Photograph courtesy of Delta Dental
When you first enter the Delta Dental Health Theatre (727 N. First, 314-241-7391, ddhtstl.org), your jaw may drop—which would be appropriate, considering you’re looking at a stage comprising 3-foot-high teeth surrounding a tongue-shaped carpet. If this magical setting sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because the theater has hosted talks on dental hygiene for the past 34 years. Generations have viewed campy presentations on the psychedelic-yet-educational stage. Parents may remember the eerie, still-extant re-creation of a 100-year-old dental office.
The present is decidedly more jolly. Indeed, on a recent Saturday, a dozen first-graders observe dental educator Mary Steck as she explains the purpose of teeth. The girls giggle, as is their wont, about the mouth-shaped stage. But it’s the antics of a certain Dudley the Dinosaur, the American Dental Association’s “prehistoric spokesperson,” that truly captivates the kids. In that spirit, the theater recently introduced a new spokesman: a talking, robotic bird named The “You Can” Toucan that interacts with the dental educator, making wisecracks and moving à la those creepy Chuck E. Cheese mice. You might think a giant, light-up mouth stage would offer enough visual stimulation for today’s kids, but no, it takes a talking bird robot, too. The theater can’t afford to slip into decay.
