The Search for a GOOD Odontólogo

Recently, I reconnected with one of my favorite students in Colombia!  Too many years have passed without any communication with him and well…..bebés, don’t stay bebés forever and now he is an Odontólogo!  So I wanted to share some of my insight into Pediatric Dentistry, not just for las mamás, but for odontólogos as well! :)

We FINALLY found a good odontólogo!

Three times really is a charm.

We went to our first odontólogo visit in December of 2011.  I liked Mr. Dentista #1, but wasn’t convinced to return to him because of several things.  Mainly, because I felt super rushed in his office and I spent more time with his hygienists than with him and unfortunately the hygienists were NOT as tuned into toddler behavior as Mr. Dentista#1 was. (Had they been, I may not have changed odontólogos.)  

But I was super impressed with Mr. Dentista#1 as a whole.  He shared keen insight into the science of teeth and really understood my cranky and scared two-and-a-half-year-old.  He met with us first in an office and talked to us about procedures first, without dentist jazz around.  I really liked that. He stressed that with children three and under, there is no pressure.  He doesn’t want young children to come away with a bad experience about the odontólogo.  There would be no pressure, no forcing, nada because eventually young kids come around and will get their teeth cleaned. 

So at the time for our next visit, we tried out Ms. NastyDentista.  I will put this in a nutshell.  She was unprofessional and ridiculous.  She has no business claiming to be a pediatric odontólogo and I made sure to write a thorough online review to let others know. 

Ms. NastyDentista didn’t understand three-old-behavior or fears.  She didn’t share the same view as Mr. Dentista#1 about not pressuring or forcing a youngster.  Sofía cried and screamed in the office.  She didn’t want Ms.NastyDentista to touch her.  I thought she was just being difficult.  As hindsight, I see that she had a very keen sense of the Ms. NastyDentista’s personality!  When Sofía wouldn’t stop crying or open her mouth for her to see, Ms. NastyDentista held Sofía’s arms down and tried to pry her mouth open.  She was instructing me to hold Sofía’s legs down also.  Sofía was SCREAMING and CRYING and FLAILING to get this woman off her.  I shut it down and picked up Sofía.  Clearly, this woman had NO IDEA how to deal with pediatric patients.  We left and didn’t return.  I hope no one under the age of 25 returns there.

And then, FINALLY, we found Ms. DentistaBuena!  Basically a year passed before I tried to take Sofía back to an odontólogo. 

Ms. DentistaBuena shared the same filosofía as Mr. Dentista#1, but her hygienists were super with Sofía!  Both Ms. DentistaBuena and her hygienist spent plenty of time with us to make us both feel comfortable.  They were both patient, gentle and playful, not overbearing or forceful.  Sofía did not want to let anyone touch her teeth that day either, but they both easily and calmly convinced her that there would be no pain and that the experience would be FUN!  And it was FUN!  Sofía put on cool magical protective eye glasses and watched a video while her teeth were examined.  She had fun touching the instruments and trying them out to see how they worked before Ms.DentistaBuena actually used them in Sofía’s mouth.   Ms. DentistaBuena had big props for Sofía to practice brushing and play with!  Sofía enjoyed her odontólogo experience and she now has clean teeth!