Nobody likes going to the dentist’s office, but one child from France went to great lengths to get out of his appointment.

Instead of getting his teeth checked, a 12-year-old boy decided to lie to police and pretend he had been kidnapped so he wouldn’t have to visit the dentist, French paper Midi Libre reported.

According to The Local, the boy said he was going to his dental appointment when a man pulled up to ask directions. The boy said the two exchanged words, and he was forced into the man’s car, which sped off.

The boy claimed that he was only able to escape when the man decided to stop the car.

At first, police took the boy seriously, spending the last month investigating. Only after viewing surveillance images did detectives realize the kid wasn’t telling the truth.

The boy stuck to his story before finally admitting the truth — that he conjured up the tale because he was afraid to go to the dentist.