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Story: Dental care

Dental nursing: butterflies and bees

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Dental nursing:  butterflies and bees

Dental clinics were often decorated with butterflies and bees made out of cotton swabs, paper bibs and dental floss. Children visiting the dental nurse for the first time were allowed to take one home, and the toys were also sometimes given to young patients after a tooth was filled. This butterfly and bee were made in 2010, and were very similar to those decorating the school and mobile clinics of dental therapists around the country.

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How to cite this page

Andrew Schmidt and Susan Moffat, Dental care – Dental nurses to dental therapists, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/30598/dental-nursing-butterflies-and-bees (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Andrew Schmidt and Susan Moffat, published 29 March 2011.