Kid's Choice Dental

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I wish our family had never chosen this dental office. The problems are so numerous many people will believe I am exaggerating but I promise you this review is accurate and my only hopes in writing it is you will be saved the experiences my family faced. We first met Dr. Polsky at their other office Southcenter Pediatric Dentistry where the dentist we selected was not given to us and instead without warning we had her. At the time I didn’t want to alarm my son so I just smiled and pretended all was going as planned when the dentist then said her name asked him to open his mouth very sternly and when he didn’t she didn’t try to loosen him up or make him laugh but instead held down his head and shoved a plastic wedge in his mouth. He then became very frightened and started thrashing so she just held him down further. I must say he had just opened his mouth perfectly for the very nice dental assistant. I was in shock! She then finished the exam like everything was perfectly normal and sent him to x-ray where he was completely worked up. After working with the nice xray lady we found out he had a large cavity they hadn’t caught before that would need a cap. This meant he would need to be put under (asleep) and they were full so we would need to go to Kids Choice Dental office 2 weeks later. Since the procedure was really needed I didn’t change dentists as I figured he would be asleep and wouldn’t even see this aggressive dentist. Boy did I make a wrong choice. In short he was not allowed to eat or drink before the procedure so it was scheduled for first thing in the morning but then they took us back 4 HOURS LATE. My son was crying that he was hungry and thirsty along with several other scared kids that were in the same boat. They kept telling us any minute would be his turn. The office was also filled with children screaming in the chairs which even I found terrifying. They then took him back to the room, which was the most unfriendly space I have ever seen and scared the crap out of even me. If hospitals can make birthing suites look like hotel rooms, a child’s dentist can make the surgical room look less like a torture table. When he came out I found they hadn’t put anything on his lips and had opened his mouth too wide so his lips were cracked, torn and swollen all over and hurt him for weeks. His cheeks also had faints bruises on them. Then after all this it took MONTHS and over 9 calls to get them to bill our insurance company properly. My insurance company kept saying they can’t pay for an invoice they don’t have, even the dentist sent me bills every month asking for payment. We now have a new dentist Dr. McDonald at A Kids Dentist in Renton since the cap Dr. Polsky placed has already broke. So we had the procedure again and you know what it was simple. The was treated nicely, they gave him a balloon sword, they talked to him about what was going to happen. They took us on time for our appointment, they comforted him, they didn’t damage his lips and they said they removed material that was left under the gum line with the last procedure which was irritating his gums and causing them to discolor. I hope you do not chose to take your kids here and instead choose Dr. McDonald you won’t be disappointed!

I have been taking my 10 year old daughter to Kids Choice Dental on 94th & 128th on South Hill for the last 2 or 3 years. I have sat in on every medical procedure she has ever had. Today I took her in for a crown. She was put under conscious sedation and I sat with her as the drugs took effect. When they came for her they asked me to wait in the waiting room. Typically when this happens my daughter will say no, this time she did not so I shrugged it off and sat in the waiting room to read. It was not her first crown but it was the first time she was to be sedated for it.

When the procedure was over they came to get me. When I got back there she was sobbing. Her face was puffy and red; you could tell she had been crying a while. She was heavily medicated but was immensely distraught. She was, in actuality, in near hysterics. Though hard to understand all she could do was cry my name and reach for my hand. She mumbled how she had been crying for me the whole time and they told her no. She said it was so scary and she needed mama and they wouldn’t let her have me. Then she showed my some heavy duty Velcro straps about as wide as her torso and said they tied her down. I understand why they did this but we were not informed of this part of the procedure and she was not prepared. They did not tell her until she had been sedated and they were putting them on. It was like a nightmare for her. That’s when she said she started crying & asking for me.

I chose not to confront the staff then as I didn’t want to upset her more and in her condition all she wanted to do was get home. The whole drive home she cried and cried about how scary it was and how they wouldn’t get me. She asked me why I wasn’t there. She was terrified (her words) and just wanted mommy. As the drugs wore off she would have bouts of sobbing again remembering how scared she was and how awful it was they wouldn’t listen. When the drugs finally wore off she told me on top of all that they lied to her. Each time she would ask for me they told her I was in the bathroom, talking to the front desk folks, I was busy…. I was in the waiting room reading the whole time. She told me that when they wouldn’t get me she started yelling for me. The way the office is set up I did not hear her.

This is a pediatric dentist. Why did this happen?? I don’t understand why not one person on that staff would inform me how upset she was becoming. Why would you traumatize a child that way if your specialty is children?? How do you let her get that upset?? She is so scared of the dentist now and I have never had a problem with that. She has enamel issues and more dental work is inevitable. I am really upset and reeling with guilt for allowing this to happen. I never should have let her go by herself but I trusted the staff with my daughter and was let down in a way I could never explain in words. I should have known that she was sedated & in no position to protest to my being asked to stay behind but someone should have come for me right away.

The staff chose for it to be this way.

It didn’t have to be this way

My daughter has been there a few times and haf a tooth pulled with s very nice calm male dentist. But she need another one pulled so i scheduled it. It was s late afternoon appointment and we waited a while before being taken back. They seemed quite busy. The put her in a regular exam chair and a lady dentist came over and began doing a regular checkup. She then stated my daughter would need braces and or a tooth pulled. I explained i already knew this and that i had scheduled this appointment especially for the extraction. She then told me that she couldnt possibly do it today because it was getting late near closing. I pleaded with her that i took off early from work for this and may not be able to get any more time off work soon. So she agreed to do it. Which was a huge mistake! They yook my us yo the back room and began to prep my daughter. The lady dentist came in and began the numbing injections one right after another in rapid succession. She was so fas and ruff about it and my daughter was in alot of pain. She then began to yank on the tooth without even letting the numbing set in. My daughter was cringing and squirming in pain the whole time. She was yanking and twisting so hard i could hear the tooth cracking as she removed it in pieces. It was all i could do to contain myself even my teeth hurt from the sound. I now realize i should have done something. After the procedure she informed us we would still need to see the orthodontist and gave us a referral. So we went upstairs to that office. They looked at my daughters file and said yes she needs braces but i would have to put a down-payment which i didnt have so we left. We went downstairs to the main door to leave and it was locked! We then went to the side door and it too was locked! So we went over to the dentist office and it was locked and dark inside! Then we went back upstairs to the ortho office and it was locked. There was a cleaning lady behind the counter running a vacuum so she could not hear us knocking. In short we were shouting and banging on the door and window for probably 20 minutes before someone noticed us. I was about to call 911! They led us out the back down an employee entrance. My daughter was traumatized for a long time after and we have never been back! We now go to just for kids dental which is a whole different experience. Very nice! One star only because none is not an option.

Service was nice but spent 7 months fighting with them about the bill. Tried to bill me for the balance above the agreed charge amount with the insurance company for 100% covered preventative care.

I took my son here for his first visit this week. I have always been to a regular dentist (adult) but never a child's. My co-worker told me our this office took our insurance (MetLife and Delta Dental). So I made an appointment and got in that same week. The hygentist called him back and he was a little nervous at first, she explained everything she was going to do before she did it and he actually cooperated pretty well. We met Dr. Lee who Also explained everything very thoughly. Gave him a high-five for no cavities. After his visit he got a token for the toy machine and got put on the "No Cavity Club" wall. We will be back in July for sure. I will definetly refer anyone with a young child here.