Stacey Laviolette with a My Friend Toothy mascot. Still, the emotional toll lingered. Laviolette struggled with anxiety in the weeks leading up to the first procedure, and Piper began resisting anything related to oral care. “She didn’t want to brush her teeth. She didn’t want to talk about it,” says Laviolette. “Many families don’t realize how technically demanding dental treatment is for young children. We work with needles, sharp instruments and tiny spaces, and if a child is anxious or unable to stay still, treatment can become unsafe without sedation,” says Dr. Achache. “Although families often associate general anesthesia with serious medical issues, in dentistry it’s often the safest, most controlled way to complete all treatment at once, while protecting the child from pain, fear and trauma.” Four years later, that deeply personal mission led the couple to Dragon’s Den, the Canadian reality TV show on CBC where entrepreneurs pitch business ideas to a panel of wealthy investors for funding. It took four applications. “We took the feedback seriously every year,” Lanctot says. “We kept improving, kept pushing.” When they finally got the call, preparation for the pitch took over their lives. “Our kids knew the pitch better than we did,” Laviolette says. “If we messed up, they’d correct us.” The experience itself was chaotic, emotional and unforgettable. Laviolette went off script. She even surprised Lanctot by reenacting how they met, on their high school wrestling team, live on stage. “I was smiling on the outside, but panicking on the inside,” Lanctot says. The judges on the show responded to the couple’s authenticity, energy and story. While they didn’t walk away with a traditional investment, Dragon’s Den judge Arlene Dickinson offered something just as valuable: mentorship. “She said, ‘I want to help you get this to the next level,’” Laviolette says. In many ways, the business is already a success. “When Piper went back to see her dentist a few years later, she had zero cavities,” Lanctot says. The day of the surgery at ToothPark Pediatric Dentistry, Laviolette noticed that she wasn’t alone. “I saw other moms in the parking lot crying,” she says. “There’s so much shame wrapped up in this.” A self-described “fixer,” Laviolette couldn’t stop thinking about why there weren’t more supports available to help children emotionally process dental anxiety. “There was nothing that offered a full experience—something that helped kids understand, prepare and feel safe.” Drawing on her background in child psychology, Laviolette had what Lanctot calls a “lightbulb moment.” Exhausted but energized, she burst into the kitchen with a vision. “She looked like she hadn’t slept in days,” Lanctot says. “She’s talking about books, a character—I didn’t know if I should be scared or impressed.” Laviolette began writing a children’s book to help prepare children for dental treatment and practise daily oral health hygiene with a character, My Friend Toothy, to coach and support them. “This started because I wanted to help my child,” Laviolette says. “And then I realized—if it helped her, it could help other families, too.” A self-described ‘fixer,’ Laviolette couldn’t stop thinking about why there weren’t more supports available to help children emotionally process dental anxiety. 17 Issue 2 | 2026 | News and Events
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