Stephanie Wilson well remembers shaking in her tiny boots as she waited in a "horrible and very white room" for a busy dentist to extract four of her teeth.
Although she was only 12, in those days her mum was not allowed into the surgery with her and the only declaration from the dentist was that "it won't take long and it won't hurt - much".
Now, at 39, Stephanie, who owns TFI Dentistry at Thornlands, has written and published a children's book to ensure kids go to the dentist with smiles on their faces and leave with even better ones.
The Story of the Tooth Fairy, due for release this week as part of August's Dental Health Month, tells the tale of the Tooth Fairy who takes a five-year-old girl, Kenzie, for a visit to a dental surgery.
The 32-page book, edited by Tanyia Sekulich, is illustrated by 18-year-old Erin Casey, who lives at Sheldon.
"The story is based on my own upsetting experiences as a child going to the dentist and is told from the Tooth Fairy's point of view," said Stephanie, an oral therapist and dental hygienist.
"It's a poetic book for children aged between four and eight and is not about how children overcome their fears of the dentist but rather how, in the future, kids will never fear the dentist.
"I really wanted to get the message out that the world of dentistry has completely changed in the past 30 years and today it's all about care and service.
"We like to joke that we offer TLC at TFI," she laughed adding that Dental Health Month was a good time to emphasise the compassionate side to dentistry.
The practice's avant-garde way of catering for children's needs has won it many prizes including last year's Redland City Chamber of Commerce Business Achievement Award for Business Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
However, Stephanie's greatest honour was winning the Chamber of Commerce's 2009 People's Choice Award, a prize she believes is a true indication of TFI's appeal.
"The judge, a solicitor from MDRN Solicitors in Cleveland, just laughed when looking at the nominations and said 'who's going to nominate a dental surgery for the People's Choice Award? People hate going to the dentist.'
"Winning that prize was such an honour because we were competing with luxurious day spas and beauty salons, where people go to make themselves feel better," said Stephanie who also won the Chamber's 2009 Best Boss Award.
The book is not Stephanie's first effort at making children feel at ease at the practice she established in 2004.
As part of the service, the Cleveland mother of two dresses up as the Tooth Fairy and takes young clients on a trip through the surgery's Enchanted Forest where they can relax and read books before any treatment.
She has also launched a range of fairy clothing, a fairy CD and has created an entire Tooth Fairy International industry including opening a clinic on the Gold Coast in June.
To help her run her ever-increasing business, she employs a practice manager, Adam Campbell, 10 dentists and three other trained Tooth Fairies.
Although her book will be officially launched on Friday, August 13 at Sheldon College, Stephanie also plans to take the book to orphanages in Bali next month where she will use it to educate children about dental hygiene.
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