We were referred to Maltz by our family dentist, who's a gentle soul but was rattled by my daughter's resistance to checkups at age 3.
Maltz confirmed that my daughter had cavities and recommended putting her to sleep for the filling. This was somewhat traumatizing but not as bad as it could have been I suppose because the hospital staff was great and my mom was there (she also works at the hospital so she knew all the right questions to ask.)
For a year and a half everything was fine with normal checkups, but when my daughter needed more work everything went off the rails. I was told that I shouldn't comfort her or tell her to be brave because I was making her more afraid.
So we scheduled it, and the day of the procedure was a nightmare. I wasn't allowed to talk to her or hold her hand. When she cried the doctor yelled in her little face that if she didn't stop crying I would have to leave. She stopped crying and he went on. My daughter is sensitive but her tears were not fake. She was terrified and I wasn't allowed to do anything while strangers poked around painfully in her mouth. I watched tears oozing out of her eyes while I stroked her feet, the only part of her I was allowed to touch. It took a few days before I realized how abnormal this was and to find another dentist.
This office was very good with normal routines, and older children who are more in emotional control might be ok with what happens during the more intense work but my children aren't going back. read more