“Tell-Show-Do” is the most fundamental behavioral guidance technique used in pediatric dentistry to overcome children’s anxieties about treatment and care. In the first stage (Tell), the procedure is explained in language the child understands, using non-intimidating words. For example, a toothbrush is introduced as a “tooth broom,” and toothpaste as “tooth polishing soap.” In the second stage (Show), the procedure is demonstrated live on the child’s hand or a large dental model; the child is shown how the bristles of the brush gently rotate by touching them with their finger. In the third stage (Do), this learned experience is gently applied in the child’s own mouth without any delay or hesitation. This sequence eliminates the child’s fear of the unknown, turns the procedure into a game, and maximizes the ease of habit formation.
