Smiles Dentistry for Kids — Local services in Overland Park

Our family dentist diagnosed our son with “rampant decay” when he was 4 years old. Over the next 18 months, he received about 9 fillings in 4 separate visits. It was a traumatic experience for him, as he was so young and had difficulty communicating what he was feeling during the procedures. Also, we didn’t realize at the time that he was unable to breathe through his nose due to a greatly enlarged adenoid gland. Our last visit ended with him crying hysterically and me taking him home numb, but having not received any fillings. At his next cleaning, we were told several existing fillings were failing, and we knew then that we had to find a pediatric dentist who knew how to handle children. We were referred to Dr. Matt at Smiles Dentistry For Kids and loved his energy and ease of communicating with our son. After recognizing the role his breathing played in his decay and the failure of his previous treatments, Dr Matt recommended we address that first before making any more attempts to treat his decay. After an adenoidectomy and the new-found ability to breathe through his nose, we scheduled his first treatment with Dr. Matt. The staff were calm and engaging and put our son at ease from the start. From little things like knowing the perfect words to describe what is happening to a child, to using special techniques to distract the child during the uncomfortable parts of the procedure, Dr Matt and his team were phenomenal! They worked quickly, while also being patient and allowing my son to communicate how he was feeling throughout the procedure. Dr. Matt was encouraging and reassuring, often counting down the seconds till the end of a certain part of the process. When we were done, I was able to sum-up the experience in two words to my...

I’m a crunchy-granola, special needs parent, who likes to be involved in my child’s health care— to say I was looking for a needle in a haystack, is an understatement.

We tried many pediatric dental offices before finally finding Smiles Dentistry. & Boy, am I glad we did! Dr. Matt is a fantastic dentist! He is trustworthy and works collaboratively with parents; both rare qualities to find in a dentist. He truly listens, and is respectful of my choices as a parent.

Dr. Matt and his hygienists are also very supportive and gentle with my son with special needs. They explain everything before they do it, and accommodate his light sensitivity.

The office is clean, well-lit, inviting, and a fun atmosphere. There are movies playing in the waiting room, and while in the dental chair. The waiting room also has Nintendo Switch gaming stations (one of my son’s favorite features). Kids get a prize from the prize machine and a dental goody bag afterwards, as well as a dental report card (which my son always proudly hangs on our fridge after appointments).

I wish this office accepted adults! It is just an invaluable asset to have a dentist who you can trust, is conservative with treatment, has the most up-to-date dental care and treatments, good bedside manner with my child, and works collaboratively with parents. We moved recently, and the dental office sent my son a card— it meant the world to him! (He kept it) We will miss Dr. Matt, his team, and Smiles Dentistry so much!

Dr. Matt is a gem of a dentist! You won’t be disappointed giving Smiles...

Several years ago a well known pediatric dentist in Overland Park, KS extracted my little girl's tooth without numbing her. She screamed so loud that this dentist was shaking by the end of it. My daughter was so traumatized that it would take 3 years to find a dentist who she trusted enough to even open her mouth. We went to one of the top specialists at Children's Mercy, we went to dentists with great reviews...my daughter would have none of it. At this point her cavities had grown very large and it was extensive and my husband and I were at a loss. A group of moms at a Kansas City mom's group said that Dr. Matt had worked with children who had bad experiences in the past and we immediately made an appointment. The first moment my daughter met Dr. Matt, she opened her mouth so he could see her teeth! This was huge and something she hadn't done for any of the other pediatric dentists since her bad experience. I was shocked! She has trusted him ever since and we won't ever go to anyone else. Even after having dental surgery, she still likes him. He is wonderful and we are so thankful that this trauma is finally over and he has taken...