Update, July 17: Someone from my local Kool Smiles gave me a call to smooth things out a bit. It was a good constructive conversation and did not come across as just trying to defend one's company. Which I find respectable. It seems part of the experience was due to someone new at the job at the front desk and a wait time longer then usual. She insisted the hygienists where very qualified. I suggested the qualification would come across better if their words and actions were done confidently and directly.
She did mention that it is in Kool Smiles policy to allow parents in the back with their children. Good to know after reading about some staff not following that policy in the comments on this post. Hopefully those were not recent incidences.
Anyways, It was a very professional response and seemed sincere. Thought I should follow up with this update to make my experience description complete.
OK, it's been a long morning and I'm ready to pull out my soapbox now.
I finally found a pediatric dentist for my two year old who has at least one chipped tooth. We love our five year olds dentist, but they are not accepting patients right now.
It was my first time to Kool Smiles today and it was not pleasant. I held my son the whole time so he would not touch anything. There was a ball pit that smelled strongly of urine and everything had a grubby appearance. And this is a building that is less than a year old!
Just the paperwork was a bit disturbing. Lots of practices involving strapping kids down and laughing gas. Which I assume is needed in some situations. Just to be sure it's not common I ask the guy behind the counter before I sign the consent form. "Is laughing gas a common practice here, because I don't really want it." He just sorta nodded and shrugged, then mumbles something about how maybe I should make sure the dentist knows I don't want it used.
The staff seemed disorganized and confused. I was asked a couple times by the first person we saw if my child had cavities. If I knew exactly what a cavity looked like, I would never go to the dentist until I was sure one of us had one. Isn't that whay they are suppose to tell us? She fumbled with the X-ray machine and then left us in the X-ray chair because there was no where else to put us.
Mind you, I have a two year old who has just sat for an hour with no end in site. After being moved to the wait area where the dental hygienists had six kids going at once, I just observed. No one looked really sure of what they were doing. And they do this everyday. You would think there would be some confidence in their actions.
I was so bothered about their inability I finally just got up and left. I would rather just leave the chipped tooth until he's in obvious pain, then let some untrained person screw with his mouth. I was so uneasy in the waiting room I had actually called my husband begging him to do an internet search for me.
Has anyone taken their kids to Kool Smiles (or Small Smiles) before? Is it always like this?
I read a few articles such as this one online. I would assume there are some better experiences out there?
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Kool Smiles, NOT Cool
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11 comments:
we too have to use Kool Smiles because of our insurance. I am not too pleased with them. I have met the dentist once and he blew me off. When they did actual dental work on my kids, they said it would be best if I did not go back. Granted they are 7 & 9, but still. And we once went in for a procedure and they did a completely different one on him. I fought with them to get my daughters tooth pulled because she had another one coming in behind it. It's so aggrivating!! I wish that we could use someone else but I am not sure who because of insurance. I may try the Wellness Center.
Dr. Horne is wonderful! If you have the chance to take your kids to him, I recommend him highly. We have dealt with him in business also and he is just as nice outside the office.
Good for you for walking out and trusting your mommy feelings. I wish I would have done that. I do not think we will be back. My kids do not care for them.
I have been taking my kids to kool Smiles here in longview for a couple of years and have never had a coplaint they are always professional and organized. I am sorry your experience was not similar.
never been there. we haven't taken any of the kids to the dentist, but that's mostly because i just don't want to get into the whole fluoride debate with a ped. dentist yet.
Composing Hallelujahs,
I don't blame you. Its tough sometimes to find people in the medical community that give respect to the parents wishes.
The last time I took Corban to get his shots I did not have his records from Oregon. The nurse was going to give him the same shots all over instead of waiting form my fax later in the week. I said no. Then when she named off the number of shots before giving them. I did a count and sure enough she was trying to double them up anyways! I find it shocking.
That is shocking. Yikes.
My sister took her daughter there and said she'll never go back. She said they wouldn't let her go back (but she did anyway) and they didn't pay much attention to her daugther. She had never been there before and they pretty much ignored her. I was planning on taking my kids but I can't do it now. I still have to find a place.
Dana, I'm not certain but I think you have a choice on the fluoride thing. At least I seem to remember myself having a choice. But I'm talking about the fluoride mix they give you when it's all finished.
I should probably point out, to be fair, the staff was polite to us, but disorganized. Strange place.
I say if they spell "cool" with a "k", there's already trouble. :-) Just teasing, that's just always been a pet peeve. :-)
We use Dr. Horne, too, and I have been very, very pleased with him and his staff. They make you use the... oh, I've forgotten the name of the stuff the kids drink and then wait an hour and it mellows them out...
Anyway, they make the kids drink that if they have any sort of procedure (other than a cleaning) done and I don't like that. But, when I spoke up, they were willing to let them go without as long as my kids did okay. One did okay and we don't use it on him; the other didn't do okay and I'm now willing to use it on him. :-)
I had heard about the place, but decided not to go once someone told me that they don't like for the parents to go back with the child. That is a "no go" for me!
We have tried McGough and McGough, but I won't go there again either. We also tried another place (I need to think about the Dr.'s name) on 4th street that I will NEVER return to.
My son is due to go again, and this time we will be trying Christa Darr. She was recommended by our dentist, whom we LOVE! I feel like a dentist schizophrenic, but I refuse to pay my money to someone who doesn't treat us kindly.
RE: fluoride. Any time I have taken our son for a cleaning, they have asked us if we wanted it. I haven't had any troubles, but I choose to use the fluoride.
I'll touch back with you once I take our son to the next dentist. Happy hunting!
I actually saw a 20-20 story on them and it was an awful place. They wouldn't let the parents back and then used the strapping devices on them. The kids were scared to go back to the dentist several years later.
20-20, that's it! I had thought it was dateline I had watched. That's one of the things I had called my husband to look up on the internet while I was in the waiting room. No wonder he found nothing under dateline!
I'm glad I trusted my instinct after reading some of these comments. Now to continue my dentist hunt!
I'll just put another plug in for Dr. Horne. I've taken the kids there for a couple of years and they've always done a good job and all are very pleasant. I usually take all 3 kids at once for a cleaning and they do 2 kids at a time while the other one waits and we all wait in the back with the kids.
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