The Kids’ Dentist is this year’s winner in the Best of Renton awards, and just walking up to the doors of their main Renton office makes this win an obvious one.
A beachy, nautical theme complete with Disney-inspired sea animals everywhere, a theme-park level surfboard and ship to play on, and even an interactive screen to play simple, fun games turns what’s traditionally a scary dentist appointment into something inviting and kid-friendly — and this is just the lobby.
When Dr. Brian Dansie moved to the Pacific Northwest with his family, he decided to buy the The Kids’ Dentist, which had been a longtime pediatric dental practice in Renton. Before, everything was more teddy bear themed until it was decided that a ocean theme would appeal to more people.
“It just sets the tone. A dental visit usually starts from the moment their kids walk in the door so when kids are going to come in, they’re apprehensive, they’re nervous,” said Dansie. “It’s a new experience and if they come in and now what it looks like is a ride at Disneyland, and that’s what they’re starting off with, then they get anticipation instead of anxiety.”
Making sure young kids are as comfortable as possible is important for a pediatric dentist office, and at The Kids’ Dentist, every patient is given a friendly greeting at the front desk, with assistants also welcoming them and saying their names to make them feel safe.
“We use terminology that’s very safe and it feels fun for kids when we’re talking about anything gentle,” said Dansie. “And then the dentist comes in and says, ‘Hi’ and by then, if we’ve done it right, they’re already excited to see the dentist because [the assistants] say, ‘Oh, the dentist is going to come count your teeth’ and the kids are already laying in the chair and they want to see the dentist.”
What also helps make the pediatric dental office more inviting for kids is the fact that nobody on the staff wears a white coat — Dansie was wearing a Hawaiian shirt during the interview for this story — and how the dentists and staff talk patients through procedures that may be painful or scary to them.
“I show them what they can expect and a lot of times they’re scared because they don’t know what it’s going to feel like, but they’ve probably heard that there’s going to be a shot,” said Dr. Krisha Misa. “The type of local anesthetic that I use doesn’t even look like a shot. It looks like a little wand.”
The office also has small TVs set up on the ceilings where kids can watch whatever they want during a visit. The chair bay area is wide open so that patients don’t feel isolated. Other major perks for patients and their parents is the fact that parents are allowed to sit with their kids during the visits. The Kids’ Dentist takes all insurance, and has the convenience of having a full-time anesthesiologist on staff.
“An absolute selling point for these office is that there’s the anesthesiologist, because when you have a kid that needs extensive dental work and there’s no way to have that dental work done, because other pediatric offices just have a floating anesthesiologist that might come once every few months,” said The Kids’ Dentist CEO Traci Moran. “They’re able to do everything from start to finish to take care of kids’ oral hygiene.”
Along with the Renton office at 3900 East Valley Road, The Kids’ Dentist has locations in Gig Harbor, Silverdale and a few miles north in the Highlands at 1620 Duvall Avenue Northeast.
For more information on the Renton location, call 425-255-5532 or visit the kidsdentistrenton.com.
Dr. Krisha Misa and Dr. Brian Dansie hang ten in The Kids’ Dentist Renton’s ocean-themed lobby. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Filled with games, a play area and a colorful environment, this pediatric dental office puts kids at ease as soon as they walk through the door. Photos by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing
Portholes in the wall allows kids to look in on the dentists doing their work.
Small TVs and a nice, sunny view help patients feel comfortable during their dental visit. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
Kids can learn proper brushing techniques with toys in a side room designed for naptime for babies and recovery time for anesthesia. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
