Sprinkles' Loose Tooth

A.N. This was actually an idea I've had for a long time now. Blue's Clues was one of my favorite shows growing up as a child and still continues to have a place in my heart to this day. This was originally meant to be posted to celebrate the show's twenty-fifth anniversary last year, but I just never found the time for it. But, it's here now, and that's all that matters.

One day, Blue and her little brother, Sprinkles, were at school. They had just finished watching an edutational video about dental hygiene, and the teacher, Miss Marigold, was talking to the class about it.

"So, who can tell me what we learned from the video?" she asked.

Blue raised her paw.

"Blue?" called Miss Marigold.

"Always brush your teeth every day and night." Blue replied.

"Good." smiled Miss Marigold. "Who else?"

Sprinkles raised his paw next.

"Floss at least once a day." he said.

The next to speak up was one of Blue's schoolfriends, Orange Kitten.

"Don't eat too many sweets." she said.

"Very good, all of you." said Miss Marigold.

Miss Marigold then got out some pamphlets.

"These pamphlets have some more helpful hints to help you keep your teeth healthy." she said. "I'd like you all to take these home and show them to your parents or guardians. In the meantime, I think it's time for you all to head out to the playground, and since everyone sat quietly during the video, I think you've all earned an extra five minutes."

The students cheered as they raced out to the playground. Later that day, when Blue and Sprinkles came home, they showed their pamphlets to their owner/guardian Steve.

"Boy, this pamphlet sure has some useful information." he said. "Especially where it talks about going to the dentist."

"What's a dentist?" asked Sprinkles.

"A dentist is a doctor that specializes in teeth." Steve explained.

Just then, Steve realized something.

"Oh, yeah, you've never been to the dentist, haven't you?" he asked.

Sprinkles shook his head.

"Then I guess we better fix that." said Steve. "In fact, tomorrow is our first annual checkup."

Just then, Steve's cousin Josh came into the room. He had his hand on his right cheek, and his face had a pained expression.

"Josh, what happened?" asked Steve.

"It's my tooth!" Josh hissed through his clenched teeth. "I've hurt my tooth!"

"Let me see." said Steve.

Josh nodded, then opened his mouth, and when Steve looked inside, he noticed that one of Josh's teeth was cracked.

"Ooh, ouch." winced Steve. "That looks pretty bad. Good thing we're going to the dentist tomorrow. We better get Dr. Mike to have a look at it."

Josh nodded in agreement. At that moment, Steve's brother and Josh's cousin, Joe, came into the room.

"What happened?" Joe asked.

"Josh cracked a tooth." Steve replied.

"How did that happen?" asked Joe.

Rather than speaking, Josh grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and jotted something down on the paper. He then gave his message to Steve, who looked it over with Joe.

"It seems that Josh thinks he must have cracked it on something he was eating." Steve said. "Specifically, he thinks he may have accidentally bit into an unpopped popcorn kernel."

"Yikes..." Joe grimaced. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing Dr. Mike can't fix."

"That's right." agreed Steve.

"Mm-hm." said Josh.

Later that evening, everyone was having dinner, and while everyone else was having Salisbury steak with macaroni shells and green beans, Josh just had a bowl of macaroni and cheese with added corned beef hash.

"How come Josh is having soup while the rest of us are having this stuff?" asked Sprinkles.

"Because, Sprinkles, when people have problems with their teeth, it's recommended that eat foods that are easy to swallow and don't require a lot of chewing." Joe explained. "In Josh's case, macaroni and cheese."

"Oh, okay." said Sprinkles. "I also have a question about the dentist. What will the dentist actually do? Will he hurt me?"

"Of course not." chuckled Steve. "He's just going to look at your teeth to make sure they're nice and healthy."

"Plus, Dr. Mike is really nice." said Blue. "I think you might like him."

"Really?" asked Sprinkles.

"Yeah." nodded Blue.

"Oh, and don't forget to brush your teeth extra good tonight." added Steve.

"Right, Steve!" said Blue and Sprinkles in unison.

And so, the next day, Steve, Joe, Josh, Blue, and Sprinkles were on their way to the dentists' office in Steve, Joe, and Josh's shared 1974 Volkswagen Thing. Steve was driving the vehicle while Joe sat in the front passenger's seat and Josh sat in the back seat between Blue and Sprinkles, he latter of whom was reading the pamphlet Miss Marigold had given him, Blue, and their other friends. Blue took notice of this.

"Still reading that pamphlet?" she asked.

"Yep." nodded Sprinkles. "And there's something Im curious about. It says something about a "cavity". What's a cavity?"

"You'll have to save that question for the dentist, Sprinkles." said Steve. "Because we're here!"

After Steve parked the Thing in the parking lot, they went inside the building, and soon found themselves in the waiting room, and Sprinkles was quick to notice that the waiting area wasn't very different from the waiting room at the doctor's office, as it had a play area, a TV, and some books and magazines. While Sprinkles went to play with some toy cars, Blue just settled in to read a book and Steve and Joe decided to play a game of Go Fish. As Josh's tooth problem was much more urgent, he was the first to see the dentist. He eventually came out with a light blue-skinned man with darker blue hair in a curly mop-top style, a goatee and mustache, and clothed in a white lab coat over a blue button-down shirt, a red tie, brown pants, and black leather loafers. He also had a pair of thick-rimmed glasses over his eyes. Sprinkles was quick to notice the man.

"That must be Dr. Mike." he thought.

The man then began speaking to Josh.

"Okay, Josh, I've repaired your tooth." he said. "If you have any problems after the anesthetic wears off, give me a call."

Josh nodded and went to sit down next to his cousins.

"Alright, is Sprinkles here?" the man then asked.

"Yep!" nodded Sprinkles.

"Alrighty." said the man. "Follow me, please."

With that, the man took Sprinkles into an exam room, and Sprinkles took a seat in the big chair in the middle of the room.

"Ooh, this is comfy." said Sprinkles.

The man then pulled a rolling chair next to the bigger chair and sat down inside it.

"Hello, Sprinkles, I'm Dr. Mike." said the man. "I'll be checking your teeth out today."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Mike." replied Sprinkles.

"Alright, Sprinkles, I'd like to ask you a few questions before we begin." said Dr. Mike. "First, how often do you brush your teeth? Do you brush your teeth every day and night?"

"Yep!" grinned Sprinkles. "Front, back, up, down, left, and right! My toothbrush even has Superman on it!"

"Oh, you like Superman, huh?" asked Dr. Mike. "That's nice. Next, whenever you have a snack, what do you usually have?"

"Well, usually, when I want a snack, I usually have an apple, a carrot, a stick of celery, or something else like that." said Sprinkles.

"That's good." nodded Dr. Mike. "Those kinds of snacks are great for your teeth. Speaking of, do you eat a lot of candy or other foods high in sugar?"

"Not really." said Sprinkles. "We usually save those kinds of things for special occassions and holidays, or at least once a month."

"Good for you." smiled Dr. Mike. "Because while it is okay to have sugary snacks once in a while, it's best to not eat too many. Otherwise, you might get a cavity."

"That reminds me, what's a cavity?" asked Sprinkles.

"I'm so glad you asked." said Dr. Mike. "A cavity is a hole in your tooth that's caused by yucky germs from this sticky slimy stuff called "plaque". If you don't take good care of your teeth, cavities can form in your teeth."

Sprinkles, needless to say, did not find that appealing at all.

"That sounds gross." said Sprinkles.

"It does, doesn't it?" agreed Dr. Mike. "That's why it's really important to brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day."

"Just like in that video from yesterday." thought Sprinkles.

Sprinkles then noticed a picture on the wall. The picture showed Dr. Mike with Dr. Mya, who was his (Sprinkles') and Blue's primary care provider.

"Hey, is that Dr. Mya?" he asked.

"Why, yes it is." relied Dr. Mike.

"Do you know her?" Sprinkles continued.

"Yep." nodded Dr. Mike. "I'm her husband."

Sprinkles was surprised.

"That's amazing!" he thought.

"Alright, Sprinkles, how about we get those pearly whites of yours checked out now?" asked Dr. Mike.

"Okay." nodded Sprinkles.

With that, after Dr. Mike put on some exam gloves, he placed a dental bib around Sprinkles' neck, put a suction hose in Sprinkles' mouth, then began examining his teeth with a small mirror.

"Boy, these teeth look very clean and healthy." Dr. Mike said. "I see you really have been doing a good job brushing."

Although he couldn't really talk right now, Sprinkles felt pleased to hear that. Dr. Mike then put his mirror and suction hose back on the rack that housed his other tools.

"Okay, Sprinkles, I'm gonna clean your teeth now." said Dr. Mike. "I've got lots of cool flavors of this special toothpaste. What flavor would you like?"

"Do you have any bubblegum-flavored paste?" Sprinkles asked.

"I sure do." replied Dr. Mike. "Is that the flavor you want?"

Sprinkles nodded, and Dr. Mike put some of the paste on a polishing tool, then began cleaning Sprinkles' teeth with it. When he was done, he rinsed Sprinkles' mouth out with water, pulled down a camera-like device and draped a lead blanket over Sprinkles.

"What's that?" as Sprinkles.

"It's an x-ray." replied Dr. Mike. "I just want to make extra sure your teeth are growing in properly."

"Okay." said Sprinkles.

After placing a positioner in Sprinkles' mouth, Dr. Mike took x-rays of Sprinkles' teeth. Once he was done, and after removing the positioner, Dr. Mike took out a cardboard box made to look like a treasure chest.

"Alright, Sprinkles, all done." said Dr. Mike. "And since you were a good patient, why don't you pick out some things from the Prize Chest?"

"Oh, yes, please!" grinned Sprinkles.

Dr. Mike opened the chest, and Sprinkles reached in and picked out a yo-yo, a Superman sticker, and a pink rubber ball. In addition, Dr. Mike also gave Sprinkles some more goodies, in the form of a brand-new toothbrush, a trial-size tube of toothpaste, a trial-size bottle of mouthwash, a box of dental floss, and a lemon-flavored sugar-free lollipop shaped like a tooth. Afterwards, Dr. Mike took Sprinkles back to the waiting area.

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Sprinkles said to himself as he sucked on his sucker.

Eventually, Blue, Steve, and Joe all had their turns, and Dr. Mike came out to give them their summaries.

"Alright, let's see how you guys did." said Dr. Mike. "Steve, I think you can stand to floss a bit more regularly. But other than that, I'd say you're good for another six months."

"Got it." said Steve.

Next, Dr. Mike spoke with Joe.

"Joe, you have two small cavities." Dr. Mike continued. "I'd like you to come back next week so we can fill them in before they worsen."

"Okay." nodded Joe.

Lastly, Dr. Mike looked at Blue and Sprinkles.

"As for you, Blue and Sprinkles, you two were excellent." he praised. "Not one single cavity. However, Sprinkles, I did find something with you."

"What is it?" asked Sprinkles in a slightly worried tone.

"You have a new tooth growing in." said Dr. Mike. "And that means you're going to lose a tooth soon."

Sprinkles, although he seemed okay with this news on the outside, was wrought with anxiety on the inside. On the way home, he voiced his previously hidden concerns.

"So, you're worried about losing a tooth, huh?" asked Blue.

"Yeah." nodded Sprinkles.

"Don't worry, Sprinkles, it's normal to start losing teeth at your age." said Steve from the front passenger seat, as Joe was driving the Thing this time.

"Yeah, when kids start losing their teeth, that just means your body is making room in your mouth for bigger and stronger teeth." added Joe.

"And here's something else that's great about losing teeth." Steve continued. "When you lose a tooth, you can put it under your pillow for the Tooth Fairy."

"The Tooth Fairy?" gasped Sprinkles.

"Yeah, the Tooth Fairy comes and collects kids' teeth." said Blue. "And in their place, she leaves them money."

"Sounds exciting!" grinned Sprinkles.

That afternoon in the park, Sprinkles was talking about this with Periwinkle, a kitten who lived next door to Blue and Sprinkles with his grandfather, Mauve, as the two played on the playground.

"So, you're losing a tooth soon, are you?" asked Periwinkle. "That must be exciting."

"It sure is." said Sprinkles. "I wish my tooth would just fall out right now!"

"If that's the case, I know a way you can get it out real quick." said Periwinkle. "Take a long piece of fishing wire, tie one end to the tooth, tie the other end to a doorknob, and slam the door. It always works. You should try it."

"Well, alright." said Sprinkles.

Later that same afternoon, Blue and Sprinkles were by the bathroom door, which, per Periwinkle's instructions, had one end of a long piece of fishing wire tied to the knob and the other tied to Sprinkles' tooth.

"Ready, Sprinkles?" asked Blue.

"Yep!" nodded Sprinkles.

"Okay." said Blue. "One...two...three!"

And with that, Blue gave the door a mighty heave, but when the door slammed into its closed state, nothing happened.

"Is it out?" Sprinkles asked.

"Nope." said Blue. "It's still in there."

"What are you guys doing?" asked a voice.

It was Joe, who had heard the slamming door and wanted to investigate. Sprinkles told Joe what he and his sister were doing, and also where he got the idea.

"I see." said Joe. "You know, I once tried this trick with Steve when I lost my first baby tooth."

"You did?" asked Blue.

"Yep." said Joe. "It didn't quite work, though."

"What did you try next?" asked Blue.

"With the tooth still tied to one end of the string, we tied the other end to a baseball." Joe went on. "Then, when Steve hit the ball after tossing it into the air, out came the tooth. Though, I wouldn't recommend trying that."

"Why not?" asked Blue.

"Well, when me and Steve tried it, we ended up breaking a window." said Joe. "Boy, Mom was mad..."

"I'll bet she was." said Blue.

Just then, Tickety Tock came over.

"It's almost dinner time!" she said.

"Thanks, Tickety." said Joe. "You heard her, you two. Time to wash up for dinner."

"Okay, Joe." said Blue. "Come on, Sprinkles."

With that, the two pups, after untying the string from Sprinkles' tooth and the doorknob, went to wash up for dinner. After dinner, Blue and Sprinkles decided to go outside again and have a game of catch while the sun was still out. However, during the catch game, something shocking happened. When Blue threw her ball to Sprinkles, the ball ended up hitting Sprinkles in the mouth. Naturally, Blue was overcome with fear at the thought of injuring her own brother by accident, and she rushed over to him.

"I'm so sorry, Sprinkles!" she said. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." said Sprinkles.

Just then, Blue noticed something. It looked like one of Sprinkles' teeth was missing. It wasn't too hard to figure out what happened.

"I think your tooth came out!" she gasped.

"Really?!" replied Sprinkles.

"Yeah!" cried Blue. "But where did it go?"

They soon found the tooth lying in the grass, and they immediately brought it inside to show Steve.

"Well, would you look at that?" said Steve as he looked at the tooth. "I think somebody's gonna be paid a visit by the tooth fairy tonight."

Sprinkles could barely contain his excitement. Later that night, as Sprinkles was being tucked in for the night, he slipped a small plastic box under his pillow.

"Nighty-night, little tooth." said Sprinkles.

The next morning, when Sprinkles looked under his pillow, he found not his tooth, but a crisp five-dollar bill.

"Wow!" he gasped.

Sprinkles grabbed his prize from the Tooth Fairy and rushed to the kitchen, where he found everyone having breakfast.

"She came, she came!" Sprinkles grinned as he brandished the bill.

"So she did." said Steve.

"What are you gonna spend the money on?" asked Shovel.

"I don't know." said Sprinkles.

"Well, you better put it in your piggy bank until you decide." suggested Joe as he had a sip of coffee.

"Good idea." agreed Sprinkles.

With that, Sprinkles went into the bedroom, where he placed the bill inside a piggy bank that was painted to look like Superman.

"Man, I can't believe I just lost my first baby tooth." said Sprinkles. "I wonder how long it will be before I lose the next one."

Who knows, Sprinkles? Who knows?

The End

A.N.2. Just wanted to point out that while there will be some elements from the reboot series, Blue's Clues & You!, in these oneshots, chiefly the inclusion of Josh as a character, a lot of inspiration for these oneshots is drawn from the original series, for the sake of nostalgia. In the case of Miss Marigold, she will always be depicted as a human like in the original series instead of a hippo like in the reboot.