Kool Smiles making some parents frown

Allison wrote:

Just to explain - for checkups and cleanings you can watch through the window. For further procedures they go to a back room where you cannot see or hear anything as a parent. And, yes, denied access, even when I asked to go back. Also, for $70 they will use a "restraining blanket" ... a heavy blanket that they will lay over your child so they cannot use. I was told this before the procedure and asked to sign a permission form for this. I told them if my child is that upset, then just let me go back there. They told me no over and over, and I told them if it gets to the point of them needing a "restraining blanket" that they can clean it up because I will not sign the permission form for that.
We have good insurance and my son is a very well-behaved child. We went to this dentist because we were looking for a kid-friendly environment. What we found was a money-making corporation whose dentists were extremely disrespectful. You are better off at your local family dentist office.

bleh wrote:

We went into kool smiles in Hampton and the place smelled like urine. Waited for 15 mins and heard kids screaming in the back without parents.
Grabbed our paperwork, tore it up and ran out.
The sign out front should read "ghetto smiles".

L Taylor wrote:

My 3 year old son had a procedure done at the Hampton office and so far it went good. He had w wisdom tooth pull. The only thing that I did not like was that I felt like my son was a gold fish in a bowl because I was told that I could not go in the back where he was gettting his teeth looked at and cleaned. But now that I know it is my right to be with him I will be.

Lisa wrote:

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I agree with you 100% I started this forum. I have started this whole news and everything bout kool smiles. They are horrible.

dennis dds wrote:

<quoted text> Children ask many questions while receiving treatment but after a while the dentist doesn't have time to deal with that. Enough is enough already. Some kids would talk your ear off not al lowing you to get any dental treatment done. Dennis

tlouisechad wrote:

I took my child to Kool Smiles in Atlanta and she's been back twice. The dentist was really, really good with her explaining what each of the tools did before she used them on her. It calmed her down and she was really good and not nervous. As far as going in the back vs. watching through the window, I asked about that and you are allowed to go back if you just ask--as I did. It's not Kool Smiles' fault if you can't ask a simple question. I'm sure each of the offices vary in care but the one here is fantastic and very reasonable in price. I just hope some of you who seem to be blowing this out of proportion will take a step back and see that they have one of the LOWEST complaints of any of the children dental places--I did a little digging--and that they are often confused with Small Smiles, which DID have a lot of complaints and none of the quality measures in place Kool Smiles has. Anyhow, as far as third party ratings and government audits go, Kool Smiles is really a GREAT company. My 3-year old agrees.

dennis dds wrote:

<quoted text>Children ask many questions while receiving treatment but after a while the dentist doesn't have time to deal with that. Enough is enough already. Some kids would talk your ear off not al lowing you to get any dental treatment done. Dennis

wimpering patients wrote:

<quoted text>Yes , so that you can totally interfere with the progress the dentist is making without you being in the room. You're supposedly going to someone who is a trained expert to do a job yet you think your presence somehow makes a positive difference. Screw you, you nagging incompetent parent.