some encouragement from her friends and family (and having to put up with increasing pain from her tooth being wedged out), Harriet has her tooth extracted.
• Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs has an episode where Trike gets a hornache from eating too much candy and has to visit the "horntist".
• Hey Arnold!: The start of the episode "Helga Blabs it All" sees Helga visiting the dentist to have a cavity filled. While under the influence of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) during the procedure, she becomes so loopy, she calls the boarding house and leaves a message professing her love for Arnold, and then has to infiltrate the boarding house to erase the message before Arnold hears it.
• Huckleberry Hound is the titular "Pet Vet," and here he's been summoned to treat a zoo lion with a sore tooth. Winning the lion's trust is as difficult as it usually appears for Huck.
• A Johnny Bravo episode sees the titular hunk being dragged to the local dental college for a toothache (he's apparently been brushing with cane sugar and molasses). To trick him, Mama Bravo tells him that they're actually going to the "Happy Fun Park," and Johnny spends almost all of the episode believing that the dentist is actually an employee who will change his dollars for quarters. When Johnny finally realizes what's going on, the dentist easily solves his problem—there was a pine nut stuck in his gums. Johnny is then given a lollipop, which he tries to bite and ends up breaking his teeth.
• The subplot of the Life with Loopy episode "Fang Fairy" has Larry getting a toothache, which is probably a baby tooth that needs to come out and he can put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy, but Larry is too scared to go. While the family is watching a vampire movie during this time, it prompts Loopy to believe a "fang fairy" might exist and uses her fake vampire fangs to find out. The end result: the titular fairy, who happens to be a vampire and is none too pleased with the prank Loopy pulled on him, turns her into a werewolf. After deciding he needs a new career and turns Loopy back to normal, the fairy becomes Larry's dentist, whom she recommended to personally, much to his fear.
• Looney Tunes Cartoons: In "The Daffy Dentist", Porky pays a visit to Daffy Duck to help relieve a sore tooth.
• The Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart episode "Flyaway" has Adorabat being so afraid of going to the dentist that she transcends her mortal form just to get out of going. This episode provides the page image above.
• "The Merry Old Soul" has Oswald the Lucky Rabbit going to the dentist for a difficult tooth extraction, although the plot takes a sharp turn when Oswald hears a radio story reporting that the king is depressed.
• Molly of Denali: "Tooth Or Consequences", where the kids are scared to go to the dentist because of a sensational video.
• The Muppet Babies (1984) episode, "Dental Hyjinks" is about Fozzie getting a loose tooth and being afraid to go to the dentist. Nanny ends up taking him to the dentist, leaving the others worried, but Fozzie ends up coming back perfectly fine, and the other babies are so impressed by what Fozzie got from the dentist that they want to go too.
• PAW Patrol: Chase is terrified of going to the dentist in "Pups Save a Toof". Also doubles as a "What Do They Fear?" Episode.
• In the PB&J Otter episode, "Butter's First Check-up", Butter is afraid of going to the dentist for her very first check-up, so Peanut and Jelly try to show her that dental visits are nothing to be afraid of.
• The Powerpuff Girls:
  • Near the end of the 1998 original series episode "Moral Decay", where all the villains were beaten up by Buttercup for their teeth while she was doing her duties as a heroine, but eventually became impatient after a day of no crime and beat them up unwarranted, after she learns the tooth fairy gives money in exchange for loose teeth after accidentally knocking Bubbles's tooth out and plotted to amass a fortune in order to purchase a new punching bag. The villains, as well as Blossom and Bubbles after they learn what Buttercup was doing behind their backs, all agree it shouldn't be like this and she needs to be taught a lesson. When the girls are called to a supposed emergency at the museum, Blossom and Bubbles let all the toothless villains beat up Buttercup and knock all her teeth out in return. Moreover, Buttercup loses the stash of money she obtained through her scheme when the Professor uses it to pay her dental bills.
    Buttercup: [frightened upon confrontation from the villains] Uh, girls, uh... a little help here?
    Blossom: Sorry, Buttercup, you know what they say; an eye for an eye...
    Bubbles: [lisping] And a tooth for a tooth!
    [Buttercup is beaten up by the villains, then the scene switches to the dentist office, where the girls and the professor are sitting in the waiting room. As Blossom and Bubbles gleefully look on, Buttercup sheepishly shows the injuries she sustained from her beating to the Professor]
    Prof. Utonium: Well, Buttercup, I can’t say I’m proud of you, but I do know this lesson will surely teach you one thing: the value of... [holds up the stash] a dollar! [Buttercup gasps in shock, as her sisters revealed her actions to the Professor and he found her bag of money under the bed] Yes, I think this will just about cover your dental bills.
    [Bubbles blows a raspberry at Buttercup, who sighs despondently as she goes into the exam room, at which point drilling is heard; this is then followed by Buttercup clenching her cheek in pain following the appointment with her sisters looking on at her gleefully— Blossom grinning evilly and Bubbles blowing another raspberry— as the end shot comes up]
    Narrator: [unintelligible following his own dentist visit] So Once Again, the Day Is Saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls! Oww!
  • In the 2016 reboot episode "Tooth or Consequences", the girls have to get their teeth cleaned at the dentist. Blossom, unfortunately, has pain in her tooth. When Buttercup scares her with stories of tooth drilling, Blossom avoids seeing the dentist. Blossom develops a swelling on her face which eventually ends up with her transforming into a monster. The Professor, after revealing to the sisters he knows Blossom avoided her appointment due to receiving a bill for only Bubbles and Buttercup, is able to talk down Blossom, and in the end, she goes to the dentist, but the same thing happens again when she needs braces.
• In the Rocko's Modern Life episode, "Rinse and Spit", Filburt uses Rocko as a test patient so that he can pass his final exam at dental school, the teacher being Dr. Paula Hutchison. When Filburt discovers that Rocko has a cavity in one of his teeth, he attempts to take an X-ray, but Rocko's tooth then escapes from Rocko's mouth, uses the rays from the X-ray machine to make him grow to an enormous size and goes on a rampage. In order to pass the final part of the exam, Filburt has to return Rocko's tooth to its normal size. The episode ends with a segment where Gordon, a disembodied talking leg advises the viewers to take proper care of their teeth, not to mention Rocko went to see a real dentist to have his cavity fixed.
• Although he isn't at the dentist's office the entire episode, the plot of the Rugrats (1991) episode "Weaning Tommy" is kicked off with Tommy's first dentist appointment and his dentist Dr. Homer saying he needs to be off the bottle now that he's one year old.
• The Simpsons: In "Last Exit to Springfield", Mr. Burns tries to remove the nuclear power plant's dental plan. Homer realizes that this means he'll have to pay for Lisa's braces, and begins a strike to get the dental plan back. By the end of the episode, Lisa gets her braces at the dentist's office, which are completely invisible. Additionally, Ralph Wiggum goes to the dentist, who interrogates him into admitting that he doesn't brush three times a day.
• SpongeBob SquarePants: In "The Whole Tooth", Patrick is afraid of the dentist, not wanting to go despite an awful toothache. SpongeBob convinces him to go, and it turns out that he needs to have his last baby tooth removed. Patrick still tries to keep his baby tooth, but after SpongeBob tells him about the Tooth Ferry (a cruise ship for teeth, taking them to a tropical island), he allows his tooth to be taken out.
• The Taz-Mania episode "Toothache Taz" had Taz suffering from toothache, and going to the Platypus Brothers instead of a proper dentist with his mom. After several attempts to remove it (and losing a healthy tooth instead of the right one), he runs out of their house, and goes to the doctor with Mom.
• Totally Spies!: In "Dental? More Like Mental", not only is this episode’s villain a dentist, but Sam and Clover spend most of the episode urging Alex to get over her phobia of dentists and visit one herself for her toothache.

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