need dentist recommendaton in N.Va.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone recommend a good pediatric dentist for kids with special needs in Northern Virginia? I've been putting off my son's dentist visit because I'm not sure how he'll handle it, but I think he really needs to go. He has autism and major sensory issues. His recent doctor's visit went surprisingly well, but I'm worried about how he'll handle someone poking around in his mouth. Getting him to brush his teeth is a challenge.

[Anonymous]

Not in NoVa, but I was recently at Dr. Ricardo Perez' office in Chevy Chase and a child with obvious special needs came in. The child had clearly been there before, but the staff was wonderful with him from what I could tell. He seemed to have no problems. I would try it if you can't get another recommendation.

[Anonymous]

We just had to get major dental work done for our son, who is 4. I saw 4 pediatric dentists before I found one I really, really liked: "Dr. Niloo" of Children's Dentistry of Oakton: http://www.oaktonsmiles.com/index.htm

All of the staff there is absolutely amazing--patient, kind, and empathetic. The office is clean, small, and quiet, which was a stark contrast to other offices we visited that were crammed with patients and activity. HTH!

[Anonymous]

Dr. Reardon in Arlington -- don't have her number handy, but she is terrific!

[Anonymous]

Dr. Sarah Ganjavi-Rejali in Vienna. Her number is 703-938-6600 and the website is www.viennapediatricdentistry.com I think. We have been there twice for check-ups and she was great. She even advertises in some magazines as a special needs friendly dentist.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all of the leads. I'll check them out online.

[Anonymous]

Sorry but I know one of the dentists mentioned above is quick to sedate and put kids under without employing the behavioral strategies first.

One way to see if your dentist is good for your kid is to see how much they try to avoid sedating and putting your kid under. After all, putting kids under is the way dentists make the big bucks. Do they try real hard to employ other strategies? They should, because serious measures come with serious risks.

Dr. Gazori in Lansdowne has training working with special needs kids because he had floortime training. He's also on the autism society and a couple of sensory proc groups. He's really all about special needs kids. He attends those ICDL conferences and everything.

[Anonymous]

To 19:52, could you clarify which dentist is quick to put kids under? We actually have a first appointment scheduled with Dr. Reardon this spring and I'd hate to waste time on a dentist we later decided was not a good fit.

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 19:52, could you clarify which dentist is quick to put kids under? We actually have a first appointment scheduled with Dr. Reardon this spring and I'd hate to waste time on a dentist we later decided was not a good fit.

Thank you.

You know if I had first hand experience with that dentist in question, I'd mention their name. But it was a friend of mine who called me up to complain because her own dentist, one mentioned above in this thread, wanted to put her under (a four year old) for relatively minor work...because in the dentist's words, "She requires too much behavioral strategies." Then for another appt she charged her extra because her child was too whiney and it required more time to calm her down. So because I didn't have first hand experience I don't feel it's right to mention the dentists name. I will say it's not Reardon though, heard she's very kind and very fair. I know Dr. G's receptionist said Dr. Gazori doesn't even charge if a special needs kid is too anxious for work to be done that day. He doesn't consider exra time needed to calm kids down as service requiring payment. Receptionist told us he thinks its part of a pediatric dentists job!

All I can suggest is to ask your dentist what they'll do BEFORE resorting to sedation or putting kids under, how long will they keep trying to get children to cooperate before more serious measures are taken.

[Anonymous]

PP here. One more thing, one reason why these pediatric dentists try to advertise that they are the ones to see for special needs kids is because special needs kid are more likely to require sedation and general anesthesia..so they bring in more money. Get past the advertisement and ask them what makes them better able to handle special needs kids. What kind of special training do they have? Ask them if they've ever written articles on special needs kids. Ask them what special needs organizations they are on and what they've actually done with those organizations. My kid has sensory processing issues and needs someone who really DOES have special needs training and education, not just someone who advertises like they do.

[Anonymous]

I see nothing wrong with sedating if pain or drilling is involved - I'd want it for myself and I'm happy to have it for my kid if pain is involved. If you are suggesting sedation for a general cleaning, then I'd say you need a better dentist of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To 19:52, could you clarify which dentist is quick to put kids under? We actually have a first appointment scheduled with Dr. Reardon this spring and I'd hate to waste time on a dentist we later decided was not a good fit.

Thank you.

PP, I am not sure if you are the OP or not, but we did not have a great experience with Dr. Reardon. We took my son when he was 3 and he was fine going into the exam. However, the way the exam room is set up, there are 3 exam chairs all in a row. My son was put in the middle chair and on either side of him there were kids who were upset with getting their teeth cleaned/examined. One boy was physically screaming, the other girl who was a little older was not making a lot of noise, but looked uncomfortable. Because of this, my son got very upset and wanted nothing to do with the exam. He barely let the hygenist look at his teeth and when Dr. Reardon came to see him, we had to lean him all the way back and put his head on a pillow so she could basically count his teeth. It was NOT a good experience - not so much because of the dentist herself, but because of the set up. So, if your child has sensory issues this might not be the place for him.

We had a much better experience with Dr. Alan Kuwabara in NW DC. His office was much more calm and he was great with my son. It also helped that my son was a year older at that point I think. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 19:52, could you clarify which dentist is quick to put kids under? We actually have a first appointment scheduled with Dr. Reardon this spring and I'd hate to waste time on a dentist we later decided was not a good fit.

Thank you.

PP, I am not sure if you are the OP or not, but we did not have a great experience with Dr. Reardon. We took my son when he was 3 and he was fine going into the exam. However, the way the exam room is set up, there are 3 exam chairs all in a row. My son was put in the middle chair and on either side of him there were kids who were upset with getting their teeth cleaned/examined. One boy was physically screaming, the other girl who was a little older was not making a lot of noise, but looked uncomfortable. Because of this, my son got very upset and wanted nothing to do with the exam. He barely let the hygenist look at his teeth and when Dr. Reardon came to see him, we had to lean him all the way back and put his head on a pillow so she could basically count his teeth. It was NOT a good experience - not so much because of the dentist herself, but because of the set up. So, if your child has sensory issues this might not be the place for him.

We had a much better experience with Dr. Alan Kuwabara in NW DC. His office was much more calm and he was great with my son. It also helped that my son was a year older at that point I think. Good luck!

I wasn't the OP, but this is helpful feedback. Thank you. When I called to make the appointment, I told them my daughter has autism, and the receptionist made a comment about putting her in a different room. Perhaps they have a single room as well? I'll call to reconfirm. I agree that three chairs in a row where the kids can observe each other uncomfortable or scared is not at all conducive to a good dentist visit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To 19:52, could you clarify which dentist is quick to put kids under? We actually have a first appointment scheduled with Dr. Reardon this spring and I'd hate to waste time on a dentist we later decided was not a good fit.

Thank you.

PP, I am not sure if you are the OP or not, but we did not have a great experience with Dr. Reardon. We took my son when he was 3 and he was fine going into the exam. However, the way the exam room is set up, there are 3 exam chairs all in a row. My son was put in the middle chair and on either side of him there were kids who were upset with getting their teeth cleaned/examined. One boy was physically screaming, the other girl who was a little older was not making a lot of noise, but looked uncomfortable. Because of this, my son got very upset and wanted nothing to do with the exam. He barely let the hygenist look at his teeth and when Dr. Reardon came to see him, we had to lean him all the way back and put his head on a pillow so she could basically count his teeth. It was NOT a good experience - not so much because of the dentist herself, but because of the set up. So, if your child has sensory issues this might not be the place for him.

We had a much better experience with Dr. Alan Kuwabara in NW DC. His office was much more calm and he was great with my son. It also helped that my son was a year older at that point I think. Good luck!

I wasn't the OP, but this is helpful feedback. Thank you. When I called to make the appointment, I told them my daughter has autism, and the receptionist made a comment about putting her in a different room. Perhaps they have a single room as well? I'll call to reconfirm. I agree that three chairs in a row where the kids can observe each other uncomfortable or scared is not at all conducive to a good dentist visit!

Yes, they do have a room off the main exam room that has a door that can be closed. I think it is used primarily for more invasive procedures rather than general exams. But they may actually let kids who need a more quiet atmosphere use it as well. I am not sure how it works to "reserve" it and if you can do that in advance or if it is just a matter of if it is available at the time you go in. I would definitely ask though - if I had any idea my son would have reacted the way he did, I would have asked for it, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. One more thing, one reason why these pediatric dentists try to advertise that they are the ones to see for special needs kids is because special needs kid are more likely to require sedation and general anesthesia..so they bring in more money. Get past the advertisement and ask them what makes them better able to handle special needs kids. What kind of special training do they have? Ask them if they've ever written articles on special needs kids. Ask them what special needs organizations they are on and what they've actually done with those organizations. My kid has sensory processing issues and needs someone who really DOES have special needs training and education, not just someone who advertises like they do.

I am poster 18:32 and I keep thinking about the above comment.

My son does not have ASD, but I work in the field. My son had extensive dental work that needed to be done, so as I said, we saw 4 dentists before finding one we were comfortable with. It ended up that we went with Dr. Niloofar. When I called to schedule the appointment the receptionist said "well maybe he won't need sedation--he let the other dentist take x-rays, right?" I was shocked, because none of the previous dentists even entertained the idea that it could be done without sedation.

Anyway, all the dentists we saw ended up saying pretty much the same thing in terms of treatment, but the one dentist who HEAVILY advertises to be a special needs dentist (specifically autism) was, IMO, the worst setting for kids. Her office was CRAMMED with patients. There was no privacy whatsoever. I cannot imagine a child who had ASD trying to cope with that environment. I am talking about Dr. Valerie Woo in Ashburn VA, BTW, since I know people will wonder.

I was confused as to why she would advertise herself so heavily to the autism community, but now it does make a lot of sense. She probably does do a lot of procedures on kids who need sedation. Maybe the money is not why she does it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the reason. And I must say that I had no problem with her as an individual (she wasn't mean or unprofessional), but I did not feel like she cared about my son as an individual.