The Smile Spot-Springfield

I love this dentist office. They make each of my kids feel comfortable, relaxed, and not scared. They aren’t freaked out by the dentist at all which is so nice for all of us. My 6 year old has had quite a bit of work done and they’ve made it so he doesn’t fear them at all. I 100% recommended.

The dental hygienists have always been really kind and helpful for us, but there has been a new dentist every time my daughter has gone in, and I was quite dissatisfied with our last visit a few weeks ago. While many people have said they felt that this office told them their kids needed several fillings they did not need, we've had the opposite experience. I told them of our concerns of a very obvious cavity my daughter had, the dentist did not say anything about it other than to watch it, but then the hygienist said they would call me about scheduling a filling, which they never did. It looked terrible and was making her breath smell awful, so I decided to take my daughter elsewhere to get checked and was told she definitely needed a filling not only in the cavity we were concerned about, but a second smaller cavity the dentist at SS had missed altogether. Other than this recent issue, Smile Spot has been a decent dental office. Nice staff, clean facility, but we are moving on as I feel we can't overlook our concerns being brushed off and given instructions that could have led to needing more serious treatment had we not gotten a second look.

Today we went in to get a small cavity fixed in my daughter's tooth. She is 8 and terrified of shots. She also has Severe anxiety and ADHD and the nurses and Dr knew exactly how to handle my daughter and calm her down for her procedure. They finished her very quickly and she never knew when she even got the shot. 110% RECOMMEND going here!

I would never recommend this place for anyone for any reason. We went probably 5 times with my two kids. In all those times, we met ONE staff member who was ever friendly or who didn't act inconvenienced by kids being anxious about being there. It's also almost impossible to get in for care when needed. Their wait times are outrageous, which is wild, given the level of care we experienced. Dr. Emily openly berated me in front of my child because my daughter (8) knew there would be a numbing shot and was anxious about it. They opted to have her put under to get a tooth pulled because of her anxiety. They presented me with the treatment plan, which included having one tooth pulled (due to an abscess) and putting crowns on 4 baby teeth, two of which had "small" cavities and the other two had no cavities at all. I told them that I wasn't comfortable with this and would prefer a much less invasive option. They assured me my insurance would cover the crowns with no cost to me. Not the issue. I did not sign the treatment plan and wrote my concerns on it, as advised. We showed up the day of "surgery" after 20 hours of my daughter fasting and Doctor Emily came in and asked her if she was ready for her crowns. I told her I had not consented to the crowns. She was shocked and didn't know I hadn't signed the consent to treat or that I had communicated (verbally and written) that I was not okay with 4 crowns for 2 small cavities. She got upset and left the room. Long story short, I asked if they would just do the fillings and maybe sealant on the other two teeth and then also pull the abscessed tooth. She refused. She said if I don't trust her and consent to her treatment plan, then she won't work on my child. So we left. My daughter was devastated and left with the abscessed tooth. It would have been nice to know before we waited a month, had her fast for 20 hours, and took the day off work. It all screams insurance fraud to me, but I think the weirdest part of it all, and the one that makes me most uncomfortable in hindsight, is that they were planning to give her a Tylenol suppository while she was under. She is 8 years old and has no problem taking medication. She can take liquid, chewable, or even swallow a pill. She also would have had an IV during the procedure. I cannot imagine that a suppository is standard care during a dental procedure in an 8 year old child. We have since switched to Springfield Dentistry 4 Kids and the difference is unimaginable. The staff is warm, patient, and rolls with the punches of working with kids. The building is fun and set up for kids to be able to be kids. They accept Medicaid, and they accommodate my son's intolerance to artificial dyes. They had dye free options for everything, even in his take-home bag. The Smile Spot didn't have any at all.

The staff, assistants and dentist were great. However after completing the cleaning and determining that filings are needed, this office is NEVER able to schedule appointments to do the fillings. They ARE able to schedule appointments for the next teeth cleaning but never the work to fix problems. It makes no sense. On our last appointment in September I asked for the first available but was told they could not schedule any appointment and they could only do the fillings needed if there was a cancellation. So we were put on a very long list along with other patients who were waiting for cavities to be taken care of. THIS NO WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS!!

The staff @ The Smile Spot in Springfield were all very nice & helpful! We took our 3yr old there & she was having anxiety about the whole process & they were so gentle, patient, & kind with her while they tried to get her to let them do their job. She was too anxious to really get much done but they were really understanding. They talked us thru the whole process & let us know what to expect at her next appt. Would absolutely recommend them to anyone with children who need dental work done!