Any Recommendations on Pediatric Dental Specialist for My PETRIFIED 6Yo

"Dr. Charlie" Czerepak is TERRIFIC about creating a positive experience for children and I think he is honest (won't say there are cavities to make $$ if there are not). His number is ###-###-####. He's with Pine Dental.

Hi M.,

I just started with a great dentist for my toddler who, for her first dentist appot, got her chipped tooth filled in. Dr. John Kenney was great - friendly, helpful. He's got a great office too, with lots of toys and fun activities. That's what really gets my daughter excited when we go there. He's in Park Ridge. Here's the info:

http://www.care4kidsteeth.com/index.htm
101 S. Washington Avenue Park Ridge, Illinois 60068
###-###-####

M., I'm a nurse in outpatient surgery at Children's Memorial. We have a ton of kids come in for dental procedures under deep sedation/general anesthesia. My dentist is Dr Shane Fisher. He's located in Skokie ###-###-####. He operates out of Children's. I'm not sure where you live, but there are some great dentists in the city who also come to Children's. There is no reason to torture your son by having anything done in the office. Feel free to respond to me for other recs. Good luck.

We've had good experiences with Dr. Mary at City Kids Dental on the north side of the city. Good luck! When I was a kid, I had lots of cavities, too, while my sister has never had one. I think it has something to do with your saliva or enamel. Good luck!

We LOVE - LOVE - LOVE Dr. Kurt Wagner in Naperville and have referred many friends and several families from my Daycare there and everyone feels as I do about him.

I'm not sure where you live, but I bring my daughter to Grove Dental in Bolingbrook. They also have several offices in other locations as well (I know Downers Grove, but I'm not sure of the other ones). She sees Dr. Chung. She's four years old, and has had 2 fillings, 2 "mini" root canals, and 2 caps, and still asks when she gets to go back. They use "magic air" (nitrous) before they help the teeth fall asleep (novacaine) and use very kid friendly words and equipment.

M. - I don't know where you live but I have a FANTASTIC pediatric dentist in Park Ridge. Her name is Dr. Denise McAllister. 444 N. Northwest Highway Ph: 847/518-9025. She has 4 kids of her own as well. She has the most kid-friendly office (pac man games, playroom, etc., you even get to pick out a movie while your teeth are being worked on). I've referred a bunch of my friends to her (especially ones with terrified kids). She is great with kids.....Good luck

A..

This is a bit of a drive, but so totally worth it.

Dr. Khurana
Valley View Dentistry
###-###-####
Romeoville

Basically it is about a mile south of I-55 after you get off on Weber Road. Unfortunately my son has had some issues with his teeth. I found him almost four years ago when my son was 2 1/2 looking for someone that specialized in pediatric dentristy (he also sees adults as well). He does not beleive in general anesthesia fors kids, which I agree with. He has such a light touch he was able to do my son's first two cavities without novacaine, and they were done in under 20 minutes. Honestly, I they were finished so quickly I thought that they maybe were unable to do them, because he was scarred when he went in. He said he did such a good job that he was onlt chharging us for product used, (which was $16). My son was four at the time. He is now six, and has had four more cavities, which they have had to use novacaine on, but he just gets through it. They have sate of the art equipment, t.v.'s with cartoons, digital x-rays, a caring staff that really knows how to deal with children as well as adults (because let's face it, who likes dental work). Dr. Khurana has a very light touch. He will reccomend that you do not go back with your son during the procedure, because he has found that sometimes children like to put on a "sow" for Mom or Dad. He would of course come and get you in the waiting room if your child really needed you. I would agree with this philosophy, because it was my experience cutting hair, that most young children behaved better without Mom or Dad hovering. I am not saying you are doing this of course, I am just saying, that's been my experience as well. My son said it didn't hurt a bit for them to do his first two cavities, and that was without novacaine, nor his last four as well. We recently moved, so I found a new dentist for myself that was reccomended to me by a friend...I am taking the drive back to Romeoville next time. Hope this helps, and good luck.

I love our dentist - Dr. Chris Morin, with Manus Dental. He has two locations, one on Michigan Ave and one in Hyde Park. ###-###-#### is the Hyde Park number (limited hours there). We have never had to deal with anything like what you're going through, but he and his staff are kind, thoughtful and thorough. My 7 year old had his molars "painted" last summer - something that we didn't have as kids! I don't remember the name of the procedure, but it's a temporary coating of something that helps prevent cavities in crevaces in molars. You should look into options like that since your child is cavity prone. I had no idea things like this were now on the market.Good luck!

I had a similar experience about 18 months ago with my now 4.5 yo son. He ended up needing 2 extractions and 4 crowns. We tried one dentist and it went horribly, screaming and thrashing and both of us crying. I ended up taking him to Grove dental and seeing Dr. Cabana. He needed several procedures done and they were great! He did get the nitrous gas, and I'm pleased to say there were no residual effects. They are sure to give them fresh air for a while through the mask and wait until they recover fully. They sent us home with a mask to practice with and they have different scents that your child can choose from. They also have TVs in the ceiling so that he was able to watch movies during the procedures, which I think helped to distract him. He went back for a check-up without any anxiety and had his teeth cleaned easily. Their prices are a little higher, but for my piece of mind and for how smoothly it all went, it was well worth it. They submit to your denatl insurance if you have any, and there billing and accounts staff is really nice too, setting up a payment plan for us, etc.
Like you, my younger son has fabulaous teeth, without cavities or anything. I think some kids just have 'bad' teeth. Not to mention that where we used to live in FL our water was so bad that we ended up installing a reverse osmosis system, which unbeknownst to me removes the flouride from the water as well as all of the bad stuff. Lessoned learned, I guess.
Anyway, good luck with everything!
Natascha

Please visit http://www.kidspluspediatricdentistry.com/ for information on a fabulous dental practice. Their website also discusses sedation services, etc. They are an amazing practice and have offices in Hoffman Estates and Chicago. Good luck to your son.

Dear M.,
I've been taking my sons to the same dentist starting about 20 years ago consistently until they were no longer covered by my insurance. Prior to the dentist who now has the practice near Foster and Western, we had an older Japanese dentist. My then 6 year old son had a fit when getting a cavity filled or maybe it was just a cleaning. That was almost 20 years ago. The same assistant is still there, and she and I often still laugh about how not long after that incident, the older dentist retired. We always said Brendan brought it on/pushed the poor guy over the edge! <smile> That particular son is now almost 26. My younger son who will be 23 next month had a lot of cavities. Once he got his permanent teeth, that cleared up. That is what the dentist said would happen, and he has been right on target. I will give you this guy's name and number and suggest you talk with him. My sons grew up going to this dentist, Dr. F. Robert Wilkinh, at 2335 W. Foster, ###-###-####. I'm sorry for your son's bad experience; it is a hard problem to resolve, I'm sure. Good luck.
S.

Hi, we go to:

Dr. Ned Savide (a Pediatric Dentist)
12001 South Harlem Avenue
Palos Heights, Illinois 60463

The one thing about him (which is not for everyone), is that the parents cannot go back with the patient. (They can the first time is all, then after that, out in the waiting room Mommy goes! One of my friends is dead-set against this. I didn't know about the rule until after we went there. BUT, I talked to the doctor, and nurses, and as they say, the kids do SO MUCH BETTER without Mommy there. My daughter is a baby when it comes to pain. It is funny - she had a cavity, and when she was in there, she did great, no tears, no nothing. She came out to me, and started whining. We had to go back in, and her tears stopped.... Crazy.

They have a nice waiting room with a tv that plays kid movies, plus some toher kids stuff for young ones!!!

The best of luck to you Mom!!!

This is what it said:
Do I Stay with My Child During the Visit?

We ask that you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We are all highly experienced in helping children overcome anxiety. Separation anxiety is not uncommon in children, so please try not to be concerned if your child exhibits some negative behavior. This is normal and will soon diminish. Studies and experience have shown that most children over the age of 3 react more positively when permitted to experience the dental visit on their own and in an environment designed for children.

phone ###-###-#### at 12001 South Harlem Avenue
Palos Heights, Illinois 60463

I highly recommed Grove Dental. We go to the one in Wheaton and see Dr. Kolb. They have several locations in the suburbs. They use nitrous oxide which they call the "Happy Nose". Their philosophy is to make the experience a good one, so they don't make people anxious. I have a 4, 5 and 7 year old and they actually like going to the Dentist because of the goody box. My 7 year old has had 2 cavities filled and has no fear. I use to hate going when I was a Kid. Good Luck!

Hi M. , I take my sons to Dr Zacarro at Res Hospital (harlem and talcott)Your ride shouldnt be bad from Bellwood . My oldest (5) had baby bottle syndrome and feared our dentist ,he referred us to Dr Zacarro (sp) .Ive been going there for 3 1/2 yrs and the office is Great as well as the staff. He is very patient and caring and explains everything that will take place both to the nervous parents and child . Im sorry I dont have his # at hand but again he is out of Res Hospital . I believe he also has a website . If your interest send me a e-mail and I will get all the info for you . He has even seen my 1 yr old to prepare her for when she needs to go . Let me know

K.

O.k. so this isn't a quick fix, but something to think about... From what I've learned, cavities are very child specific. It can vary even within the family. It is possible to remineralize the tooth without having to drill a deeper hole in the tooth, compromising the stability of the tooth. Once remineralized, if successful, the tooth may even be stronger than it was before. Without getting too much into it, there are nutritional modifications that are key as well as products (like MI Paste) that can help remineralize the tooth. Thing is, often times dentists will say "oh, you have a cavity" when it is still very small - a perfect time to reverse the cavity.

First off, make sure you are using toothpaste that contains XYLITOL. This is like birth control for cavity causing bacteria. This will at least halt the continuation of the decay.

Secondly, it is possible to cure cavities without drilling using ozone therapy. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a Dentist in the Chicago area that does it. The closest one is in Wisconsin. Dr. Mary from City Kids may know something about it because she does have one piece of equipment from the company that does the Healozone machine. We took our, then 20 month old, son to get a cavity done in his top front tooth. The procedure itself takes about a minute. It basically involves a gentle cleaning of soft matter off the tooth, 1 mintue of ozone on the individual tooth, then applying the fast curing filling compound. This procedure is widespread in Canada & Europe but is new to the US.

If you want more info on dental alternatives for your son/children check out the yahoo groups "DentalAdvice" and "alternativekidsteeth". There is a TON of info there. You can also go on www.mothering.com/discussions under the dental forums for lots of strategies you can implement with your child to heal his cavity without drilling - at least until he feels better about going to the dentist again.

I feel your pain. It's so hard to see your child so terrified of a medical professional not to mention feeling helpless trying to make sure your child is healthy. I hope you find the answers you need.