Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
It’s a twist here and a turn there, as Dr Stephanie Primc of Ellen Street Dental in Wollongong, NSW, creates colourful balloon animals to delight her young patients.
“It all started when I was visiting our local paediatric dentist who makes balloon animals for his young patients. I saw how happy it makes them and decided to learn to make balloon animals myself. About a year ago, I found a book on the subject and started practising at home and in my spare time at work. Some of the senior dentists were ready to kill me due to the amount of squeaking and unexpected popping of balloons.
“While some animals are relatively easy to make, some take a lot of practice. There are also some complex and intricate balloon sculptures I’m yet to attempt. My raw materials are long skinny balloons and it’s important not to over-inflate them. Every balloon animal is unique, and I like making each one slightly different.
“The type of animal I make for our youngest patients depends on how pushed we are for time. I usually ask them for their favourite colour so they have some choice in the process. Then I whip up a dog or a monkey and the response is fantastic. I think the parents get as much of a kick out of it as their kids. It’s fun, colourful, soft and a nice random thing to see at the dentist.
“We also have a toy box as some kids don’t know about balloon animals. We like to offer every kid a prize when they see us, particularly if it’s not been a fun appointment for them. I consider it a personal victory when they choose a balloon animal over something from the toy box.
“My favourite animal to make is a dog, whereas a monkey is very complex. It took me a long time to master. The downside of learning things from books is that simple instructions sometimes make no sense. Once I’ve finished twisting the balloons and pass it over, the kids are super happy. I always get a big smile and that’s the main thing.
“Presently, my dental assistant is my apprentice in the art of balloon animals. I say I want the apprentice to take over from the master but that’s not true. I enjoy it too much. Dental appointments are such a big deal for adults, let alone kids, that being able to surprise them and put a smile on their face is wonderful. It’s only a small thing but it’s very satisfying and definitely worth all that book learning. There’s lots of inflated, rubbery animals in my future.”
