Tucson Smiles Pediatric Dentistry

We went to Tucson Smiles on a recommendation of a friend. My daughter needed some dental work done. On our first visit, we saw Dr. Priya Abramian who laid out the planned procedure for us. This dentist office has the option for oral sedation (drinking the sleepy juice). We opted for that because my daughter is extremely nervous in the dentist chair. So, we scheduled the appt. The day of the appt, my daughter ate a little bit of breakfast while I was in the shower (she wasn’t supposed to eat).
Upon realizing this, I immediately called the office to reschedule. The receptionist was nice about it and transferred our phone call to another person. This person did not give a name or title and became extremely curt on the phone when I explained what happened. Between her heavy sighs of inconveniencing her, she rescheduled us, asked if we needed anything else, and then promptly hung up the phone on me.
I drove from Sahuarita to Rita Ranch to personally speak with an office manager. The OM was surprised by the behavior of that staff member and promised to investigate. I took my daughter’s X-​rays and cancelled further appts with Tucson Smiles. Today, I received a letter (3 weeks post appt) signed by one of the dentists stating that they will no longer be treating my daughter. No apology, no explanation for their staff’s behavior. Nothing.

My son really likes going here. On our way to his appointment today he stated, «I’m so excited to get there.» When I asked why, he said, «the people are just so nice, I really like them.» I must say you don’t hear that too much when referring to a dental visit. The facility always looks bright and clean and the staff is very friendly. Would definitely recommend.

Highly recommend this dentist office for kids! I have 4 boys all with different needs and they accomodate and listen everytime. They are super kid friendly and always easy to work with. My kids love going. They have also helped us late at night with a dental emergency. It saved my son’s front tooth and I am so grateful. I love this place!

I cannot express enough how thrilled we were with Tucson Smiles. My 7-​year old daughter needed four teeth extracted. We had a bad experience at a different dentist, which resulted in no teeth being extracted, only tears. I was so worried about the added anxiety that would bring to this visit. The staff were all very friendly. Dr. Priya was amazing. She was up front with me. She told me that it might only be possible to remove two teeth per visit, but that she would try to get all four if my daughter was handling it well (she wound up getting all four done). She gave me a printed cost estimate sheet (something not provided by our other dentist). She spoke in a calm voice. She spoke of «magic air» not just «Nitrous Oxide» (it was an added bonus that this time the laughing gas had a pleasant smell). She didn’t discredit things my daughter said (even if under this sedation, it is «pressure» not «pain» that one feels, no one wants to continually be told that they are not hurting, when they feel that they are). She was patient with my daughter, and gave her breaks when she needed them. She gently pushed on my daughter’s shoulder to show her what she was going to do in her mouth. She let her know when she was almost done. She listened patiently to her when she had her stop (many times) to repeat that she was tired. She kept encouraging her and telling her how good she was doing. This may sound silly, but you could tell she has children of her own, and has developed the skills to make their experiences as positive as possible.

My daughter saw Dr Tor and overall we had a nice experience. The office is very child-​friendly and accommodating to nervous kids. The person who really helped calm my daughter was named Rebecca. She was so helpful and patient! There are TVs mounted to the ceiling so that the kids can watch a movie while getting a cleaning or check-​up. After the visit, the kids get a token to spend in the rubber ball machine. My daughter did great and we will be back!

I’d previously reviewed Dr. Hishaw here:
Since we found her and her team, there’s been no reason to try any other place. Dr. Hishaw, Dr. Priya and now Dr. Baird are amazing at what they do. I can’t explain just how difficult my son is at the dentist’s, but they are able to coax him, and get him to cooperate. I used to gladly drive out to their La Cholla location, but since they opened a new office just blocks from my home, we no longer have to.
My son has had all his regular appointments and cleanings done here and so the doctors are able to keep up with his progress (which teeth he’s lost, which still need to, as well as personal things like what grade he’s in, his hobbies, etc).
What my son loves is that they do fun things for them like rent out a movie theater and treat all their patients to a movie (last summer was Kung Fu Panda 2, this year was Madagascar 3). Plus patients get tokens at the end of their visit which is used in a bouncy ball machine. He always gets a goody bag with a toothbrush and such, a sticker to let people know his mouth is numb after extractions and his own bubble gum scented mask that was used during the extraction. Seriously, he LOVED that he was able to keep that. One of our last appointments was the Friday before Father’s Day and all the dads were given a bottle of Dad’s Rootbeer. I find these kind of things adorable, my childhood dentist never gave me so much as a balloon.
I appreciate that they always give me a breakdown of things. This summer my son had to go in a couple of times for tooth extractions and we were told well in advance EXACTLY how much the cost would be. I was quoted over the phone, and it was sent to me in writing. I love not being surprised.
You can tell that these ladies enjoy what they do and enjoy their work family. It just shows. Now you know, if you or someone you know is in need of a pediatric dentist, try here.