Kelly A Kirtland, DDS

Sparing you all our entire dental history, we first met Dr. Kelly Kirtland as a referral from another dentist as an emergency patient. We were at our then 7^th dentist with my 4 year old son getting yet another cavity filled when things started to turn scary. The dentist immediately called Dr. Kirtland’s office to see if she could see us, and, thankfully, she could. She met us at the door while I was holding my crying, bleeding and writhing in pain child and calmly introduced herself, explained the situation and asked if I understood what she was saying to me (I think I was just as much in shock as my son!). I nodded. She declawed my son from me and took him back, reassuring me the entire time that «they do this kind of thing all the time.» Not only did she take of the emergency situation, but she did this without any medication! After several appointments/​months later, Dr. Kirtland gave us something that I never thought I’d see — my son smiling with perfectly beautiful teeth.
I can tell you, 7 years later, my son actually looks FORWARD to seeing Dr. Kirtland. He walks back confident and smiling when they call his name (have you ever heard of an 11 or 13 year old asking when their next dental appointment is?!). And even though we continue to deal with some of his dental issues, I trust absolutely no one more than Dr. Kirtland with my children’s dental health. She develops a rapport with the children so that they feel like they are going to see THEIR doctor — not just another doctor that is going to talk to their mom or dad at the end. She actually takes the time to get to know them, to ask them how they are, to ask about their siblings, to teach them how to maintain a beautiful smile — absolutely priceless qualities that up until Dr. Kirtland was a rarity to us (and we had seen 7 top-​rated dentists all over the Chicagoland area prior to ending up here). She is an absolute gem and we are so lucky to have found her!

I’ve taken my two children to Dr. Kirtland since my first was one (she is now 5). As another reviewer noted, there is a policy that you not go back for the exam with your child after the first visit. I found this a little off-​putting too, but was glad I went ahead anyway with Dr. Kirtland. She has provided excellent care to both of my children. She has had to do fillings for my eldest and, despite receiving a shot and fillings, my daughter never complained and still looks forward to going back to her for checkups. I HATED going to the dentist when I was a kid, so I’m grateful my children have found a caring professional whom they enjoy seeing.
The office is child-​friendly. There are toys in the waiting room if you have another child waiting with you. Once you go past the receptionist, there is a fish tank and a «treasure box» which you can take a toy from once you are done with your visit. Looking at the fish tank always occupies my kids when I’m talking to the receptionist to schedule next appointment etc.
I’ve never had to wait long. Once, I had to cancel at the last minute for my son because he was napping (and I knew he’d be a bear if I woke him up) but the staff were very understanding and didn’t charge me for the missed visit despite the last-​minute cancellation, which I appreciated.

As new patients of Dr. Kirtland we could not be any happier. We met at a stressful time when my 3 year old daughter needed emergency dental work done and our former dentist unexpectedly cancelled on us. She went above and beyond to see my daughter quickly, at a very busy time for her. She even personally handled all of our paperwork to make sure we got into surgery as quick as possible. She was wonderful with my 3 year old and incredibly reassuring and efficient with her work and was able to answer all of my questions before I even had to ask them! We highly recommend her and look forward to all of our future visits! Her staff was also a pleasure to work with!

I’ve been to many dentists, and Dr. Kirtland is really as good as it gets. We’ve been going to see here since my oldest was 2; she’s now 7. My kids look forward to going in there. Even my second one who’s a little nervous about taking initiative loves going in by himself. He thinks he’s such a big kid when he tells the staff how his teeth are doing. I always get an opportunity to talk to Dr. Kirtland about how they’re doing, and she takes the time to answer all my questions about the three kids.
The wait time is fairly short, but there are quite a few forms you have to fill out per child. There are also lots of toys and teeth documentaries that keep the kids occupied before they get inside. The atmosphere is very kid friendly, and the staff is also really good with the kids.

About six months ago we were looking for a dentist for my daughter. W choose Dr. Kirtlands office due to the good reviews, proximity and insurance. Our visit then was great. My then 6 year old was comfortable and happy. I was thrilled because as a child and until recently going to the dentist was traumatic.
Today we go in for our six month check up. In filling out the update forms I read «we want parents to stay in the waiting room.» I went to the receptionist to inform her that I would like to go back with my child and she says she will tell the doctor. A few minutes later the hygenist calls our name and when I stand she informs me she will take my child back alone. I tell her I want to come. My child starts to get nervous and her eyes tear up. I told the lady that things would go roe refectory if I went with her and she just stared at me. I then asked «are you saying that I can not come back?» She replied «yes.»
I walked over to the receptionist cancelled my appt and asked for our records.
I understand certain policies but no medical professional, barring emergency type procedures should refuse my right to remain with my under age child. We will not be going back.

Let me start off by saying that Dr. Kirtland is an amazing dentist! As a child, I had a horrific experience with dentistry, so I wanted the least frightening experience for my daughter with a dentist who works exclusively with children. Dr. Kelly makes going to the dentist a very positive and even fun experience for her, even considering my daughter had to have a tooth pulled and is still not afraid to go back because she felt no fear/​pain. My only complaint is that occasionally, Dr. K’s reception staff, who are usually very pleasant, can be a little abrasive when changing or booking appointments over the phone.
This can be a hassle and while most of the reception workers are wonderful, some can be pretty inconsiderate of parents’ time and complex schedules. I don’t know of too many parents who can afford to take time off work to take their child to the dentist but I am not one of them. Yet when booking, the receptionists sometimes push times on you that you have already stated will not work for you or times when children are in school, even if you state a preference for avoiding having to take your child out of school too often. I’m willing to take my child out of school close to the end of the day but an 11am appointment is kind of ridiculous; I’d prefer not to have to send my child to school for 3 hours, leave to go to the dentist around the time they would normally be having lunch, and then send them back cranky, hungry, numb, and uncomfortable after having a cavity filled. Or worse, have them miss the rest of the school day for a dentist appointment that could have been at 2 or 2:30pm so that they would only miss an hour of school. Not to mention parents having to miss work as well. The reception staff, being mostly younger ladies, may not understand these parenting dilemmas.
My advice is to plan to book appointments at least a few months in advance, which can be difficult because once a cavity is detected, there is pressure to book as soon as possible. I was even lectured by a receptionist about the importance of flossing my child’s teeth (even though we floss daily), since we were «waiting so long to have that cavity filled», because we waited three more weeks for an appointment that worked better for our schedule.
Overall, Dr. Kelly is such an amazing dentist that she is worth all the hassle. She filled my daughter’s first two cavities and my daughter came out smiling and happy and still has no idea that she even got a shot! She loves Dr. Kelly and her entire staff who entertain her with little fun ways of describing what the various tools are used for and she especially loves brushing the giant teeth after her appointment and getting to pick her prizes. I really like the fact that Dr. Kelly speaks to me after each appointment to let me know how it went and what she did. She is very understanding of my extreme nervousness as a parent who had a bad experience with dentistry as a child and it comforts me to know that I will never have to worry about that happening to my daughter because Dr. Kelly is just that great with kids.

My daughters have been patients of Dr Kirtland’s for over 4 years and our experience has been exceptional. After every exam, Dr Kirtland personally explains what she saw while showing any x-​rays on her computer, pointing things out and fully explaining them. She includes my girls in the conversation, which makes them more interested and engaged in their dental care (they love seeing their x-​rays!). It also helps later when I later say «Gummy bears are bad for your teeth!» because they’ve heard it from Dr Kirtland directly.
While she is high-​tech, she is also conservative in her treatment. For example, my daughter had a small cavity in a «baby» tooth, but the x-​ray showed the «adult» tooth was very close to erupting. Instead of filling the cavity, Dr Kirtland recommended no treatment unless my daughter started experiencing tooth pain. No sense in Novocaine and a filling for an asymptomatic baby tooth that’s about to fall out anyway! Genius! She could’ve easily advised me otherwise.
We are always seen on time and because there are multiple hygienists, my daughters are both seen at the same time, which limits my waiting time.
I don’t recall how long in advance the initial appointment had to be scheduled, but we did require a more urgent appointment one time and were seen the same day (my daughters were already established patients at this point).
Lastly, the staff is friendly and professional. They keep the required school forms on hand in case busy parents forget to bring them and they always calculate my co-​insurance amount correctly!
We recently moved to the north suburbs and I would not even considering switching dentist. Dr Kirtland is worth the drive!

I have been bringing my two boys to Dr. Kirtland for 3 years now. They love going to the dentist because they always feel comfortable there.
Dr. Kirtland always remembers by children’s names and the past work she has done on them before she looks at the chart.
If I myself could see her as a dentist I would switch to her in a heart beat. The office is very nicely decorated as well and the kids love all the prizes they get!

After taking my daughter here for her first two years, I am switching dentists. While Dr. Kirtland is nice and her staff is very understanding with children, the experience is definitely not personal. On our third visit, the doctor shook my hand and said, «Nice to meet you.» Um… hello…we’ve been patients for two years. Then, I tried to ask her questions pertaining to my daughter’s teeth and she didn’t seem to answer them. She seemed to read from a script the entire time, like she delivers the same information to everyone. I heard… for at least the second time… how much she hates juices for kids teeth, as well as the gummy snacks. I’m going to find a new dentist that will actually give me a personal experience.

I have to start off by saying i have not gone to this dentist. My review is because after seeing some plaque build up on my 14 month old’s teeth, i called to make an appt. They told me that for *new patients* a Saturday appt (I work during the week), they were scheduling almost a year in advance — that is crazy! That means, i should have made an appt for him while he was in the womb! Even if I could take a day off just to take my son to the dentist, the weekday appts are 2 – 3 months in advance. I just think that is crazy and it seems like they are not very welcoming for new patients.