I'm giving this office two stars solely because of Dr. Justin. He was enthusiastic, personable, and clearly knows how to interact with children. Unfortunately, our experience with the dental assistant during my daughter's first visit was very disappointing. Not to mention how loud and overstimulating this office is. VERY loud games and loud music.
My daughter is almost 8 years old, and I scheduled an emergency appointment because she was experiencing tooth pain. I decided to try this office after seeing some of Dr. Justin's videos on TikTok. From the moment we arrived, everything seemed to be going well. The assistant greeted us kindly, but the experience changed once she began interacting with my daughter.
The first issue occurred when the assistant asked my daughter where she was experiencing pain. My daughter naturally pointed to the area in her mouth, and the assistant immediately pulled her hand away and told her, "No, don't do that." She then asked the same question again, and when my daughter pointed to the area again, the assistant did the same thing. I found this confusing and frustrating. If you are asking a young child to show you where she is experiencing pain, it seems unreasonable to discourage her from using the most natural way for a child to communicate that.
The bigger concern came when the assistant began working on my daughter's molars. My daughter became visibly anxious and started crying. I want to emphasize that she has never had a traumatic experience with routine cleanings or dental care. Her only previous negative experience involved an extraction where she was physically restrained, so she understandably becomes very fearful when she sees needles or anticipates something unfamiliar.
Throughout the procedure, the assistant did not explain to my daughter what she was going to do before placing instruments in her mouth. My daughter repeatedly stopped her to ask, "What is that?" and "What are you going to do?" Those questions should have been an opportunity to reassure her and explain each step. Instead, my daughter became increasingly frightened and began crying.
At that point, I stood up and asked my daughter directly whether she was in pain. The assistant responded for her and said, "No, she's not in pain." I asked my daughter again because I wanted to hear the answer from her. The assistant attempted to answer for her a second time, at which point I had to make it clear that I was asking my daughter because the assistant cannot know exactly what she is feeling.
I ultimately asked that we stop and that we could address the dental work at a later time. The assistant sighed and then asked, "Are you sure she hasn't been traumatized in the past, Mom?" I explained that she had not had a traumatic experience with routine dental care, but at that point, the interaction itself had already made my daughter extremely uncomfortable, so we left.
I understand that working with children can be challenging, and I also understand that not every child will respond the same way to dental treatment. However, patience, communication, reassurance, and allowing a child to express what they are feeling are especially important when working with pediatric patients.
I have always taken my children to Smile Land, and while I really like Dr. Justin and believe he is excellent with children, the overall experience depends heavily on the dental assistants, since they spend so much of the appointment interacting directly with the child. Unfortunately, our experience with the assistant at this visit fell far short of what we have experienced elsewhere.
I would absolutely consider returning to see Dr. Justin, but I hope the office takes this feedback seriously and provides additional training and guidance on communicating with young and anxious patients. read more