About Us

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History

In 1971, Dr. Edward L. Donaldson created the idea of Bippo the Hippo while he was stationed in Cuba with the United States Navy. At that time, Dr. Donaldson was the Navy's only pediatric dentist. He created the Bippo character to help calm children's dental fears by telling a story of the baby hippo's first visit to the dentist. While he was stationed in Cuba, Dr. Donaldson met an artist named Harriet Hastings, the wife of a Navy officer. Mrs. Hastings beautifully illustrated Dr. Donaldson's story using the Cuban terrain as inspiration and the world of Bippo the Hippo began.

The story begins with a very sad and frightened Bippo who has just found out that he is going to be visiting the dentist soon. Bippo decides that he is going to run away from home to avoid going to the dentist, but his friends in the forest explain that the visit will be fun and they coax him into going. While at the dentist, he learns about how to take care of his teeth and finds out that there is nothing to be afraid of. At the end of the visit, Bippo chooses a prize and gets a balloon for being a good patient. He then makes his follow up appointment and is excited about his next visit.

In the beginning, Dr. Donaldson was the only dentist at Bippo's Place for Smiles. He has since passed the torch to numerous doctors, including his daughter, Dr. Jill Donaldson. The practice now has four pediatric dentists and 8 general dentists to assist them. You will find that our friendly staff of doctors, assistants and front desk helpers are always looking for new ways to make your visits pleasant and fun.

When your child visits our office, he or she will get to meet the real Bippo the Hippo and have a picture taken with him. Bippo loves to meet and play with new friends!


Bippo Tours

MANDEVILLE TOUR  |  SLIDELL GAUSE TOUR NEW ORLEANS TOUR


MANDEVILLE LOCATION

Google tour created by JStephenYoung.com

SLIDELL GAUSE LOCATION

Google tour created by JStephenYoung.com

NEW ORLEANS LOCATION

Google tour created by JStephenYoung.com

Bippo Stuff

Bippo's Coloring Pages

Click on the image to view the large version of each coloring page.

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Bippo Lingo

Tickle Stick — Disclosing solution on a cotton swab that helps us see where the patient needs to brush better

Mr. Thirsty — A suction or vacuum that drinks up all of the toothpaste

Magic String — Dental floss

Tooth Muscles — Fluoride varnish

Tooth Bugs, Cavity Bugs or Sugar Bugs — Tooth decay

Tooth Mirror — Small mouth mirror

Tooth Counter — Explorer that is used by the doctor to find cavities

Pictures — X-rays of the teeth

Happy Air — Nitrous Oxide or laughing gas. The happy air comes from our "Bippo the Hippo Nose" and helps your child relax while his or her tooth is being put to sleep.

Sleepy Juice — Our anesthesia used to numb your child's tooth. We never use words like shot or needle. We simply squirt sleepy juice all around their tooth and explain to your child that they may feel tiny little pinches around their tooth as it drifts off to sleep. If they are really quiet, they may hear the tooth snore!

Tooth Raincoat — A rubber dam that isolates the tooth we are working on, keeping it dry and keeping all the cavity bugs from falling into the child's mouth while Mr. Whistle blows them away

Tooth Ring — A small clamp that hugs your child's tooth and holds their tooth raincoat on

Mr. Whistle — Our high-speed dental hand piece that whistles real loud and blows all of the cavity bugs out of the child's tooth

Mr. Bumpy — Our slow-speed dental hand piece that bumps all around their tooth and tickles the cavity bugs away


Education - Book a Bippo Program

Bippo loves to meet new friends at local schools and daycares.

What can you expect from your Bippo program?

bippo-program3It is a 30 to 45 minute educational program that will keep your students delightfully entertained and provide them (and you, too) with a wealth of knowledge on the prevention of tooth decay.

The Program Coordinator will read the story, "Bippo Visits the Dentist", by Edward L. Donaldson, Jr., D.D.S. while projecting pictures from the book onto a large screen. The story takes the children through Bippo’s fears of going to the dentist for the very first time and realizing that it really can be fun! The Program Coordinator will also go over proper brushing and flossing techniques and talk about healthy snacks and drinks to keep their teeth strong and cavity free.

The Grand Finale consists of Bippo the Hippo coming out to be silly with the children. He may even do a little dance with them!

Please contact the Program Coordinator from the office closest to you to book your program. We look forward to hearing from you!

New Orleans/Harvey Program Coordinator — Stephanie Duplantier (504) 368-1990
Slidell / Mandeville Program Coordinator — Sandra Morris (985) 641-3988

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