Cheerily outfitted with Halloween decorations, our visit to the Winchester practice was terrific from start to finish: easy parking, fast check in, zero wait time, and the hygienists and dentist we met were exactly what you would hope for at a pediatric dental practice: friendly, supportive, and endlessly patient. Given Laurel’s typical reserve around strangers, I walked in with minimal expectations about what we’d manage to get done at the check up, and as I explained and tried to allay her worries about the various things the hygienist and dentist were going to do, never once did I detect impatience or annoyance from the staff.

Laurel got to pick a toothbrush from a child height drawer (they even had princess toothbrushes, which we never can find at the drugstore…) and then she sat on my lap for the check up. As I anticipated, she was shy and resistant at first then eventually quietly cooperative for the teeth counting, cleaning, and even flossing. (It also helped to do things like count to 50 or sing the alphabet in a silly way to help distract.) At the end, Laurel got to pick some prizes from a toy/craft basket and she was thrilled about the contents of her dental goody bag.

A couple of other perks about this practice: I was able to request a female dentist, which I think helped Laurel’s comfort level, and they also operate paperless for appointment confirmation (i.e., everything is done by e-mail).

Pediatric Dental Associates; 955 Main Street, Suite 101, Winchester, Tel: 781-729-1900 & 20 Pondmeadow Drive, Suite 202, Reading, Tel: 781-944-7799