Dr. Himali Patel Bhatt never set out to become a children’s book author. As a dentist and clinical faculty member at the UNLV School of Dental Medicine, her work has always centered on prevention, education, and empowering patients to care for their oral health. 

But a plane ride, motherhood, and a fresh look at a familiar dental phrase sparked an idea that would eventually land on bookshelves — and in kids’ bedtime routines.

Bhatt’s first children’s book, Where Do the Sugar Bugs Hide?, reimagines oral hygiene as an adventure, encouraging kids to brush their teeth while easing common fears about the dentist.

From Dental Term to Children’s Story

The idea took shape while Bhatt was traveling, when she began drafting a book about early dental education. Her early manuscript, written under the working title, Where Do the Sugar Bugs Hide?, leaned heavily toward technical explanations — accurate, but not especially kid-friendly.

Over the next few years, Bhatt revisited the draft repeatedly, revising and setting it aside more than once. Eventually, the solution became clear: The message needed to be delivered as a children’s story.

She began testing her ideas at home, sharing simplified language and playful phrases with her son. When he remarked, “Oh, Mommy is looking for sugar bugs,” the concept clicked.

“Sugar bugs,” a term dentists often use to describe oral bacteria, became the book’s central characters — a way to turn an invisible, abstract process into a concept easy for children to understand.

Turning Brushing Into a Mission

Instead of fearing cavities or bacteria, her children began to imagine hunting down sugar bugs. Candy sparked conversations about food getting stuck in teeth. Brushing became less of a chore and more of a mission to brush the sugar bugs away.

Encouraged by the responses she received at home, Bhatt brought the language into her son’s classroom, talking with students about oral health in simple, playful terms. The feedback came quickly — and unexpectedly — from parents.

Parents shared that their children were more eager to brush, more willing to floss, and were talking about “sugar bugs” at home. Some even said their kids were looking forward to dental visits. 

With growing interest and encouragement from her family — including a nudge from her husband to take the next step — Bhatt decided to pursue publication.

Building a Visual World

She soon realized the story needed illustrations that matched its imagination. Balancing a full professional schedule and two young children made carving out creative time a challenge. “You try to find a solid period of time between two kids,” she says, “but hours pass like minutes.”

Every design choice was deliberate. The sugar bug had to be engaging, but not so charming that kids would want to keep it around. Inspiration struck during a routine brushing moment, when a small black seed fell into the sink.

“Look, Mom, I got it! I got the sugar bug!” her son said.

That moment shaped the final look: tiny, faceless, confetti-like sugar bugs that children could easily imagine brushing away. The dentist character in the book is modeled after Bhatt herself, and she worked closely with the illustrator to ensure scientific accuracy.

A Book With a Bigger Goal

After exploring several publishing options, Bhatt partnered with Blue Balloon Books, a publisher that favors child-centered storytelling. After five to six years of development, Where Do the Sugar Bugs Hide?, was finally published.

At its core, the book challenges the idea that dentistry is something to fear. Bhatt hopes to replace anxiety with curiosity and empower kids to build healthy habits early.

“Fear of the dentist is learned behavior,” she says. “And this book helps change that.”

Since its release, Bhatt has shared the story at her son’s preschool, local library, and UNLV Preschool. In January, she plans to donate 20 copies of her book to Foster Kinship and offer an educational class to parents with a focus on oral health.

She’s also already thinking ahead. A future project would introduce children to different types of teeth and their roles in eating, helping kids learn about molars and incisors just as easily as knees and elbows.

For Bhatt, it all comes back to making oral health feel approachable — and maybe even a little fun.

Sometimes, inspiring a lifetime of healthy smiles just takes imagination, creativity, and a few sugar bugs.