The minutes before a dental visit are often the hardest part for a child. Fishy gives them something to do with their hands and something to look forward to: they color a paper fish, a parent scans it, and the fish swims on your waiting-room TV while they wait for their name.
Why it fits a dental waiting room
- Hands busy, mind elsewhere. Coloring is familiar and absorbing. A child focused on finishing a fish is not staring at the treatment-room door.
- Something to look forward to. Watching their own fish swim on the big screen is a small reward for finishing, and it gives the child a happy thing to remember about the visit.
- Easy to keep clean. Every child gets a fresh paper page. There are no shared tablets or toys to disinfect between patients.
- Calm. Fish swimming slowly on a screen are easy to watch, which suits a room with adult patients too.
- Uses the TV you have. The aquarium runs in a web browser. Parents scan with their own phones.
Setting it up at the front desk
- Print a stack of pages from the fish coloring pages and keep them at reception with crayons.
- Open your aquarium's share link on the waiting-room TV and leave it running.
- Hand a page to each young patient at check-in.
- When the fish is finished, the parent scans the page with their phone by joining through the QR code on the aquarium screen, or a staff member scans it with the office phone.
Ideas for pediatric dentists and orthodontists
Make it part of the visit
Invite the child to color while they wait, then scan the page after the appointment so the fish swims in as they leave. Ending the visit on something fun gives them a good last memory of the office.
Seasonal touches
Put out the Halloween anglerfish in October, when it swims with a spooky effect. In December, hand out any fish outline and suggest festive reds, greens and gold; the Christmas coloring page has more holiday ideas. Returning patients notice the change.
Siblings in the waiting room
Brothers and sisters often wait longer than the patient. A coloring page and a shared aquarium keep them occupied without screens in their hands.
Orthodontic offices
Orthodontic patients come back often over many months. A running aquarium that fills with patient fish gives the office a friendly, recognizable feature that families talk about.
Pediatric clinics and other waiting rooms
The setup is the same in a medical practice. See Fishy for pediatric clinics, or the overview of kids waiting room activities for every type of venue.
Pricing
Dental offices use the enterprise plan: $1,080 per aquarium per year (about $90 per month) or $100 per aquarium per month, with up to 30 fish per aquarium. Personal plans are for home use only. See the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
What does a dental office need?
A TV or computer screen in the waiting room with a web browser, printed fish coloring pages, crayons, and a phone to scan finished pages. Parents can scan with their own phones by scanning the QR code shown on the aquarium screen.
Is it hygienic?
Each child colors their own paper page, so there are no shared tablets, touchscreens or toys to wipe down between patients. Use single-use crayons or a sanitized crayon cup if your office prefers.
How much does Fishy cost for a dental practice?
A dental office uses the enterprise plan: $100 per aquarium per month or $1,080 per aquarium per year, with up to 30 fish per aquarium.
Can we use the free or personal plan in the office?
No. Free and personal plans are for home use only. Dental and orthodontic offices are commercial venues and use the enterprise plan.
What if the aquarium fills up?
Each aquarium holds up to 30 fish. Open the aquarium, tap an older fish and remove it to make room for the next patient.
Does it work for orthodontic offices?
Yes. The setup is the same as in a pediatric dental office, and because orthodontic patients come back often, the aquarium becomes a familiar part of each visit.